Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1874-08-13
The Republican Address.

tributlon as that made recently ny the
Republican National Committee The
amusing part of the Address is its ar
fragment of the Democratic party for
acts alleged against it when its accu-
sers were active and more or less
prominent members of it. That can
not but amount to an open confession
in Court against themselves. When
Mr.. Buchanan was President, the Lo-
CANS, Camerons, and many more OF
the thirty,nine signers OF this silly
proclamation were working for his
Administration and its success with
all their might. And in charging up
on the Democrats that they refused
to join England and France inrenounc-
cling all designs on Cuba, in 1852, on
the ground that it would stimulate
flibusterism, the sapient draughtsmen
of the document in question seem to
be ignorant that that was the act OF
the last Wing Administration, and IN
fact the first one that ever existed,
and that it was Edward Everett, a dis
tingulshed citizen of Massachusetts,
who, as Secretary of State, drew up
the famous reply to that proposal for
tripartite treaty. 1t is not to be
wondered at that Congressman Pierce,
who is a member of the National he
publican Committee, promptly disa-
vows all associations with Il paper as
ignorant as it Is weak and irrelevant.
He wisely prefers to stand from under
when such an avalanche threatens its
authors rather than their opponents
In their haste to sweep the floor OF
our political history, they did not
know that there was one strip Of it
which was Wing instead OF Democrat
ic. They should have given the
broom longer thrust from the hand
lie and brought into their dust heap
some of the ccbwebbed relics Of old
Federalism, of which the Daily Ad-
vertiser admits the Republican party
to be but the Legitimate outgrowth
and elimination. For such 4 party
to set up for its refrain-vote for Re,
publcans always and never for Dem
ocrats, is conceit of self:perfection
which has never yet been allowed to
individuals, and certainly much less to
organizations.
The posthumous style of carrying
on a political campaign must be con-
ceded to be perfect novelty in this
country. Not only is the Republican
Address attempting to arraign a party
that has been out of power thirteen
years, but it proposes for living issues
questions that had their discussion
and settlement before the Republican
party was born! If this is not antlqul-
W In politics, 1t is difficult to say what
is. The Republican party might as
well have gone back and selected their
issues in the Colonial times. The
Democrats are not advocating the
Ostend manifesto or discussing the
Louisville canal. They do not ask
the people to take their stand on the
Expunging resolution nor to exhume
the question of the Cherokee war ; al
though on hard money and a low tar
if they are just where they always
were, and where the country must it.
self come again. The Republicans
suppose they can jump these thirteen
years of their rule and carry the cam
vass of the present year back into the
times before the war. That is what
they mean by progress. That style
of progress would soon refuse to touch
living questions at all, on the ground
that it was premature to do so until
the past was entirely cleared up. A
vicious currency, prohibitory tariff,
expenditures increased by fifty mil
lions for the last two years over the
two preceding ones, Credit Mobiliers,
Sanborn contracts and District Rings
and public corruption without limit
these are every one of them living is
sues, yet the Republican Address
omlts all reference to them whatever
in its solicitude for the immediate
settlement of questions that occupied
the country before its party ever saw
light. The great point which itstrug-
giles to make is this: that whatever
the abuses of the Republican party, it
is ready to abandon them as soon as
the people give them fair notices and
on that ground they ask to be con-
tinued in power perpetually. For a
Government that must always be ad-
ministerial NV na,ties this il an oriUi-