New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-08-09
The MISSION OF TIE REPUBLICAN, PAR
TY NOT ENDED

uItsee W tu0 poOPic Va oAo o
is worthy of their consideration, inasmuch
rs it denies that the mission OF the he
publican party has ended, and presents
important historical facts connected with
the administra ton Of the national gov
eminent dating more than thirty years
anterior to 1861, when it was transferred
from Democratic to Republican hands,
down to the present time. Without stop
ping to comment on the scathing
review contained in the address OF Demo-
cratic rule, foreign aud domestic, up to the
time that Mr.. Lincoln was called by the
people to the head of the government, we
will content ourselves with hurried
glance at first of the course it took when
in the hands of the Democracy, and con-
Glide by abiding to some of the most inn
por.ant acts acc emphasized by government
after It had been transferred to Republican
administrators. The address reminds
the people that under Democratic control
there is hardly memory left at which the
nation should not blush; that seemingly
it was inspired by but one ambition-the
bad ambition-to make our foreign policy
as ignoble as our home policy was shame
less. In subst antiation of this view OF
our foreign policy under Democratic rule,
the address says: "Our intercourse
with powers weaker than ourselves
was spirited enough. We bullied Aus
tria out of Hungarian refugee.
We despoiled Mexico Of part of her
territory. We demolished Greytown. We
iingled millions in the ears of Spain as
lure for Cuba, and the bride was spurned. "
Allusion is then made to the famous
Ostend manifesto. promulgated by Pierre
Soule, John Y. Mason and James Bu-
chanan, who were then the representatives
of the United States by choice OF Demo-
cratic administration, at the capitols OF
three Of the pricipal powers of Europe.
This manifesto declared. CATER we shall
have offered Spain price for Cuba far
beyond its present value, and this shall
have Leen refused, then it will be time to
consider the question: Does Cuba IN the
possession of Spain seriously endanger
our internal peace and the existence of
our cherished Union? Should this ques-
ton be answered in the affirmative, then by
every law, human and divine, we shall
be justified in wrestling from Spain
we possess the power. The address says
that it adds piquancy to the above extract
to know that two of the ambassadors who,
in 1854, could think of no way of saving
our cherished Union but to wrest Cuba
from Spain, were Pierre Soule and John
Y. Mason. The piquancy is rendered the
moro palpable. we suppose, from the
course these two distinguished Democrats
took in 1861 when, at the head of seces-
sion they attem pied to break up the cher
ished Union in order to strengthen slavery.
The address regards the Ostend manifesto
as nothing but Democratic gasconade, and
in proof that it was so regarded by foreign
powers says that not single naturalized
citizen of this country could at that time
safely revisit his birthplace, for the simple
but very potent reason that no sovereign
of Europe under whose dominion he was
born was disposed to respect his citizenship
in the United States. Allusion is also
made to the manner in which Demo-
cratic administr alton tamely relin1uished
to Great Britain portion of our territory
in the Northeast, and still another and a
larger portion in the Northwest, and that,
while by constant concessions repeated
additions had been made to the area of
the Canadas, Dem ocratic authority lad
stupidity relinquished to their products
free access to our markets as the equiva-
lent OF being allowed to send similar pro-
ducts from the Northwest, through Cana
dian chan nels, to such precarious markets
as they could find on the other side Of
the Atlantic. Such, says the address,
were the achievements of our di-
plomacy during those. years of Dem
ocratic supremacy, and the story
of our home rule would be sad
der still, if anything sadder could be.
1t is then shown that the cost Of govern
ment was from fifty to seventy-five million
dollars per year under Democratic rule,
without giving the country the benefits OF
internal improvements or anything else
that was calculated to promote its indus
tries. This was cheap government with
vengeance, and without power to save
itself in an emergency, as was demon
strated by President Buchanan when
called upon to use force to put down
rebellion. Under this ruling the Union
was proclaimed dissolved, when Repub-
ican admi nistration came into power
and reversed the order Of things.
1t was now decreed that the gov
eminent had power under the law
to put down rebellion, and in the
course of time that fact was demonstrated
by Republican administration. The
Union has been preserved, and slavery
driven from the land. Further than this,
in the language of the address, murder,
organized in several of the States, bearing
the name of Ku-Klux, wearing the gart
and plying the trade of fends, has beer
exposed, convicted, punished" This pun
ishment has followed crime in order thai
reconstruction might finally be accom-.
plished and peace and PROSPERITY again be