The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1876-06-14
ELOQUENT LETTER FROM HON
r. W. BIRD, A LEADING
REPUBLICAN OF MASS
ACHUSETTS.
"CAN WE TRUST The DEMO
CRATIC PARITY
Why it Should Be Maintained.

The Boston Herald publishes the fol
lowing letter from +. w. Bird, appealing |
to his Republican associates OF the party
founded by Andrew, Sumner Chase and
Trumbull to come out IRON the Babylon
whichis now ruled by Grant, Cameron,
Morton, CoukEng, Logan aud Blaine.
The Importance of this manifesto will at
once be recognized by all who are aware of
the weight which Mr., Bird always had in
the politics Of Massachusetts;
East walpole, Mass. May q, 1876.
To Ethan Allen, Chairman, ETC.:
DF,R SIR-I regret that | shall be
unable to attend the conference on the 18th
inst, to which you in' .te me. | take
occasion, however, 80 " lite some opinions
of the political .tuation which have
long been struggling for utterance. / find
myself embarrassed by the wealth of ma
terials, constantly accommodating, which in
vites discussion, every day oper; e wider
fields.
In truth, whenever / have thought Of
taking my pen, the difficult es of the uu-
dertaking forced upon me this passage
from "Childe Harold"
Could cmbOdy and unbosom now
That which Is most within me, could wrcak
My thoughts uDon expression, and thus throw
Soul Heart, nd, Pass ons. Feelings
mo one word,
And that one word were lightning, would speak
But that one word has not come to me.
| have schooled myself to silence; and now
how shall begin? For years l loved and
trusted the Republican party. Il stood
by its cradle" in Massachusetts, when Sam-
uel Hoar. Stephen G. Phillips, Horace
Mann, Charles Allen, Burliugame, An
drew, Sumner, Wilson, Howe, Robinson
all now are gone to their reward--were its
leaders. Of the Ewing, Pal reg, Adams,
Whittier, co-operated with this noble array
of martyrs bearing the Republican banner
without fear and without reproacb. On a
broader field, Lincoln. Chase, Seward,
Trumbull, Schurz, led the Republican
forces from one triumph to another in the
battle for human rights. Under such lea
ders it was an honor to serve. One by one
most Of these great men fell by the way,
and all who surS We are excluded from the
councils OF the party which they formed
and to which they gave the inspiration Of
IDEAS And now, who for years have been
the recognized leaders Of the Republican
party2 Grant, Cameron, Morton, Conk-
ling, Logan, Blaine. Look first upon
that picture and then on this" and tell
me how, for years past could fail to
pray Draw me out o! this crowd.
Time would fail me to describe the de-
moralization which has naturally resulted
to the entire party from TINS change of
leadership; nor is it necessary. The daily
journals have been so filed with revela-
tons Of official malteasance that the pub.
Tic stomach has become Gause..ted aud the
public conscience hardened; until rascal
tiles which few years ago would have a.
reused universal indignation, now pail up.
on the public sense, 1t is idle to dwell
upon TIE past, except to lea~l lessons Of
present duty; and that duty i, reform
Upon this all good citizens agree; but they
differ as to methods. One of tire.
courses is open to us:
First-A third party. Since the mel
aucholy failure of 1872, any attempt to re-
new the effort seems well nigh hopeless
The fatal defect in that movement was tina
it was started and carried out as an at
tempt to create a new Republican party
Its purpose was mainly TO prevent the re
nomination of Grant, and it would hav,
fallen to peices, as its leaders designed i
should had the national RepuLl ican candi
date represented the traditions anC
ideas of the Republican party. But i
failed to prov de tor the contingency o
Grants denomination. In assuming tn,
name of Liberal Republican it could expec
no large accession of numbers other thar
Republicans, especially when they placed
at the head of the ticke: one than whom
hardly Republican in the country was
more obnoxious to the Democratic masses
/ thnn .folyn trur lyaJ - l.,
name of the party adopted by the conven
ton, md ] labored earnestly with the mel
who had the ear of the Gel yention to Sc
cure the adoption Of name whl5l would
truly represent the real purposes of tht
honest masses of the country, and that wal
the party of National PeforI. Tha, woLlC
have been name to coDjure v, /, aud ont
which would not have repealed the Demo
cratic masses, without whose alliance sue
cess was hopeless. Other counsels pre-
vailed. OF or men did not feel as l did
that the needed reform could never come
from the Republican party. Other mer
distrusted Grant. distrusted the party
which created and sustained "Grantism.
The inevitable result came, and the eXper
iment of a third party, in my judgement
is defeated for generation.
Second-Reform within the Republican
party. Is this possible? When did {
party promise purer administrative pol
icy than the Republican party in its con
ven tions of 1868 aud 1922 What have
they given us? Let the revelations of the
last three years, and especially of the las
four months answer. will not revive tn,
sickeDing details. Can the country trus
future confessions aud pledges? Admi
that the Republican candidate who to-da,
represents, specially, purity and reform
shall be nominated ut Cincinnati and cleo
ted lie goes into Office under the necess
ity of taking counsel Of the men who hay,
elected him. Among these would be man,
Of the purest men of the Republican party
OF the olden time; but among them, too
must be the men who have degraded tn,
Republican party and disbonered the coun
t.y. The men who banished Sumner anC
Greeley, Trumbull and Schurz from tn,
councils OF the party must still DE recog.
niZed as supporters Of the administration
and as entitled to voice in its policy
They are In the senate and control its &C
ton. They iill all the important officesof tn,
country. Will a Republican adminstratio
turn them out2 Eighty thousand Repub
lican ohiceholders are eating OFT the sub
stance OF the people. Here auu there on,
has been detected n his nefarious practice,
hardly an iu6ntesimal fraction of TIN
whole. Will u Republican adminstratio,
call its devOtees to account for practice
learned from their supporters? The Re
publican press of the country, with n fe,
honorable exceptions, is controlled b