Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-12-05

satisfactory and bad; and the people
Of the country are now, justly or un-
justly, visiting their Indignation upon
the Republican party"
Another Republican journal of New
York. the Schenectady Union, confesses
just what the Democrats have charged
all the time. 1t says:
''Most of the Republican press find
the cause of the late partial defeat OF
the Republican army, in various States,
and the loss of the State ticket in this
State, in the fact that this is the off
year In politics, and that the people
have been Indifferent, ETC., etc. This
may be true, but how many such off
years can the party standP And then
the difference complained of, what is
the cause of that? Indifference is about
as fatal disorder as can overtake
political party, and unless the cause
can be removed the patient Is sure to
die. It is said considerable portion
of the Republicans staid at home. The
fact is, and there is no use denying it,
that feeling Of dissatisfaction prevails,
to a greater or less extent, among the
great body of the people, at the way
many of those at the head of the affairs
have conducted themselves. There is
feeling that the honor of the Repub-
lican party has been stained, and that
its leaders have lowered the standardof
public morality that justly belongs to
It. Republican leaders In Compress
have allowed the Republican banner to
trail in the dust, and the people have
become disguised at it. Their conf
deIce has been shaken. We need only
allude to the Credit Mobilier scandal,
the back-pay swindle, and few other
such evidences Of dishonor, to find the
cause. The great body of the people
have felt themselves disgraced by the
act of the last Congress which put
IS, 900 into the pockets of men more
than they had contracted to serve for.
1t is true the financial stringency has
had its effect upon the late elections.
Whether Justly or unjustly, the people
have attributed it to the party IN pow
er; but Independent of this, there is
enough to create dissatisfaction, and
to shock the moral sense of the whole
country. The late State Convent on in
this State did not come up to the proper
standard. 1t did not express the con-
victions of the people on the back-pay
steal. disappointment was the result,
and its effects are seen In the election
returns"
The reader has seen how these warn
ings of the honest portion of the Re
publican party have been treated by
the Republican leaders in Congress.
The Credit Mobiiers and salary grab
bers triumphed in the organization of
the House of Representatives 1t is
true a caucus of Republican members
of the House Of Representatives have
agreed to a repeal of the salary law $50
far as it increases the salaries of MEM
bers of Congress and of certain officers
and employees of the two houses" The
great salary grabber, who does less and
has more perquisites, than any other
President, is to be left to enjoy his
share of the loot, a" for he has agreed
with the people in his election to serve
a second term at the salary fixed by
law previous to his election, The Gin
einnati Gazette, the leading Republican
organ in Ohio, has declared that the
provision of the salary law increasing
Grants salary. is Illegal, yet the lead
ing Republicans in Congress have not
the moral courage to wipe out this
illegal act. The course of the Repub-
lican leaders has been such as
to forfeit the confidence of the
people. Notwithstanding the political
revolution Of 1873 is the hardest
blow the Republican party has received
since it came into power, the leaders of
that party in Congress have done
nothing so far to meet the just expec-
tations Of those who, formerly acting
with that party, so sternly demanded
that Congress should purge and puri-
fly itself of the corruption which has
made it a reproach and by-word. The
Administration has not redeemed any
of its pledges. Instead of exposing
and Furnishing corruption, it has made
free use of the whitewash brush, and
the people know it. The electors have
concluded not to allow themselves to be
deceived any longer. Many times
within the past ten years the blunders
and crimes of the Republican party
have been overlooked by the masses.
Congressional measures have been fol-
lowed blindly and implicitly. But the
Credit Mobilierigts and Salary Stealers
and Land Grabbers and Monopoly
Promoters and Centralizationists have
trifed with the people once too often.
The spirit of forgiveness for the love
of party will not reach them now"