Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1875-02-18
The Old Republican Spirit Reminding.

1t is every day more apparent that the
Republicans of the country will stand
together on the momentous questions of
national safety and protection, which
have now taken the lead Of all public
issues. Nay, more. it is apparent that
the Republican party will be quickened
by this revival into good deal of its old
moral vitality and energy. 1t is the old
fight over again. The fatuous Democ-
racy will persist in it. With the sun.
shine of success they cannot help show.
ing out their fangs. And when it comes
to that the Republicans will close up
their ranks and 60 into the battle with
solid column.
We do not mean that Republicans
will unite in defending all that has
been done. They will not Justify the
wrongs of Kellogg They will not be
betrayed into the false position of as
sorting military authority in legislative
halls. They will not sustain the frauds
of any Returning Board. Instead of
rushing in, like their opponents, with
blind, reckless and undiscriminating
psrtisanship, defending everything as
their opponents assail everything, they
will insist upon the establishments OF
right. If it be true that the Returning
Board has committed wrongs they will
demand their rectif1cation. But when it
comes to the question of furnishing lust
protection to the lives and rights of the
Union people, and to the question of
handing our Government over to that
party which has made itself the champion
OF v hte League revolutionists and assas-
sins, Republicans will be found standing
shoulder to shoulder as they stood in "a,
50 and 70.
And that is just the character which
the contest is assuming. 1t is the old
battle renewed-not on precisely the
same questions, not on precisely the same
grounds, but with precisely the same
general spirit and precisely the same an
tagonists. The Democratic party is ex.
hibiting the same temper and the same
impulse which 1t displayed when it de.
clsred the war failure in "a, when it
denounced reconstruction and jumped
on to "my policy" in '66, and when it
pronounced all the settlements of the
war null and void in '6S. Had it made
dignitied protest against the military &C
ton in Louisiana, had it in the tone OF
candor and earnestness condemned the
proceedings of the Returning Board,
and had it at the same time with
fairness and discrimination repro.
bated the wrongs on the other side,
it would greatly have strengthened itself
before the country. But it did nothing
of the kind. On the contrary, it treated
the military action, not with reason, but
with mere partisan passion. 1t assailed
all the proceedings on the one side. not
with discrimination, but with flaming
fury. 1t justified the Democrats in the
military interference which it condemned
in the Republicans. 1t applauded the
White League resolution which it de.
nounced the Government for defeating.
1t extenuated fraud and assass ination on
the Democratic side while charging
fraud on the Republican side In short
the Democratic party, instead of making
1t question Of doing exact justice, made
1t question Of letting the White League
revolutionists and assassins have their
own way.
And when 1t comes to such an issue,
the Republican party will stand to-
gether with its oldtime patriotism
and vigor The country looks behind
the superficial questions to the real
spirit which underlies them. 1t sees
the old venom and the old menace in
the forefront of this new assault. 1t
sees the Democratic party of the South
and North stimulated by its success
into the betrayal and exposure of its
worst spirit. And it feels its own patri-
otto sentiment, under the new sense of
danger, quickened into fresh glow.
Nothing could have so awakened the life
and power Of the Republican party as
this revelation of the peril which still
threatens the country. II the Democratic
party wants to fight the old battle over
again, we confidently accept the chal.