Daily Los Angeles herald., 1878-10-06
xsssas,a, Parsy D,Gs,e.ess.


Esasnsial Parsy DsHssencss.
No advocate of either of the great |
national parties can dispute the
fact that many of the old party diff
ferences are obliterated. For in
stance, many Republicans and
Democrats think alike on the
financial question. There are as
many soft money and as many
hard money men In the one party
as the other. There are as many
Republicans who are greenbackers
q there are Democrats, although
George H. Pendlston, leading
Democratic public man. was the
originator, or at least the first dis
tinguished promulgator of the ar
gumsnts for large issue OF green
backs. Even on what was once a
distinctIvsiy Democratic issue--the
tariff-the party lines are blurred.
Democrats and Republicans vie
with each other rs to which shall
prove the most ardent advocate OF
protection in such States as Penn.
sylvanla, where free trade is abb
horrent to both the great political
organizations. On the other hand,
In such States as Illinois and Iowa,
there are about as many Republic
oan o. Democratic Free Traders.
Probably il = nice balance were
struck, even in the North, there
weuld be found slightly more DEM
ocrats who are in favor of tariff
for revenue only, or free trade out
right, than Republicans, but when
We come to the South we would
ind solid commonwealths whose
people are to man in favor of free
trade. But we waive all claims on
that score.
On the slavery question both
parties profess to be in accord. No
sane man dreams of disturbing the
settlements of the war, so that no
aspect Of that question can ever
again be rightfully an issue of our
nf<H.ica.
rake travelled over the ground
the lch such a number OF stri-
wereements between the two
IAN be found as almost to
Whe assumption that no sub
9al differences exist between
u, and we will new pass to diff.
fnces SO radical and essential
this superficial view Of the
ter will be utterly overturned.
he most distinctive features of
rDemocratic party of the days
jefferson and Jackson were its
svotion to local government and
Opposition to the money power.
me very essence OF the policy
Of the later days of the Re-
publican party is its fondness for
eentralization. Had it not been for
the still tremendous vitality of the
Democratic party, and the peril to
Y the Republicans in that only very
thin margin of votes has of late
kept the Democracy from the con-
teol ~ fha vouarp,,,auf tba ID a
publican party would have carried
its pretensions and its spirit of in
termeddling and Capitalization to
much greater lengths than it has
been able to do. The will has at
no time been wanting to graft upon
our government military and
autocratic features, which would
have enabled Republicans to point
to 1t with pride as "strong gov.
ernment." To that party State
lines were nothing, and the reserved
rights Of the States were things to
be trampled upon. Under the ex-
cuse Of the Rebellion, they gave us
q picture in the South of what we
might expect all over the country
II their ascendancy could be main
tanned and increased. Laws la the
spirit of those enacted by old John
Adams were put upon the statute
books. Domiciliary visits, arbi-
trary arrests, military proconsuls
who hardly recognized a limit to
their power, were an every day ex-
perience at the South. Federal in
spectors of elections sat at the polls
and the gleam of Federal bayonets
WAS not far off. In the States in
which the Republican party COM
manded reliable majority, as it
did for years in New York, the
large cities were governed by leg
islative commissions, in imitation
Of the spirit reigning at Washing
ton. In every respect since it en-
tered into the possession of power,
the Republican party he's shown
it, willingness to trample on the
old Democratic prescription of the
widest possible scope for local gov.
ornment.
Nor was that all. There has been
no concession asked for by capital
during the past sixteen or sew
snteen years that has not been
granted by Republican Legislators,