New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-07-18

righteous and merciful Republican party
would then reappear to repeat its enormities
whoever reads the newspapers cannot fail t,
see that the chief argument, which the Demo
cratic party relies on to rally opposition {,
the Republican party, is the protection iron
ku-kluxism, that the Republican party i.
ailOrding to the negro.
But may not the Democratic party be al
lowed to put up and vote for Republicans
les but Republicans should, as genera
thlng, pause long before voting for them
But suppose that party puts up for President
SO pronounced and eminent a Republican as
Horace Greelcy-cannot Republicans con.
slstently vote for him? Certainly not. Fol
ms election would as surely be the success
OF the Democratic party as the election OF
PRESIDENT Grant will be the success of the
Republican party. The election of Mr.. Gree
ley will not turn the Democratic party into a
Republican party--but it will turn him into
Democrat--not, l trust, into one of the
worst type-but still into a Democrat. In
anticipation Of merely his nomination he
talked differently about the tariff from what
he had been wont to do and. instead of con-
tinuing to uphold the Presidents hands in
his warfare against Ku-kluXism, he joined
himself to those who would palsy them. He
had now ten words against the ''carpet-
baggers' where he had one against the Ku-
kluN. No, Mr.. Greeley's election would not
'assm!late the Democratic party to him but him
to it. So it has ever been in such cases--a and
how, with his kindly and obliging spirit, can
he prove an exception? l do not say that
Mr.. Greeley will set out to be Il Democrat /;
and admit that he may be largely insens-
BILE of the progress of his change. Neverthe-
less, whether consciously or unconsciously,
he will be moulded, and this, too, at no very
clio TO into ha, Al,
views and policies of this great party, which,
as seductively as tlatteringly, places him at
its head. But what if Mr.. Greeley should,
notwithstanding his candidacy and election,
remain niiraculously unchanged? 1t does not
follow that his election would not be the sue
cess OF the Democratic party. The President
Is not all the Government. Congress is far
more nearly all of it and Mr.. Greeley's
election would be quite likely to result in a
Democratic Congress. Many of these seced-
ing Republicans will sell their votes to Demo-
cratic candidates in exchange for Democratic
votes for MIR. Greeley. Unless human nature
shall change, the sympathy between thesesc-
cedng Republicans and the Democratic party
will, all the land over, ripen into open coali-
tons. The nomination of Mr.. Greeley by
the Democratic party--a nomination to be
consummated by the Baltimore Convention
is, i'll effect, a scheme to draw OIL by this use
of his name enough Republicans to turn the
scale in favor of Democratic ascendency. |
have not spoken to disparagc Mr.. Greeley.
have no sympathy with the defamation and
abuse OF him. | am as indignant at his being
calleda free lover' as at President Grants
being called "drunkard." know him well
and esteem him highly. That he has risen
by force of his very remarkable talents and
many virtues from poverty and Obscurity to
his present distinction reflects no small credit
both on himself and on our American free
institutions. l do not blame him for his
aspirations to the Presidency. He means to
be, if elected, an honest as well as wise
ruler. L only lament that he had not been
content to look for his honors solely to the
Republican party. AS the candidate for
however high an Office at the hands of the
Republican party, would readily have voted
for him. only lament that he should have
sought his hOnOrs by lending his name and
influence to the Democratic party, and by
damaging and endangering that other party,
which he had served so long and so well.
Right here let me answer the question
Where is the Democratic party to be found?
Is it to be found in the recent Cincinnati
Convention, or in the approaching Baltimore
Convention? 1t is to be found in both. 1t
is to be found wherever war is made upon
of Republicans represented in the Cincinnati
Convention the Republican party is absurd.
The hope of that convention was i'm the
Democratic party. Its candidates are the
candidates of the Democratic party, and are
to be beaten as such and not as candidates
OF the Republican party. Ineed say no more
OF the Democratic party except to add that
patriotism and justice, the love of country
and the love of God forbid our voting with it
or for any of its candidates.
We now turn to the Republican party. AT
the time it came into being considerably less
than twenty years ago) the Democratic party
was sunk into a dead conservatism and into
the basest servant of the slave power. The
Wing party became the basis of the Repub-
lican party, notwithstanding it bore quite too
much resemblance to the Democratic party.
Happily, however, the Wing party allowed
itself to be leavened by the handful of old
uncompromising Abolitionists. In this wise
was the Republican party constituted and
the condition of its continued existence and
power is that it shall continue to be a reform
party. Grandly did it begin its reformatOry
career. 1t fought for the life of the nation,
and saved it; it fought against the guilty
rebels of the South and the more guilty rebels
of the North, and conquered both; it fought
against slavery, and killed it; it fought for
the rights of the black man and won them.
And it did all this not only without the help
Of the Democratic party, but in the face of
its determined and unrelenting opposition. It's
work is not yet done. What is lacking in the
civil rights of the black man it must hasten
to supply. speak not here of social rights.
They must take care of themselves. The
laws have nothing to do with them. Many
other reforms are urging themselves upon its
adoption; and, unless it shall soon begin to
espouse them it will die, because of its fail
ure to fulfill the condition of its existence
in other words, because of its failure to con-
tinue to be reform party. Ere this the
Republican party should have abolished the
franking privilege. Ere this it should have
accorded the ballot to woman. The wide
step in this direction, taken i'm the Phila-
delphia Convention, should be followed up
without delay. Ere this, too, the Republi-
can party should have arrayed Government
against the dramshOps. For what is the
office of Government but to protect persons
and property:-and the sum total of all other
perils to persons and property falls short of
such peris from the dramshOps. l ask not
that Government shall espOusc the cause of
temperance, and enact sumptuary laws; but
insist that it shall be true to itself and pro-
tect persons and property, whether in doing
so it shall help or harm the cause of temper
ance. The hope of the country is in the
continued asccndcncy and continued re-