New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-02-19
A Republican NCces<fsy.

We belong to that rapidly diminishing class
Of politicians who believe with Thomas
Jefferson that opposing party organizations
are necessary to the purity and permanency
of our Republican institutions, and that it is
the absolute duty of every American citizen
to connect himself with one or the other OF
their parties, as his judgment and conscience
may dictate. There always has been, and
we trust there will ever be such di-
Jealous of the other. There is such a divi-
sion now, one of which we believe to be all
wrong, and the other mainly right.
Though there are some things in the Re-
publican party which comes short Of our con-
ception of even-handed justice, and an I'M
warrantable delay in securing to us equnl
civil rights, yet it is the only party from,
which we have received even the recognition
of manhood suffrage, and the only to which
we can look with any confidence to grant us
those other rights to which we are, in COM
mon with every other class of American citi-
zens, entitled, and which we shall ever
cease to demand until we shall lose all h ope
of this act of justice from the Republi can
party, and q guarantee from the Democratic
party that they are ready and able to give
us what their opponents refuse, we shall
maintain our present party relations, and
continue to labor for the success of the Or
ganization which has already given lis per-
sonal liberty and most Of the rights of citi.
Zenship.
Entertaining this preference for the Re-
publican party for the reasons we have
stated, as because its principles and policy
are the best calculated to advance the general
welfare of the whole country, we are in
favor of every means and instrumentality
designed to secure its success and pcrpetuate
its power while it maintains its present de-
votion to most of the measures to which, we
are committed.
One Of these means is undoubtedly high
toned, digniied, able, national exponent of
its principles-an organ devoted exclusively
to that one great object. We therefore,
without especially intending to indorse the
Republic of this city, rs coming entirely up
to the stand of merit we have in our minds
extract from it, in the main coincide with the
following sentiments Of a prominent poll
tician and financier Of New York, suggested
b. the receipt Of that monthly publication ::
III the Republican party should be conf
pletely disintegrated il must still reorpanize
on the same principles because there are no
other. Your magazine will do in any case
We want this kind of an educator in our
families. think we ought to have the best
general magazine in the country as dis
tinctly political educator. 1t ought to be
a national affair. Our boys and girls should
be brought up on it. This is what society
really means. The newspaper is an edu-
Gator of the superficial mind. Every inl-
portant text of our great school of govern
ment goes through the newspaper into OBJ
liviOn. We must stop all this and preserve
an index rs we go along. Are the members
of Congress united enough and have they
unselfishness enough to give paramount eX-
istence to your journal: 1 am afraid that
there is not soul enough to give it more than
a struggling existence.
I'VE are without good glue in our party
organization. We have no national organ.
We have an unoccupied field of high and
noble subjects-all untilled-that is unocca-
pied by workers. If this loose state of things
Is to continue we must expect defeat at the
polls in 1876. Even our best traditions Of
our great civil strife are fading out of the
popular mind. ae forget or disregard the
fact that the boys Of nineteen and twenty
years OF age will make our next Presidents.
In the declaration that we have no cohe
sive power in our party organization, we
agree most Internationally. There was
time when pride for its achievements and
love for its principles constituted such a
power. But the "disinttgrating" principle
of what is called political independence"
that il, disregard for all party ties, and
resolution to be influenced solely by personal
animositv, or sclfshness, or ambition, has
crept into it, and seems in danger of dissolv-
ing it into its original elements unless
speedily checked. 1t has already led into
the enemies ranks such papers as the New
York Tribune, Fomey's Press. the Chicago
Tribune, aud many others Of lesser note; and
such politicians as Schurz and Upton and
Fenton, with a little army of followers.
1t is now working in Congress and some
other branches of the Government. A large
number Of Congressman who claim to be.
and undoubtedly are, sincere Republicans,
have caught the independent" fever, and
are doing what in them lies to destroy public |