The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1873-09-18
CC1TIUMBIA J.
Thursday Morning septembsrE Is. 1873.
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Convention declared, with great una
nimity aud manifest self.satisfaction,
that every great achievement for per-
sonaldtherty, FOR the preservation of the
Unio1s Tor the elevation ,of labor. for
the elevation of woman, for edaoation,
for the extension OF the suffrage. which
has been accomplished in this country
f0f enerations. has been due to the Re-
publigan party. It might ,,be urged
against this modest claim that the Re-
publicaniparty is not yet we'll out OF it's
FIRST generation. but il the Massaohu.
setts Radicals mean. to assert that no.
thing was eyer done in this country in
the way OF Improvement in the matters
EessFfsd 70 unit! shs Rap ab!ican party
was formed sad took the business in
hand. il would be interesting to know
what the older Radical luminaries were
doing before they went into the new
party. But We onlyspropose to demur,
and, therefore, NE let Jths alleged facts
go without questiphy Suppose the Re-
publicans have done NIL that the Massa-
chusetts. branch claim. yet have they
been honest and faithful in the admins
tration ofihffairs? Has there been vio-
lence, treachery or corruption in the old
Bay State, or wherever else the Repub.
lican flag waved in triumph? Have
Butler and his faithful Radical henoh-
men cheated and bullied any one. or by
fraud prevented the people from freely
selecting their representatives in any
eapacityP Have Radical Federal officials
interfered III local eiections aud threat
ened to turn out their subordinates if
they did not act in local matters accord
ing to the wishes OF Washington circles7
We are. not compelled to answer these
questions, for the Massachusetts Repub-
icans. after sublimely, wrapping them
solves in the drapery of universal suf-
frage and Ainging out on tile breeze the
5snner Of progress, inscribed with
pledge to be '''the, earliest converts
and strongest advocates in the future.
as they have been in the past,
of every new truth.n are forced
to come up tsquarely and confess
judgment as to honesty and purity.
They propose to let their light SO shine
among men that their darker spots shall
not be seen; but the spots will not out,
and are even made more conspicuous
by the refuIgence Of the array of good
deeds that is intended to obscure them.
The Republican party has accomplished
great things. and its influence is every
where felt; but the Worcester resolu.
tions declare that ''the pressing duty of
the day is to secure honesty and purity"
and this is the one thing needful that
the Republican party has not secured to
the country. The 'great causes" to
=hich they have given their energies
have nothing ''to hope for in the future
from any other source" than their own
party, but they suggest to their friends
thatT"no person holding public Office
has right to seek to influence the
action of his subordinates by exciting
their fear Of loss of place if their OPT
MONS and actions shall differ from his
own. And 80 they call upon the Presi-
dent to remove all his officials who have
interiered in their local concerns, and
rally. all honest Republicans to secure
"the right'to hold conventions and eau
cuses without being cheated and bul.
lied,n and "toss unite in purgiDg the
commonwealth and nation of violence,
treachery and corruption" The Louis.
vile Courier. Journal thinks this is net
a good showing sor the party of high
ideas and law and order, but the Massa-
chusetts Republicans deserve credit for
showing up their party delinquenoies,
even If it involves an intimation TO Pre-.
sident Grant that he cannot send his
officials to their conventions to bully
and cheat delegates; aud tl.rir death
blow to the aspirations of General But
ler, whose character and practices seem
to have been the model from which the
artists Of the occasion worked up the
nlctnr rea in tha t,1,f ffo~n, "a