The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-06-01
REPRESENTATIVE aASSACHU.
SETTS REPUBLICAN ON THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY

SETTS REPUBLICAN ON THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
F.W. Bird, of Massachusetts, has writ
ten an open letter to Col. Ethan Allen,
which, considering the fact that the
writer is one of the founders of the Re-
publican party, is full of meaning. Mr..
Bird takes the ground that any third
party movement this year must of neces'
| sity fail. As to reform within the party,
Mr.. Bird trusts there is hope for the Re
publican organization, but he says there
is but one way of salvation for it, and that
is through the purgation of defeat" AT
the same time he has "a prevailing con-
fidence that sixteen years of purgatlon
and punishment have had their effect in
purifying the Democratic party in as
great degree as sixteen years of power
have corrupted and diseased the Repub-
lican party" That, however, which de-
cides Mr.. Birds present preference for
the Democracy is the great principle OF
party responsibility, upon which alone
government by parties can be carried on.
The party which has misruled the coun-
try and is responsible for public abuses,
must be turned out of power and the op-
position party given a trial
We quote from Mr., Birds letter:
Second-Reform within the Republi-
can party. Is this possible? When did
party promise purer administrative
policy than the Republican party in its
conventions of 1868 and 1872? What
have they given us2 Let the revelations
of the last three years, and especially Of
the last four months, answer. l will not
revive the sickening details. Can the
country trust future professions and
pledges ? Admit that the Republican
candidate who to-day renresents spe-
cially purity and reform shall be nomi-
mated at Cincinnati and elected. He
goes into Office under the necessity of
taking counsel of the men who have
elected him. Among these undoubtedly
would be many of the purest men OF the
Republican party of the oldel time; but
among them, too, must be the men who
have degraded the Republican party and
dishonored the country, The men who
banished Sumner and Greeley, Trumbul
and Schurz from the councils Of the par
ty must still be recognized as supporters
of the administration, and is entitled to
vote in its policy. They are in the
Senate and control its action. They I'LL
all the important Offices of the country.
Will a Republican administration turn
them out? Eighty thousand Republican
Office holders are eating out the sub
stance of the people. Here and there
one has been detected in his nefariOus
practices-hardly an infnitesimal frac-
ton of the whole. Will Republican
administration call its devotees to ac-
count for practices learned from their
supporters The Republican press of
the country, with few honorable excep-
tions, is controlled by .rogues or their +
apologists,
What then remains? The Democratic
party. "Do you belong to the Demo-
cratic party?" MOI l shall never again
"belong" to any party. but | am ready to
co operate with any party or with any
men who, in my judgment, best promise
to destroy the power which now curses
the country. know full well how great
is the popular distrust of the Democratic
party / have taken some small share in
creating that distrust when it was well
founded:
loved my country and hated it.
But now old things have passed away.
When we are able to vote in the mil
lennium, we will welcome the ideal par
ty. Till then we must aim at practical
methods and practical results. | do not
like to be forced to choice of evils, but
| see clearly that until one party or the
other nominates an ideal candidate we
must choose between those who are pre-
sented, or take to the woods.
Can we trust the Democratic party
In lS4S our Southern Whig friends, in
justifying themselves for supporting the
Whig ticket with General Taylor at the
head used to say, "The Southern man
who is farthest from us is nearer to us
than any Northern man can be-" 1t is
my profound conviction that the worst
Democrat whose nomination at st. Louis
is possible is safer for the country than
the best Republican whose nomination
is possible at Cincinnati. The impera-
tive, the solemn need of the country is
change of the national administration.
A new set of books must be opened at
Washington. Every department of gov
ernment, from the White House to the
Custom House, must be purified; the ac-
counts of $4,000 office-holders must be
examined ! have no fear that while
this process Of scrutiny is going on, any
new set of Office-holders can organize a
system ofpeculation and corruption like
that which is now in full blast. Even if
the forthcoming administration should
follow in the footsteps of its predecessors,
| think l know that in four years 1t could
not intrench itself in Office as the Repub-
lican party has done in almost sixteen
years of undisputed power; and that in
1880 the country will repudiate the ser
wants who would prove false to their
trusts, and would reinstate Republican
party redeemed, regenerated and Olsen.
thralled. But do not rest my hopes
upon my wisdom as prophet. | rely as
well upon the record of the Democratic
party for the last four years. 1 remem-
ber that in 1872 they nominated Horace
Greeley as their candidate for the Presi-
dency and Charles Sumner as their can
didate for Governor of Massachusetts,
and adopted a platform dictated by the
doctrinaires and purists of Cincinnati.
The declarations of tnat platform are the
last authenic utterances of the national
Democratic party, and they have been
reaffirmed by nearly every State Conven-
ton of that party since held. In Michi-
gan enough Democrats renounced party
ties to elect Christiancy over Chandler;
in Wisconsin enough to elect August
Cameron over Carpenter; in New York
the Democratic party elected Herman for
Senator and Tilden for Governor; in
Massachusetts, they elected CASTOR Gov
ernor, and Chaplin, Thompson, Tarbox,
Banks, Warren and Seeley Representa-