National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-03-23

to explain his course consistently, but
claims now, as he did on the floor of
the House, that the President has sufficient
power. To this view he is entitled, and it
is to be hoped that it will prove to be so
acceptable to his constituents that they will
return him by an increased majority. 1t
strikes US, however, that he has devoted
too much attention to the Third Term COB
lin, and that prudence would dictate that
he should pay more attention to the long
comings and hort-goings of the common
enemy. Not that we would have him
avoid the discussion of national questions;
but that we would have him discuss topics
which have a most substantial basis. He
knows that Senator Eaton and his party
would instantly disfranchise every negro in
the country if it were in their power to do
so, and, further, that they would restore,
if they could, the ante bellum condition of
affairs, which justified any State, in the
opinion of the Democracy, in an effort to
separate itself from the Union. He knows
that one direct result Of this reasonable in
clinatioD has been the murder of hundreds
and thousands of offenceless citizens who
were Republican voters in the Southern
States. The reports of the several COM
mittees of Congress sent South to in
vestigate affairs in that section coin
eide with his knowledge on these points,
and he need not fear to charge the OPP
position with the direct responsibility
of these acts. His opponents will thereby
be put upon the defensive, and when they
attempt to apologize for political assassina;
ton, as they are certain to do, or attempt
to justify or deny it, they will bring upon
themselves an odium which will arouse the
people and fill the heart of every loyal,
law-abiding man with feeling of supreme
disgust. These, we suggest, are the tactics
that should be followed. OF course, the
bloody shirt cry will be raised in answer,
and the question will be asked, is it proper
to rekindle and keep alive the sectional
flames which have been allowed to smoul-
der since the surrender? and all that sort of
stuff and twaddle. But the reply to this is
plain. To continue the smile no shirt
can be bloody without having been stained
by blood, and the blood spilled IN the South
has been the blood of martyrs. 1t is the
seed from which will spring a stalwart re-
Duke to those who justify its splitting And
further, the smouldering embers of the war
are kept alive solely by the acts of the I'M
repentant rebels themselves-acts which
plainly show that while they may have
abandoned overt attempts to assert the in
dependence of their States of all allegiance
to the General Government, they have sub
mitted to the results of the war in spirit
of sullen discomfort, and are now. covertly
engaged in efforts to realize the hopes which
were blasted when they appealed to the
arbitrament of war.
The vote in Connecticut is very close.
From 1856 until the close of the war and
including 1856, the Republicans carried the
State. In 1866 negro suffrage was voted
down, although the Republican candidate
for Governor was elected by the largest
majoritY-11, observer polled in the State.
In 1866 this majority was reduced to 541,
and in 1867 the Democrats carried the
State, although in 1868 the Grant electors
were successful. From 1868 to the present
day the honors have been about equal, the
Republicans succeeding four times and the
Democrats three. In 1872 the Temperance
party was formed, and polled for its candi-
date for Governor 1,540 votes; in 1873,
2,541 votes, and in 1874, 4. 300 votes. Last
year the vote stood: Democrat, 46, 755; Re-
publican, 39,973; Democratic majority,
1900. This year, if the Temperance peo-
pie are aroused to the importance of the
national issues at stake and to the danger
which will be threatened and encouraged
by Democratic success, the Republicans
will regain their lost ground. They are,
as the Chicago Inter Ocean suggests, men
who entertain strong convictions, and are
therefore likely to have strong convictions
on the question of political and civil rights.
The same journal continues: "Men who
"are in favor of enacting prohibitory laws
against liquor.selling will be likely to
Support measures to prohibit assassina-
"tions for opinions sake at the South. 1t
is desirable to win over temperance Re-
"publicans to the Republican party indeed
this is almost the only hope of success. /"
We add to this earnest advice a repetition
Of our suggestion that the campaign
should be made national in all its aspects,
and that national topics shall be the prin-
cipal ones discussed. Speaker Blaine
Judge Hoar, Senator Dawes and Repre-
sentatlves Frye, of Maine, and Burrows,
of Michigan, should pay heed to this ad-
vice, and perhaps profit by the result as
regards their own personal course in the
future. Milk and water diet may be good
for invalids, but 'tgruel-stirred" soup is not
what is wanted in this healthy and vigor-
GUS age of the nations progress. The
people yearn for something strong, and will
give back a cordial response to the party
- L. Il. .ET.