New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1873-03-27
How 10 utilize victory.

In the late Presidential campaign the Re
publcans won a great victory. Never before
did the power Of Republican organization up
hold the standard Of Republican principles
with such confidence Of success, ending in
such decisive results. The decisions as to
their strength on the part Of the enemy were
cherished only for their destruction; and
even the truths adopted by them fed from
them to their birthplace and natural refuge
in the ranks Of the straightout Republican
party. Great names were dcrided, great
characters disesteemed, great dsaiiection
was crushed, and great combinations were
laughed at by the people who had learned to
associate natural unity and every form Of
progress with the trumphs Of the great party
Of emancipation and reconstruction. The
fatigue of that contest Is still upon US, and
the consciousness Of victory is naturally aid
ing our present repose. The apparent pow
erlessness of the enemy makes us careless
about the use Of our strength, and the re-
sources at our command discovered in the late
contest have developed unbounded conf
dence as to our invincibility. Even future
dangers are obscured by the rising incense
offered by US to good fortune.
The pathway to success is always beset
with mistakes. Men are prone either to I'M
dervalue crisis, or else to overestimate it;
sometimes they do both, and yet win the bat
tie. Certainly we orerdid our crisis in the
late struggle.
When approaching the heat Of the contest,
we were charged by the enemy with having
too many soldiers, and too good ones, the
civil service scare began in Our ranks. We
at once got rid Of some of our best friends to
please our worst enemies. So we adopted
the sham Of civil service reform so odious
and hypocritical that the few real evils it
pretended to remedy appear to be the only
good left in the present system OF appoint
ments. Favoritism is now sanctioned by
law, and incompetency is sheltered by rou-
tine. The measurement of ability to fill po-
sitions is reduced to such infinitesimal degrees
that rule of justice would deny any one of
the three who may pass, place; and send
them to make living in trade, where the
less competent Of the competitors would fail,
and then choose the incompetent for the
service where he would Ec in great danger of
succeeding.
Let us correct this feature Of an oyer-done
crisis. Let us reform the abomination OF
this "Reform," and free ourselves from the
disaster of this campaign mistake.
Our enemies seeing they were successful in
frightening US oat Of some Of our best SOL
Ia oo,,plapt fbaf
We had too much ammunition, and demanded
the abolition of the franking privilege. Our
officials chershing false notions as to their
duty to their constituents hastily pledged
themselves to abolition, and thus commit
ted blunder number two Of the campaign.
They forgot that the great body of the pco
PIE pay the taxes necessary to support gov
eminent, and failed TO remember that the
least government could do was 10 let the
people know some thing Of governmental
work. II is sheer nonsense 10 talk about
the cost to the Government u conveying
tranked matters. Whoever can get postal
contracts To carry our present mails would
have carried franked matter in addition for
the same price. But what is to be said
about that million of Republican voters in
the South who will suffer most by the aboli-
ton--the colored men? Was it right 10 shut
them of from free information as TO the
grounds CT their allegiance to the Republican
party, while their poverty denies them access
TO documents and speeches? Was it right
to leave them at the mercy of garbled eX-
tracts, doctored TO suit opponents, in regard
80 any utterances made by their representa-
tives in Congress: And yet We are met to-
day with a storm OF kissing and tlunierN OF
reproach against the members who voted
themselves increased salary with back pay.
People are beginning at last TO see it would
have been better that the masses should
have had the advantages of the Thanking
privilege than that members OF Congress
should have an increase of salary. Still it is
far better that salaries should be increased
than that the colored people Of the South
should be left without information. If
another scare is to take place about this
salary business we trust it will eventuate
ID the restoration Of the franking privilege,
that thus another blunder Of the campaign
may be corrected and the utilization Of our
great victory be made more easy.
Yet, Notwithstanding these two blundeIs
of the past, we are in danger Of falling into
a more serious blunder in the fdiure. We
are threatened with the blunder Of concilia-
ton.
Our political enemies are beaten, it is said
let US pursue a policy which will make our
former foes our friends. There can be no
objection to this on the score Of good feeling
and fair dealing towards the minority. 1t is
our duty and their due that they reap all the
public benefits of our victory. But neither
sound principle nor good policy will sanction
the Cancellation of our enemies at the ex-
pense of our friends. In the late contest
our enemies fought to win; had they won,
they would have been too wise, not TO say
too bitter, 10 have thrown away their victory.
True Republicans everywhere would have
been made to feel the weight of'proscription
even to the point of political humiliation.
And the coiored Republican especially-and
all colored men are Republicans-wouldh have !
been virtually robbed Of their ballot or of
their manhood in the South BY being com |