National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-04-09
TEE THIRD Party PROPOSITION

'MuIIereQ uDQer one DTedIu, as IL may
be, the conspiracy for the organization OF
a Third Party becomes more and more ap-
parent. 1t proceeds from towards, imbe-
Giles and corrupt trimmers; but, neverthe-
less shows itself as the immediate result
of recent announcements to the Demo
cratic party. The idiots who wandered
away from the Republican fold during the
last Presidential campaign, who assumed
that the Administration was not worthy of
the peoples confidence, and who fondly
believed that the Democrats, as party,
would aid them in the overthrow of the
regular Republican organization, are still
at the fore in this movement; but they
have lost all faith in the regular De-
mocracy, and now rely for a following
upon so called Liberal Democrats and dis
affected Republicans. OF this debris, this
quantity which oozes up with bad fragrance
between the cracks of the solid planks
of the platforms of the two substantial
parties, they propose to erect a new organ
ization which they fondly hope will gain
control of the General Government. The
New York World classes its metropolitan CO.
tcmporaries, the Herald, Tribune and Post,
among the most prominent advocates of
this political bastardy, and none of the
journals mentioned have deemed it proper
or necessary to deny Worlds charge.
The Herald may be excused on the ground
of rabid inconsistency; the Post because it
has become the representative of senility,
and the Tribune on the ground of general
depravity. But whether they deny it or
not, it is true they have by some unfor-
tuitous circumstance combined to effect the
organization to which we have alluded.
AS matter of course their following is
limited, and while they may at times be
encouraged by loud-mouthed cheers, they
will discover eventually that their support
ers are confined to voters who are as IN
principled or as splenetic as themselves.
Tie truth is there can be no middle
ground in American politics. One must be
a Republican or Democrat. The earnest
advocates Of Temperance or Prohibition
may occasionally make distinction be-
tween the local candidates of the two par
ties; but when a national contest occurs
and national questions, are involved the
natural division of voters asserts itself, and
the old party lines are strictly drawn. The
present Administration is generally ac-
cepted as the front and leading influence of
the Republican party, and its sympathizers
are characterized as Radicals. It's oppo-
nents are mainly known as State rights Sc
cessionists, and are characterized as Demo-
Gratis. This construction of the difference
between the two parties is supported by the
fact that the Administration has become
the point of attack for all the opponents of
the Republican party, instead of the princi-
Piles of that party. The result has been
that the malcontentS, the Third Partyites,
have stupidity blundered into the conclu.
sion that the people care more for men than
for principle, when, in fact, they only care
for men as the opponents of principle.
The plain deduction from this is that if
the people are satisfied with the opposition
to the present Administration to State
rights, they will be satisfied to continue it
in power, or will only be content 10 replace
il by another Administration equally as an
lHSOnlSIlC 10 Tue TCdSSCIllOn Ol luOSe OOulu-
ern fallacies which led to the late civil war
The struggle in the next national campaign
will be upon this square issue, and the in
sidious efforts of Third Partyites to organ
ize middle or compromise element will
most assuredly fail. So long as the Dem
ocrats present an undivided front in sup
port of White League rule, so long will
tie true men of the country exert them.
selves to secure the domination of pure and
unintimidated Home Rule. But it will be
that kind of Home Rule which will &C.
knowledge the superior authority of the
General Government and the power in that
Government either to punish rebellion or
TO protect its citizens in the exercise Of con-
stitutional rights. If Third Party can
successfully squeeze in between these radi-
cally -opposed forces it will be very strange,
and will develop not only a new feature in
our political history, but overturn many
positive ideas about the consistency of
human impulse.