Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1873-08-21
The New Party.

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some time counted ridiculous, all ridicu-
lous ideas may be great. 1t is only by
some such reasoning as this that the lit
tie gathering of politicians at Column
bus, the otherday, can deserveserious at
tention. All parties have at some time
been new. Therefore, according to the
modern enemies of the " established"
any new party may be the germ of some
thing as great as the present Republi-
can organization. Our readers do not
need to have pointed out to them the
weak spot in this process of logic. 1t
has In it fallacy as glaring as that which
led to the miserable coalition fizzle last
year. Then these philosophic politi-
clans reasoned that all the Democrats
would vote for Mr.. Greeley because the
Baltimore Convention nominated him,
and all the Republicans would vote for
him because he was Republican. 1t
was delightful scheme on paper. But
it ignored the obstinate tendency of the
human mind to be guided by what law
yers call the weight of the evidence.
Democrats insist ON regarding Mr..
Greeley's Republicanism, and Republi-
cans insisted on regarding his Demo
cratic Endorsement, as a fatal objection.
In face of this simple fact, which would
seem to be obvions to every one, the
costly and elaborate fabric of Demo
cratic and Liberal hopes vanished like
castle of the air.
One would suppose that one such ex-
perience would suffice. But there is
nothing like the courage of pure stupid
ity, helped by vanity and greed. The
little knot of Liberal Republicans at
Columbus, the other day, have learned
nothing from the wreck of last year.
They are ready for another voyage.
Mailing a slightly different flag at the
masthead, they evidently believe they
will have better luck next time. Do
they suppose the memory of the people
is so short? Do they think that the
empty pretense of "new party" will
mask their familiar faces or induce men
to give them confidence which was so
scornfuIly refused year ago?
These gentlemen have valiantly re-
solved to unite with all who choose to
participate in the formation of a new
party to deal with living issues" As to
what the issues are, they are as mute as
fish. The pretentious generalities in
which these putative parents of hypo-
thetical party embody what they are
pleased to call their principles, interest
and instruct nobody. What is good in
them is not new; what is new in them
is not good. They are sort of mixed
currency. The part that is worth any
thing is stolen the remainder is coun-
terfeit. Do the Liberal Republicans of
Ohio suppose the public likes false pre-
lenses any the better for being made
over and over again after they have been
exposed?
Beside their essential duplicity, one
other feature marks the proceedings of
the Columbus Liberals. 1t is the cool
assumption that the country is wild with
desire to throw over the Republican
party, and is only restrained by fear
that the Democratic party may come
into power. They seem to think that
the enormous majority given to Gen.
Grant last year was the result of a blind
helplessness, and not of a positive con-
viction. We do not pretend that every
man who supports the Republican party
| believes that it is perfection, and that
no other party can ever be it's superior.
Political action is always, to a great
extent, matter of expediency. Most
men who uphold the Republican party
do so only because it is, on the whole,
the better party. But then the prefer
ence is a very strong one and rests on
important facts. 1t was not mere
wavering of the balance that gave the
Republican party three-quarters of a
million majority, and all the States in the
Union but six. The gentlemen who get
together in back parlors and resolve that
the country is tired of the Republican
party, and that therefore new party is
needed, are building on nothing, as they
might have learned long ago if they
were not hopelessly incapable of learn
ing anything.
All this applies to the new party
movement, supposing it to be sincere.
But it is not. The politicians engaged
in it are not making desperate stand
for fanatlcal idea. There is nothing
so respectable as this in the affair. They
are simply playing q very old and shall
low game for their private advancement.
"Citizens T. says Rabagas, in Sardou's
clever satire, "Ours is a great cause for
which we are ready to sacrifice life-I
yours and you mine" 1t is in this
spirit that the mouthing refermers of
Columbus recite the cynical pretensions
of Cincinnati Their professions are all
for purity and progress their plans are
for the qualification of greed at any cost.
In the coalition of last year both parties
to it agreed for while to smother each
other with praises, in order to deceive
the public. Having found out that the
people are not to be deceived, they have
fallen to abusing each other. Tie
smaller, and rather the more contempt
BILE, of the two factions, is now crying
out that the country needs new party
Why Because no cid one serves the
personal ends of their managers. That
is all. Last year the coalition was just
what the country wanted. The Democ-
ray, in entering it, has become purified
as by fire. The Liberals who belonged
to it were already celestial. The COM
bination was simply perfection. Why
is it not perfection now? Because the
hack politicians have discovered that it
will not cheat the people. They now
acknowledge that it is an illusion, or