New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-10-08
The Republican Party and Its
Work.

The platform laid down by the Republican
State Convention of New York, thus sue
cinctly summarizes the principles, services,
and mission of the Republican party. After
affirming its faith in the partyit proclaims it
the party Of liberty and justice. 1t has made
the declaration, it declares, that call men
are created equal"-a living truth it has
crushed the rebellion, preserved the Union.
and maintained the national honor unfair
nlshed. 1t has put into the Constitution full
and final guarantees of human rights. 1t has
conducted war, diplomacy and government on
scale as vast and amid difficulties as grave
as are to be found in the history of nations,
and Its career has been marked by wisdom,
courage and truth. Like every successful Or
ganization, it has not been wholly free from
knavish parasites, but it has purged itself of
| them as fast as they were unmasked The
mission of the Republican party, however,
is not yet completed. Its continued ascend
encyis vital, so long as any citizen, white Or
black, is insecure in his personal aud political
rights. During its tolls and trials it has been
suddenly opposed by party false to freedom
in peace, false to the II ,y which bore the
name but not the spirit of Democracy, and
which, finally, in a national convention con.
fessed itself wrong on all the great issues on
which it had fought and been beaten.
The platform also declares that the Re-
publcans of New York, as of the whole ma.
ton, deprecate the spirit of caste which has
wrought such evil in the South-irst, in pre-
cipitating it into rebellion, and after that
was suppressed, in rendering its white citi-
zens averse to accepting the obvious cOndi-
items of emancipation. The resignation of
of the political equality of the freedmen was
the paramount duty of the Government. To
deny the ballot to them who fought for the
flag, when not man arrayed against it was
dlsfranchised, would have been inexpedient
and unjust. Practically, amnesty has been
universal, for while few Of the leaders were
prohibited from holding office, there is no in
stance where the removal of this disability
has been refused when asked for. For what
ever of misrule there has been in the Seces-
sion States since hostlities ceased, the blame
rests chiefly upon the white citizens who. by
declining to participate in the work of recon-
| struction, and holding themselves haughtily
| aloof from interference in their local affairs,
| suffered them to fall under the control of
| strangers and adventures.
And the recent infamous and bloody out
RACES upon unofiending colored men, women
and children in the Southern States are de-
clared to be utterly without provocation or
palliation, and are denounced in unqualified
terms. The atrocious massacres in Tennes-
see and Louisiana, they assert, have few
parallels in our age for ferocity and barbarity.
| Their perpetrators should be brought to
swift and exemplary punishment. 1t is the
| duty Of the local authorities, if they fail in
| melting out justice to the offenders, to invoke
the aid of the Federal Government. The
| safety of person and property and the I'm
disturbed enjoyment of suffrage are rights
of which the humblest citizen must not be
deprived. 1t lis a striking exempiication of
the law of cause and effect that Democratic
| successes in the North have been speedily
followed by acts Of violence in the South.
Whenever a Northern State temporarily
swerved from her allegiance to Republicans,
we have forthwith heard of the formation of
ku-Klux gangs and White Leagues, and of
acts of rufiianism and brutality in the South
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