National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-10-02

1.-THE unuillingness of the Republicans to
have the Democrats get good, in fact, reminds
one of the old Connecticut deacon who told
the young scamp who wanted to reform and
join the church that there wasn't any vacan-
cy in his church just then, but that when there
was he'd let him know "-NGtiOn.
When the funny man of The Nation tries to get
off good joke It behooves every one to laugh,
whether they see the point or not, for it is SO
seldom that he makes the attempt he should
always be patronized and encouraged as much
as possible. The story is excellent, but the al
legged fact is very much in need of truth. The
Republicans for the past fifteen years have
been earnestly employed in the philanthropic
work of reforming the Democratic party. 1t
told them as early as 1858 that it was very
wrong TO break up the Union, and urged them,
with all the earnestness Of kind and anxious
teacher, not to attempt the disastrous work of
secession, and then it talked to them about the
evils Of slavery, and tried to persuade them to
give up the intolerable system without resort
ing to arms. 1t showed them as clearly as the
MONDAY sun shows the beauties of nature a
road which led to peace in the solution Of this
delicate and important question. But that
same old spirit of stubbornness and incousist-
ency which they unfortunately inherited cropped
out with considerable conspicuity, and they
put their foot fatty down with an emphatic
''No this is a white mans government"
Then, of course, the Republican party was
compelled to be very severe with them, just as
a thoroughbred schoolmasts- is with an OBJ
streperous pupil, and it told them in simple
and plain language that slavery must stop at
certain limits, and also that before long it
would have to take. their slaves away from
them altogether. Then they commenced roll
ing up their sleeves and swearing by all that
was good AID beautiful that they would go
out of the Union though the heavens fell.
Here is where they began to get exceedingly
bad, and the more the Republican party tried
to make them better the worse they got, until,
at last, they foolishly fired on Sumter and run
up a flag of their own. This, of course, was
breaking the rules laid down by the Constitu-
tion, and, like an energetic schoolmaster, the
Republican party took them to task and pun
ished them severely for four long years, until
it broke their stubborn and naughty spirits,
and they promised to be good and abide by the
rules of the General Government. Ever since
then the Republican party has been exerting
its best influences to reconstruct the obstinate
ones in the South, and persuade those who re-
manned North into paths of peace and loyal
rectitude. But it has been hard task, be-
cause those South have failed to abide by the
results Of the war, and those North have been
trying to convince them that the Lost Cause is
not really lost, but only missing for the time
being. And yet the Nation will have it that
the party in power is unwilling to let the Dem
ocrats become good. Why cannot you be hon.
est in the matter, MIR. Nation, for you know as
well as any one that the reformation of the
Democracy has been the main object of the
Republican party for the past sixth of CEN
tury, and that ii has had the warmest sympa-
thy of Heaven in the good but discouraging
work.