The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-12-07
Apliffal
THE REPUBLICAN, PARTY
I@.,SlTS FOR ITS PORTRAIT.
WHICH is PAINTED BY ONE OF
~. o..."o .ao. THE BRETHREN.
A NGVT-tO-bG-FOrgOttGn Picture.
From the Nation (Hayes organ, Of the 2sd.l


We write again in uncertainty as to the
result Of the election. but in the belief
that no matter who is elected the sceptre
has passed away from the Repr bliCan
party, most likely forever. Whatever
work there is left for the party to do can
hardly be done by as it now is. There
will have to be much reofieering and re-
organizing before it can again leave it's
mark on national legislation. If Hayes
has been elected, and proves the Presi-
dent he has promised to be, he will not be
supported by the party as itstands to-day.
Ifhe proves the President that some fear
he may be--that is, the minister of the
group pwho have managed General Grants
administration--bot he and the party
will totally disappear from the political
arena in $780, We do not need again to
60 over all the agencies which, in our
opinion, have brought the party to its
present plight. Our readers are by this
time sufficiently familiar with them. The
seeds of the fatal disease we're sown when
atom" Murphy became Collector of the
New York custom house. The attempts
since made at recovery have been like
the runnings from cline to cline of pa.
tient in an advanced stage Of Consnmp-
ton. There have been weeks when
things looked better, and weeks when
they looked worse, but the progress from
month to month has been steadily down.
ward. We are not now, however, about
to write an epitaph or engage in any pro-
cess of analysis or Interpretation. We
wish, before the public mind is wholly
turned toward the future, to say one word
in reference to our own connection with
the melancholy events of the last four
years. ~ u....
We believe the Nation is, though only
in its twelfth year, in one sense the old
est Republican paper in the United States
that is to say it has advocated longer
than any other the principles on which
the party stood at the nomination of Mr.
Hayes, as expressed in it's platform at
Cincinnati and in his letter. 1t advocated
civil service reform before any other pa
per in the country even mentioned it,
or mentioned it otherwise than jestingly
as Prussian whimsey. 1t advocated
prompt and steady return 10 specie pay
ments before any of the party leaders
were fully satisfied that it made any diff
ference whatever when We return to
specie payments; and it was certainly
one of the first to call attention to the
ruin which the attempts to maintain a
branch of the Republican party at the
South by the aid of carpet-baggers was
bringing on that unhappy region and one
of the most earnest in calling for con-
ciliatory and impartial policy towards it
on the part Of the federal government
In fact, when we read Mr.. Hayes letter
and the Cincinnati platform, and recog-
nized our old and well-wom doctrines in
their new suit of party English, we ex-
perienced feeling of "soundness on the
main question" running through cur po
liticyl frame to which we had long been
stranger. We seemed to be once more
in good and regular standing in the
church The members were all around
us with a grave and reverent air, and
though we perceived several suspicious
characters among the assistant pastors
and deacons, we Thought we could well
afforl to keep silent about them, as they
would be sure to withdraw when they
saw that reform within the party" had
actually begun. Mr.. Hayes, though by
no means our favorite candidate, we ac-
cepted honestly and hopefully, and spoke
of him in as strong terms of appreciation
as a somewhat limi ed know ledge of him
would permit In fact, in our good hu
NOR, we began to feel little sorry for
"the bad men," who now after SO many
years of Office and management would
have to pack up their tools and retire
from active politics. t....
Now comes part of the story which
our pen almost refuses to write. This
was the last we saw of Mr., Hayes, or the
last we heard of the platform and the
letter from any authoritative source, until
a few days before the eelection. The pro-
ceeding which took place in the church
simply filled us with .amazement, Little
was said about reform by anybody, and
the suspicious-looking deacons and assis-
tant pastors instead Of withdrawing, got
out packs ofsoiled cards and began play
ing dseven up" and swearing Justify at
the "ex.rebels," and offering to thrash
ANYBODY who interfeared with them.
Perceiying Mr.. "Zach" Chandler in the
pulpit, "teling stories" and chewing to-
bacco, and exerting the functions of |
chairman, we asked the bystanders
whether they really meant to say that
"Zach" was retormer. and learned that
he wasn't much of reformer, but was a
good fellow and had plenty Of money,
and knew now to "run the machine y
and then they laughed, and punched us |
IA the ribs, as if We, too, must enjoy the |
Joke. Turning to Mr.. Wheeler, the nom.
inee for Vice President we asked him
when the exposition of Republican doc
trinea was to begin, and he said he would |
begin Il now himself and "Zachr there
NNe I 81 :. - = y =. Loo.J |