New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-11-07
NEW ISSUES.

the late campaigns was that Republicans
avoided new issues. A correspondent Of
the Times, writing from Washington after
the Ohio and previous to the Pennsylvania
election, undertook to show why the Re-
publican party would never gain another
victory at the polls, and borrowing the
concentrated wisdom of the head-eentre
Democrats assembled at the national cap
ital waiting for crumbs, says, ''The Re-
publicans steadily ignore new issues"
That ought to have settled the case in
Pennsylvania, but the Democratic party
there has not yet developed itself into a
shotgun party, as in Mississippi, and the
Republicans of Pennsylvania were allowed
to carry the State by the simple means of
voting.
Democratic stump speakers say: Re-
publicans are continually reviving the
past, digging up things which should re-
main buried, talking unpleasantly of
slavery, of rebellion, treason, secession,
and the late war against the Union-in-
augurated and prosecuted by Southern
Democrats-and Of shaking the bloody
shirt whenever a few colored men and
Republicans are massacred in the South
by Democrats; massacred not because the
murderers had a personal hatred for the
negroes with whom they had been raised,
but simply as a party measure to keep
before the people the fact that Democracy
means a white mans government.
The REPUBLICAN has repeatedly shown
that the. Republican party, while proud
of its past achievements, is not quite con-
tent to rest supinely on its record. The
party Of progress can never rest while law
less men are committing outrages, while
men are prosecuted for belief and color,
and not punished for crimes; it can not
rest upon its laurels, and by the pleasant
edifce of a saved Union, while there is
danger our enemies will gain by strategy
what they could not take by strength,
while there is danger they will endeavor
to crush the rights Of the poor and the
weak, and bring shame upon the nation
by ~repudiating the national obligations.
As Republicans we have been guilty of
clinging to old issues, old as the Repub-
lican party, in so far as we abhor human
slavery and cling to the Union, advocate
just laws and equal rights under the laws,
free speech, free religion and free schools
for the children of the poor as well as
rich. These are some of the old issues
which Republicans still cling to, and for
advocating which they have been GEN.
sured by copperheads and anti-progressive
Democratic patriarchs of the Hendricks,
Pendleton and Bill Allen school.
While we have been claiming that the
Republican party was also ready to meet
all new issues, a prominent Democrat
comes forward and cautions his followers
against all new issues which the Repub-
lican party may make in the campaign of
1876, right or wrong. We allude to the
advice of Senator Gordon, as telegraphed
from Charleston. Mr.. Gordon speaks
after the Democratic defeat in Pennsyl-
vanIa, which swiftly followed that in
Ohio; he speaks like an experienced Gen.
eral engineering in a lost cause. He sur
veys the field after the battle, and charges
Republicans with doing precisely as other
Democrats say they do not do. His
words are, 1.-The Republicans would be
glad to fight the battle Of 1876 upon new
issues, and it does not matter with them
much what these new issues are-whether
they be currency, the acquisition of Cuba
or a war with the Pope-anything rather
than their own record" Then for his
own party he adds, ''The national De-
mocracy will make a serious mistake if
they permit any of these new issues to be
brought into the presidential canvass next
year."
Here we find the programme of the Con-
federate Democracy and coming from such
a leader the words f~oreshadow yell its
policy. All Northern and Western presi-
Dental aspirants in the Democratic party
having been killed off by bad statesman
ship in attempting to mark out a new
policy for the party-smothered in the
ruins at the overthrow of Democratic
temples-the Southern Democrat comes
to the front. Senator Gordon may be
looked upon as the coming man. He
went to Mississippi and from the stump
pronounced his anathemes against new
corners, ca~rpet-baggers and colored men.
In his opinion he has made no mistakes,
for shot guns rule in Mississippi, and
there Democracy triumphs. The Demo-
cratic party is now strong only in a few of
the old slave states. Its members hold
to the old ideas, though they are not
permitted to hold slaves. General
Gordon is of. the South; he has been
brought up, as it were, at the feet of
the Southern Gamaliel, and has been
taught according to the manner of the
law of the Southern fathers, Jealous
toward the South, and in a manner
he speaks by authority. he is a leader
in the great party seeking only for Office
and power. He says to his Democratic
followers: "The Republicans would be
glad to make the campaign of 1876 on a