National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1877-01-02
TiIden or RaYOlufiOu.

The right of revolution is accorded to all
people when in the judgment of the world
there is adequate cause. But If revolution for
party purposes or for the benefit of party
could be justified for any cause, would the in
duction of Hayes into the Presidential office,
under the circumstances, afford such cause to
the Democratic party at the present time!
We think not for reasons which we will epit-
pmize thus:
l. If the Democratic party was placed in the
Same position in which the Republican party
stands to-day, having the Government in its
own hands to bestow upon its candidate, and
having the election returns in its favor by the
decision of the legally constituted authorities,
Tflden would be the next President by the &C
tion of that party without question, and there
would be no one among the Republicans so
weak as to think otherwise for one moment.
And we don't believe there is a solitary Demo-
crat in the country, loving a reputation for
honesty and candor who would jeopardizs that
reputation by denying this assumption. II,
then, such would be the action of the Democ-
racy in like contingency, where is the justice,
or consistency, or conscience in the clamor by
which it is now seeking to disturb the tran
guillity of the country?
II. 1t is q matter of only four years. du-
ration, at the end of which time the alleged
wrong can be righted by peaceful and consti-
tutional means. And this being So, it is not
only no justification for attempted revolution
Or violence of any sort, but the presence of
every consideration tending to show the de-
mon wickedness of the attempt. And If the
four years further continuance of Republican
administration be blank olympiad in the
annals of the party, so will 1t be but brief
time before the people will have the opportu-
nifty OF rebuking the fraud charged upon the
Republican party in counting" its candidate
in, If the people shall believe the charge to be
srue. Where the misdeeds of party can be
punished and the perpetrators pushed from
power In go short a time, what occasion is
there for revolution, even for the benefit of
The "outs?" They will succeed sooner by the
civic modes than by violence, and have q
country left TO control when victorious. Sure
ly, under such circumstances, there can be no
justification for revolution, aud it accordingly
should not succeed, and for that reason would
not find favor in the eyes of the world, except
by that portion of it which hopes to see an
early end Of free government.
But will there be Al attempt at revolution
because of the Inauguration of Mr.. Hayes?
No. Because he will be inaugurated in pur-
suance Of law and precedent, and, having the
Government placed in his hands, will be Pres
ident de facto and de jure, and any attempted
executive acts In opposition to his authority
DO overt acts of treason, and subject their
author to the consequences. And there is no
one bold enough in the country, If he were
bad enough, to undertake to play President,
when the sport would be so dangerous. And
when it is said, as it frequently is said, that
there are hundreds of thousands who stand
ready TO take up arms to seat Mr., Tilden In
the Executive chair, we answer, there are not
so many twenty thousand in the whole
country who would do this, and that every
particular ole of those who would volunteer
for the purpose is character so bad at home
that the good people he leaves behind when
he takes up his line of march will fervently
pray that the fate of war may be his, if SO
mean an offering will suffice. For there is
none TO fight in such a cause, where the evil
complained of may be so easily and so speed
lily remedied by sanctioned means, save only
The wantonly wicked, whose sacrifice would
be recognized as a common blessing. Such is
Our opinion of the cry of "Tilden or Revolu-
ton"