National Republican., 1873-09-23
POLITICAL NOTES.

to the fact that the Pennsylvania railway Is
making strenuous efforts, rs usual, to control
the next Legislature by the election Of men |
favorable to Its interests. The Iettgrdph
warns Republicans to see to II that II shall no |
longer be said ut the close OF Legislative
session. Has Tom Scott anything more for
this body to do p
A DEMOCRATIC paper In Detroit Mich,
has at last realized that the Democratic
party ought to have surrendered when Lee
did, and Il says so. The Chicago Times, also
Democratic, copies the unfeellng remark as
o very tersc statement Of the truth, and cor-
tinuesi "When Lee surrendered, the last
ground OF hope for the resurrection of the
Democratic party disappeared. Because
when Leesurrendered the last hope Of slavery
disappeared, and with 1t the last and only
reason for asserting that peculiar doctrine Of
State rights which was at the same time q
denial Of the equal rights Of individuals.
Never having been, and rendered incapable
by its history OF being, champion OF indi-
yidual rights, the Democratic party, after
Lees surrender, had no object In existence,
aud could not give reason why 1t should
exist"
THE proposed new article Of the Pennsyl-
vania constitution In relation to suffrage pro-
vldes that the voter must have been citizen
OF the United States at least one month and
| q resident of the district two months, instead
| of ten days, as heretofore; and also that his
taxes shall have been assessed at least two
months and paid one month before the cleo
/ tion. The ballots arc required to be num-
bored, and the number recorded opposite the
name Of the voter. The voter may also, II he
chooses, write his name on the back Of his
ticket. The courts are given power to try
contested elections, and penalties are pro-
yided for giving, promising, offering, rccciv-
Ing, or agreeing to receive any money, re-
I fa. tsl. Al.
and any candidate who shall be guilty Of
bribery, fraud or willful violation Of any cleo
ton law Is disqualified from holding any office
Of trust or profit In the Commonwealth. The
franchise Is confined to male citizens, but
women are made eligible to offices under the
/ school laws.
The st. Louis Republican, cx-Democratic,
shows that tho Democracy Is losing Its love
for the Constitution, Of which Il has ever pro.
fcssed such great devotion: The Constitution
as 1t Is Ia very different thing from the Con.
stitution as It was-a fact which the stubborn
and irascible Democracy, after refusing to
admit. for several years, Is being forced to
admit at last. The Constitution as II Is II
the old Constitution with the Republican
platform appended to II as an amendment
and when the Democracy attempts to IRE
ayow Its devotion to the Constitution" II
finds that 1t Is not only proclaiming the plat
own. It Is declaring Its devotion to aboli'
ton, to negro suffrage, to the payment Of the
national debt, and TO nearly every Other
great doctrine and measure which II once
mortally opposed. Even as constitutional
party, then, the Democracy has lost its yiril'
ity, since the very milk which 1t draws from
the Constitution is strained through hostile
paps.
The following may he prcsumptuous II
the Cincinnati Commercial, but tits emphati
cally true, and we hope the Enquirer ant
Picdgune will adopt the suggestions and
come out OF their shells Of political antiquity
Says the Commercial: 1--WE presume III,
5 Richmond Enquirer and New Orleans Plea
7 ynu are aware of the extremely importan
services they are rendering to the Radica
Republican party In the various State elec
tions which occur from time to time betweer
' this month and next November. Some o
D their articles look very much like those whicl
4 they published dozen years ago when the,
a were stirring up sectional anlmoslties ant
preparing the way for the war by which tn
South achieved Its ruin. Why cantt they
: stop this miseTablc blathcring2 Why don
8 they try to leave the terrors Of the past
. Why can't they study the iutorests OF th,
present day and work for the good Of futur
times2 II they would slit their tongues, 81
that they could not rant during the rest o
$ their lives, they would render some service
t to the people among whom they arc pub
lished."
THIS Is the way the st. Louis RepuJiica,
, pokes II at the Democratic partyi The Dcn,b
cratic party never realizes how nearly dead
1t Is till 1t comes to make a platform. Plat
form making Is supposed to be formal
easy, matter-of-course work, but In fact |
! calls for large amount Of vitality. To
live party, with an object before 1t, the max
ing Of q platform Ia the easiest thing In tn,
n world; but to half dead party, with q grea
history behind II, and blank before IL, moth
D ing Is so difficult. The first prerequisite II
q platform building Ia that the party shal
: know what sort Of q platform 1t wants. Thi
d essential condition the Democracy lacks; !
does not know and cannot tell what It wants
1t cannot decide what 1t Is against. A shor
b time ago It imagined II had at least one en-
D during anchorage In the Constitution, but |
5 has well-nigh lost even that; for, when II dc
clares for the Constitution as 1t Ii" 1t finds
!, that It Is lndorsing the whole constitutional
or anti-constitutional policy Of the Repnbll'
can party. That party has put all Its lead
| Ing acts Into the Constitution and made them
parts Of it.
, TIE Milwaukee Owls. Sentinel says OF the
, Republican party and the regulation of in
terpal commerce: THE farmers Of tho West
have, in almost all their resolutions, asserted
that the constitutional power of Congress to
regulate commerce between the States carried
with II the right of jurisdiction over tho sub
! ject Of freights. Many Of the Republican
conventions have affirmed the same principle
In their platforms. The Massachusetts, cen
ventiOn, which has Just been held, expressed
, It In the most distinct and positive terms.
: Under this theory q Republican committee
Of tho Republican United States Senate Is
now engaged investigating the whole subject
OF transportation. Toe 4it4lT journal says
the Democracy can assume no sYcl position
without grossly .tultifying oil their Profes.
sions. They denounced tho suggestion when
1t appeared In the Prcsidents last sIEual
message, and the whole line OF Democratic
deois, joins Is against 1t. The hopes and in.
tercsts OF the formers thus plainly lie with
the Republican party,
THE Jonesboro (Il) Gazette says It has
"sang peans OF peace" to Democratic leaders
during twenty.fopr years, but now breaks
It's idols, viz James Z. Robinson and Sam
uel s. Marshall, salary-grabbGrs. u says;
james L. Robinson was Induced TO take the
office OF building commissioner Of the 81, 900,
900 state-house at Springfield, ILL., This was
the first step In the road which was travelled
things Of the world, and after getting bait
from the STATE public crib, he fell an easy
victim to the plQtteps who perpetrated the
steal 10 Congress. Goodbye, James G.
Sam. Marshall, who has Kept In
Congress aud upon the bench from time im-
memorial, has dlsgraced his party and cou-
stituency by partaking of the 'salary-steal.
When the Credit Mobilier thieves were
brought 10 judgment In Congress, did he lift
his Voice ~ condemnation Of the robbers 7
Not bit Of 1t. He wss &c dumb as an oyster
That the oldest member Of Congress from this
portion Of the State remained silent In bis
seat and said nothing In condemnation Of the
sanity rascals caught In the act OF theft, Is
astonishing. Verify. 1t is time that these lead
ers, these idols Of the Democracy, were
broken aud cast away as unworthy and cor
rupt."
That the political contests 10 tho South
are increasing In fervor Is shown by the out
broak Of peculiarly characteristic I" fine
writing" In thS papers Of that section. For
example, correspondent Of the Richmond
Enquirer, who has attended a meeting In
Westmoreland county, Va. breaks forth in
this styles at was as when two giants had
met in deadly conflict and one was slain
The first was an old SCARED veteran OF many
battles, who had been brought from afar
Resorting to strategy, wearing the armor of