The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1876-03-19
The Party of Moral Ideas.

| New Hampshire has gone Republican
with increased majorities, in honor of Bah
cock and Belknap. So has Maine in it:
| local elections so far as heard from. When
the Democrats of New York found they
had a Tweed among them, they sent him
to condign punishment when the Rspub-
lican party of moral New England find
that one of their knavish standard bearers
has grown rich with his knavery they wax
| enthusiastic and pile up heavier majoritiee.
AS sharp and worldly-wise as may be the
Democratic members Of the House of Re-
representatives., they had evidently never
contemplated such o contingency as this.
Calculating, as they did, on the exposure of
the Wholesale villanies of the Grant Ad-
ministration as q trump card of the highest
grade, what must be their modification to
find it go easily captured and made to do
service on the other side Let them
pause.
Judging from the Belknap affair, all that
is necessary to secure New England over
whelmingly and irresistibly for Grant, is to
prove him by his own confession a snccess
full robber, an unprincipled speculator in
powers which had been copfided to his sup
posed honor.
The Puritan faction has always been &C.
cused of worshipiug the golden calf, but
it's legitimate ofspriDg, the Republican
party, ought now to advance step farther
and repudiate the innocent stoiidity sug
gested by the calf; it ought to substitute
for it q grand golden wolf.
How jubilant Grant, Babeock, Belknap,
Schenck, Robeson, Shepard, and all the
White House ring must be ever this Puritan
endorsement! A victory sprung up by
magic out of the ruins of overwhelming
defeat and disgrace But let them not be
Eogland are noble and gallant band.
Though defeated they have made splendid
struggle in the face of government influence
and money. Invincible in their courage
and fortitude, they breast the tide of defeat
without a thought of encouragement, and
will take advantage of the first moment of
irresolution in their adversary to destroy
him beyond retrieval.
In the meantime, other sections of the
country are to declare themselves. The dis
ciples of greed, the adherents of corruption
are probably not 30 outspoken and un-
blushiug in the Middle and Western States
as in those just heard from. The sense of
shame, the conviction of disbonor may
count as a more potent political factor in
communities which have yet to speak. But
prudent men will foresee the worst. 1t
may be that the whole North will endorse
the infamy of the Grant Administration.
Corruption and Decentralization have become
terribly prevalent among the people since
the inception of the late civil war. Nothing
but thoroughly depraved sense of right
and honor in the majority could have rem
dered possible the dominance during seven
years of such principles as have controlled
the Grant Administration. The thin veil
which it saw fit to cast coquettishly over
its moral deformity was only veil after
all, and very gauzy one. Any one who
was willing could readily see the reality
beneath it, and the present action of the
Democratic House in tearing it away is q
mere act of precision, giving a more formal
shape to what was already popular con-
viction.
If the American people are 30 vile and
depraved as to worship such religion as
Grantism if they make their high priest
of a man who withdraws q felon from dan
ger in England under cover of the Aneri
can flag, who prostitutes the secrets of bis
cabinet to shield favorite from conviction
in St. Louis, and threatens all informers
with direst persecution in order to save
other public criminals if, in a word, they
want more of Grant, they deserve him and
ought to have him.
The South could not, if actuhted by a
spirit of revenge, wish q greater calamity
to the North than the re election of Grant
Things have taken such shape that he can
not do ne of this section much more harm
What there is of prosperity here now, was
born in the storm and can grow and flourish
in the storm; but bad as affairs are at the
North their haromefer nf DroaDsr;tv he,