The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1878-05-11
HAYES AND REpUB:.igANiSN.

For III. 1rc:' Wig.
HAYES AND RHPUB:iCANiSM.
Fourteen months ago Il. b. Hayes was
formally inaugurated President of the
United States, and started ou5 fairly on
his course of ''refcrm . and "canciiia-
ton" Then, even if holding his position
hy a narrow inaigin of the legal electoral
vote, he had one OF the greatest political
parties in American history al his back.
To-day he stands before that party, before
the American people and before the world, a
President without i party, sham reforIuer
who has dropped his mask, leader whose
only following is a band OF political adven-
turers without opinions OF principle, car
ing only for public p!under. IA gang of vul-
lures growing fat on tie corpse of Civil
Service reform. His only record Is that
of i man who has crushed with !emOrsa-
less hand the Republicans Of the South,
through whose votes, often cast at the risk
OF life, he only claims his seat: that of a
man whose every act has been a determined
effort to prove that the name Of :" fraud -
is deserved. Had he received a unanimous
vote it would be none the less deserved.
There are people in this country who
might have forgiven the tactics OF the
men who, at Cincinnati cheated the Re
pubiicans cut OF their choice, anG substi-
tuted this fourth rate lawyer. aacond-rate
soldier. silent Congressman, and itsiilar
eut Governor in his stead. Had the uu-
known Hayes proved & second Lincoln,
they might even have commended their
foresight; bat resulting as it has, there are
men who will not soon forgive the wire
pullers of Pennsylvania and the dough-
faces of Massachusetts who contaminated
the great cheat at Cincinnati. Nominated:
by fraud his career ever since has been
true to its first inception.
After a Cabinet. whose only mark was
want of principle the whole Civil Service
has been filed by men OF the ;icuiz Evar;s
stripe. devoid Of opinion or principle, or by
personal friends whose only merits consist
in their ability TO play toady to their chief.
the whole varied with an occasional XII
l,lux leader Of the Fitzaimmots- N0rthrup-
Potts order, with their hands still red with
tie blood Of southern Republicans.
This has been far the whole record Of
the Administration. 6eScrtiou of Southern
Republicansm, dsbauchery Of the Civil
Service. IL 1876 there were a half million
.
to-day there are none " no dare show their
faces at the ballot box. Even 10 Missis.
sipp, i'll spite of fraud and wholesale ter
roIsm. Hayes received 200 Votes. Last
Fal! the patty had ceased to exist. The
same is true Of tie Others, where 10 day it
is as safe to be a Republican as it is to be
in favor of free SPEECH in Russia. Even il
Maryland the Hayes Fulton Thomas Gus
tom house contro! has totally demoraized
the party. Yet in spite Of all this, John
Sherman tells US that this unconditional
surrender to the Southern leaders will III
The end give lis coutro! of three or four
Southern States. SO most likely Louis
Napoleon imagined that bis Surrender at
Sedan would drive the Germans from
France, but lie lived to see his error; 50
may Sherman. but Hayes never Will
Hayes and his trieA';!S constantly depre-
cate what they call the attempt to keep
alive spirit OF ssctional!sm, but as long
as the South is solid - ana supported by
Federal patronage, as veil Us by the little
influence the administration can exert, 1t
is not likely soon to be any thing else: the
only hope of Republcanism is to array a
solid North against it. The w0rst error of
all is, admit that the Southern surrender is
final. The North has just as much right
to demand justice Tor Southern Republ-
cans, as it had before the lmo6s of New
Orleans, u1der the patronage Of Hayes,
overthrow the legal government OF Lousi
ana. The question is not settled aud never
vii! be until Speeo!l and political action are
as Tree in Louisiana ~ in Maine. II the
Republicans were in earnest when they
made the fourteenth and fifteenth amend
nlents part CT The Constitution, can they
Row afford to idly fol;i their arms aud see
their work oyejthrowr by force? We have
been passing. for eighteen months through
a period OF mora! and political cowa.dicc,
but it seems hardly possible that all the
backbone OF the old party is gone yet. If
we a party are to iudorse Hayes, let rs
make a thorough thing Of it-repeal the
! amendments and beg pardon for Appo;aat
tox. There is no longer an excuse for
party existence; we are on the Democratic
platform, and the iEht is over
What course should the party take un-
der such circumstances To one Of it's
humble members at least its duty is plain.
Keep aloft the Old banner Of equal laws
and free speech. The same platform it
affirmed in 1872 aud in 1876: the same
issues are as live ones to-day as then Not
openly aenouuoe the President, unless he
forces the issue: but in case he does make
no truce with him. Yes, but we will loss
the official patronage the CurtiseS, Uoars,
and Matthews tell US. Let it go; nothing
will kill the Democracy sooner than con
troll of the official patronage, and there is
not enough OF the Hayes Republican body
guard to I'll half Of the offices in any State,
unless it be Massachusetts, The Republi-
can party was never stronger than when
Andrew johnson was President and every
office from the Cabinet to tide waiter was
filled by a Democrat and half the Demo
cratic strength in the Senate was made up
of Republican deSerterS We NAV as we'll
realize first as last that Hayes is a second
edition of Johnson with all his treachery,
and all his bull dog obstinacy, but minus
his brains, and far more under the control
OF the irreconcilables Of the South than
ever johnson was.
There is one fact that seems lust now
compelling Hayes to be little more Jesuit.
cal than usual. That is his dread that a
Democratic Congress will reopen the cleo
torai quarrel. This evidently will have
the effect of compelling him To act with
the Republicans in the Fall camp aign; but
whether he will help or hinder is not Ger
tain
Republicans can afford TO be beaten. they
cannot afford to be recreant to vital princi.