Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-07-06
The Parties and the Presidents Policy.

Gate City.
There was no difference at all in what
the two parties promised the country in
last years campaign as to civil service
reform or as to the policy proper to pur-
sue towards the South Now that Hayes
is doing what both parties promised, the
clubbing evasions of an unreasonable
logic by which either party tries to
evade supporting him discredits their
sincerity and their claim to public conf
dence; it cannot change the duty Of all
patriotic men of both parties who meant
what they promised last year, to give
Hayes cordial support now. For every
thing that the President has done has
been simply to refuse to commit the
Executive Department to fruitless
struggle with both Houses of the Legis-
lative department in the effort to main
tain two Southern State governments SO
fraudulent and so impotent that they
could not maintain themselves against
their own citizens. The Republican par
ty could not make the issue of reinstat-
ing Packard, Chamberlain, Returning
Board and color line Republicanism in
the South and carry a State or a district
in the Union on that issue.
Hayes has but done what the honest,
patriotic sentiment of the country unin-
famed by partisanship demanded. With
out quitting support OF any part OF Re
publican principles, simply by keeping
tho promises made by himself and Re
publicans in the campaign, he made the
beginning of his administration the most
popular the nation has known since
Washington. At the outset it was al
most inconceivable by us that any short
sightedness of counsel or passion would
bring Republicans anywhere to the I'M
measurable folly of springing from the
overwhelming strength there was in
standing by the President to the faction
and weakness of opposing him: The
President cannot make Il party, but no
party can succeed that puts itself
against the spirit and principles to which
Hayes has committed the administra-
ton. BY faulty of counsel and blind
but sincere party impulse the party in
Iowa at and preceding the State COnven-
ton had brought itself to where to avoid
greater harm it had to muzzle itself in
to dumb silence and go quietly off the
stage to take lease of leisure for the So
Der second thought, To support Hayes
policy is what any party that would win
control Of this government must do. 70
say less than open and explicit support
was to say nothing to the purpose. And
when it became clear, as it did long be-
fore it met, that the late Convention
could not endorse Hayes policy eXpllc-,
lily, we cared not what it said. Hayes
policy is the issue that interests the
country No party can win that does
not approve it. The Republican party
is bound to approve it, and it will. 1t it
should not there will be not enough at
it left in 1880 to run q candidate
Whether the Democracy can win sue
cess by endorsing the policy may be
problematic. But that the Republicans
cannot win without doing so is not prob
lematic at all OF course the Repubh-
cans will carry this State election, but
what we are considering is the broader
field of national politics, which the Re
publicans of Iowa should have more full
ly considered than they now seem dis
noscd to do.