Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1873-03-20
The Republican Party and the Recent
Ordeal.


The Republican Party and the Recent
Ordeal.
No ONE who watches public events
with a fair share of attention can
have failed to observe that the
Republican party has been called upon to
pass through very trying ordeal during
the last few months. Success had pro-
duced its usual fruits-it had given it
great power, and made it many enemies
For more than year past there has
scarcely been day on which it has not
been bitterly assailed. Last summer, an
organized and determined effort was
made to overthrow it, Some of the iourn-
ais which once had represented it sud-
denly turned traitors, and exceeded It's
natural foes, the Democrats, in the VIC
lence of their attacks and reproaches.
We were told by the New York Ti1Jatne
that party lines were broken" and, by
way of proving it, that paper falsified its
entire previous history, and became
rabid Democratic sheet, as it has ever
since remained. In its early course it
ruined the reputation of its founder"
but that was a lesson which had little
significance for his successors, who have
no regulations to lose-or, at least, no
regulations from which they would not
willingly part. In this city there is no
journal which is so implacable or unjust
foe to the Republican party, for the no.
torlous venality of its Democratic rival
long since deprived it OF every vestige Of
influence. The most careless and easy
going community in the world will not
az i'm, +n ha
sions of ajOurnal which is one day sold
for house in Fifth avenue, and another
for sum of money paid directly into an
exhausted exchequer.
Besides these open foes of the Republi-
can party it has had many enemies
within its own ranks. We need not recall
the history of the last Presidential cleo
ton. Everybody remembers how, at one
time, there fseemed scarcely any limit to
the faithlessness of our avowed friends.
They went to bed Republicans and woke
up Democrats-only they disguised their
Democracy under the innocent name OF
Liberalism" A Liberal Republican is
only a Democrat who has not the courage
to avow his real principles. He means to
destroy his opponent if he can, but he
will do it, like an Italian bravo, by stab
bing him in the back. OF such enemies
the Republican party had to face an
abundance last year. Nor were it's trou-
hles over when the election came to an
end. There were some mrn who had
been much trusted and whose good names
were deemed beyond reprOach, who
had fallen und9r the influence of
these great corporations, which, as
General Hawley has truly said,
threaten to debauch, If not to
ruin, the country. When they were first
attacked, almost everybody believed
them to be entirely innocent. 1t was in
credible that men who had so long nos
sessed the public confidence in an emf
nent degree should have held any traffic
with lobbyists or bribers. The theory
that rich corporation should have
friends in Congress" ought TO have had
no weight with them. Few can be blamed
for believing in the integrity of men who
were implicitly trusted by the entire
American people. Even now there are
men who say that their acts were not
reprehensible. But what is to be said of
their own conflicting explanations OF
these acts? If you are to defend their
conduct, how are you to Justify their
varied excuses of it? To take a few shares
OF stock below its market value NAV not
be in itself clear proof of briberv-but
when the accused person denies that he
ever saw or touched the profits. and they
are atterward found in his pocket. what
is to be said for him?
These circumstances have thrown a GER
tam degree of reproach uponthe Republi
can party, and yet it is repreach which
the party itself does not in the least de-
serve, and consequently it is one from
winch Ii Will speedily recover. The party
mas Kept It's faith with the nation. It
has broken no pledges. 1t may not have
realized all the expectations Of its more
| advanced members, but it must be re-
melnoered that 1t has had its work to do
under circumstances of unexampled
olfhculty. 1t had a great war to CON
Duct AMID the most savage opposition.
Ii anybody wants to recall examples Of
turlousenmlty to our Government he need
not go TO foreign Journals for them-let
nm turn over the pages of that corrupt
and unprincipled sheet which in this
city assumes to represent the Democratic
party Inc success of the war only in
Iehslhed the hatred of the disloyal
Democrats. They have never forgiven
the hepuollcan party for suppresslng
treason at the South. Since 1861
the Republicans have inflicted a. fresh
series OF defeats upon the Democrats, al
though the latter could boast of deriving
strength from that curious abortion
known as Liberal Republicanism.' y
lWice their attempts to gain possession
OF the Federal Government have been
| frustrated. In local as well as national
AFFAIRS constant humiliation has been
/ Drought upon them. In 1871 their lead
eIs IN this State We're proved to be men
VINO We're either swindlers themselves or
IN colIuaon with swindlers. 1t fell to
our lot 10 expose these swindlers-if il is
not crime to mention that fact-and we
nave been awarded with their enmity
ever since. The best certificate of thu
| thoroughness with which our work was
| done Is 10 be found N the vindictive hat
red Of most of our city contemporaries,