Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1873-08-16
THE RIGHTS OF A

THE HlGdrS Of HAN.
Ju.t at this time. when there is an
evident tendency among the people to
repudiate the dsmagogues who. assum-
Ing to represent principles, have per-
verted poesr to their " selfish uses,
and proved hithless to their trusts In
all departments Of political life. and a
feeling Of unrest aud uneasiness
among the producing classes Of our
country which will not improbaoly
result In the formation Of a powerful
and distinct political organization. a
few ideas gathered from the political
history Of the nation may not be un-
interesting. 1t may first be laid down
rs an axiom that a new party must
have creative ideas. There must b.
some cardinal points or propositions Of
government, Of the truth OF which =
large number Of electors are con-
WINGED. aud which either are not found
In existing organizations, or II a part
Of their creed, are not practically ell
forced. In looking back to the origin
Of parties In the United States, We tind
that the Democratic party started with
the broad proposition Of eqnnl rights.
1t was begun rs the party OF man. In
It's inception ir was derisively called
"the poor mans party;" was In a.
very large degree the workingmen's
party. It was based upon the Jeher-
sonlan ideas OF "~antagonism to priVi-
legged classes" to Especial privileges"
and "clas, legislation" 1t waged
bitter war upon the F~ederaltsts,
the followers OF Alexander Hamilton,
and aiterwanl upon the Wings. 1t was
radical In It's defense OF equal privi-
leses for all, OF se!f-government. and
IN its combat of Capitalization and the
illegitimate claims Of the moneyed
classes. So radical was it in the first
few years Of Its sturdy growth that the
a%riItocratic Federalists stigmatlzed IL
as In sympathy with the French school,
now called Communists, aud tho Eng-
lish radicals, or Jewellers. IL was en-
phatically the party Of the poorer
classes, aud to this recognized fact It's
success Is almost wholly attributable.
But as time elapsed the cardinal pria-
clples Of the Democratic party were
overshadowed, and finally evicted by
the Influence OF n s!aveholding OIL
garchy. 1t gradually yet surely
changed base. Instead OF being the
embodiment Of justice. it became the
party Of injustice, It sustained estab-
lished abuses. 1t was the party Of
the slaveholding interests. the arls-
tocracy. It ceased to be the poor
mans party, and followed the dictates
OF the rich and powerful classes. From
being the defender o: popular freedom,
the protector Of labor and the elevator
OF the workln, classes, It became the
Instrument Of oppression. the defender
of slavery and the debaser Of intelli-
gent labor. 1t supported measures
In conflict with those principles upon
which IL was founded.
Then rs eyer In the history Of man.
kind. when the need came for a peo-
Piles party. the Republican organizes
ton sprans into existence. Not full
grown; not at once assuming power,
but with the cardinal principles advo-
Gated by Jefferson and Monroe, the
doctrine Of free labor. the rights Of the
laboring classes, opposition to an arlS-
tocracy based upon human bondage
or moneyed control, rs It's bases, and
with the Intelligent laboring classes
of the nation In It's an. 1t was the
old battle cry Of " the rights Of man."
under which In 1885 the advocates OF
equal rights and privilege, for all
threw down the gauntlet to Democ.
racy and named the Republican party.
1t proclaimed the Inherent equal rights
Of humanity. 1t stood up for labor
and the common people aud made war
OH the slave holding arlstocracy, It's
interests and projects. 1t took ad-
vanced radical ground, and was In
fact n resurrection Of the "poor mans
party" It grew apace and assumed
control OF the Government. Based
OIL the broad principles Of human free
dom and self government, It accom-.
pl!shed the work Of emancipation. In
deviation to the rights OF labor lay Its
supreme strength. aud In adherence to
this. above all else, depends Its future
control.
The Republican party has. in many
things. departed fran its original prln-
ciples. It has not. In these later years.
lived up to the doctrines which vital.
lied and gave I, power. It has allowed
great moneyed corporations to attain
Immense power. to control legisla-
lures all over the country ; to control
the National Congress, and thereby
dictate terms to the American people.
It In, given numberiess acres of land
TO railroad monopolles, aud enacted
special laws for their benefit. Under
the tyranny Of these monopolles and
the special privileges conferred. the
country groans to-day. and the pro-
ducing classes have from this cause
arisen In revolt and are threatening to
establish a new political organization.
As the oil Democratic party fought
for the common people, as the Repub-
llcan party was started OH the same
Idea. so must 1t return to these first
principles or pass away. There Il no
doubt OF this. 1t must again become
the poor mans party ;" the party of
the laoorer; the bulwark Of the pro.
duelns classes, or share the fate of Its
predecessor. 1t must take ground
SQtlarely and firmly a~op,,,, .,ot.,