New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-09-08


that all its history, traditions and tendencies
and more especially the revolutionary attitude
assumed by its representatives, Ill the ia,e
session of Congress, are so directly at VaIl-
ance with the recognized principles upon
which our system of government Is based, that
the simple statement of any elementary polit-
zeal truth is an aIraignment OF that
party for some leading feature OF Its
policy. IL follows that Republican Conven-
lions have only TO formulate some OF
these esta blished and unquestioned principles
and they have constructed a distincuyeiy he-
publican declaration of faith and a fighting
| platform for an aggressive canvass IN any
| State contest. A simple statement that the
National honor shall be held sacred is an IN
| dorsement of the conduct OF the Natioh"i
| finances by Republican administrations auu
| a denunciatiOn of Democratic hoStiii'y
| to resumption and its open or covert
| endeavors TO repudiate the solemn Ooh-
cations of the Government. The proc
lamatiOn made by every Repu0ic'h
Convention of the year that this is Nation
and not league is more than mere reaiiirma-
| ton of the central truth established once ana
| forever by the war. II Is the controlling idea
in the entire body of legislation adopted III
! the direction of all the administrative energy
expended during the years of Republican SUI
premaey. and it Is an indictment of the
Democratic party for pluneing the country
into civil war, for aggravatine the trials and
| burdens of the contest and for It's treasonaDie
efforts since to surrender every advantage
that was so painfully and eIorously won.
free and honest expression OF popular
n. L, mil 81
in our system, and every attempt to abridge
this feeling, or falsify its expression, is SO
utterly subversiye of the basement principle
of representative government, that 1t Is hardly
possible to understand how great political
party in a free country could be other than
sensitive on this vital point. And yet when
the Republicans of Minnesota, followed day
later by the Republicans OF New-lork,
commended Mr.. Hayes for his firmness In
unfolding the safeguards of the ballot
box. they pronounced condemnation on
the party which lately struggled for
months to withdraw all efficient protection
from the polls and make voting cruel and
deusive farce. Disguise their purpose as
they may the evident object of the attack
upon the election laws was to insure Demo
cratic success by fraud. Under the universal
| rule of this party in the South there is
+, no pretence of fair election. The ballot
| is a mockery. The voice of the people Is sti-
fled. Party despotlsm is absolute. Elections
are simply endorsements at the muzzle OF the
shotgun of the DEGREES OF an armed minor
ity. There is solid Democratic representa-
| ton from the South in both houses of Con-
| gress. not because each member honestly re-
| presents Democratic constituency. but be-
cause Republicans do not and dare not regis
ter their will at the polls.
| IL is not the utterance OF useless trusm
then when Republican Conventions assert the
necessity of free election. IL is distinctive
Republican doctrine. 1t is more. 1t is a
question of immediate and capital importance,
and it involves directly the issue of the COM
ing National canvass. If the country is to
pass under the domination of Democratic
Executive, it will DO because NewYork
and Ohio are stolen by frauds in this
| civ ana Cincinnati. OF course, the Rep
resentatives from the South who have
bulldozod their way into Congress have small
scruples as to the means so long as the Presi
dency is captured. AS usual they find subser
Went allies in their party at the North, and
| thus il happens thae the Democracy are united
| To repeal the only laws which stand between
them and any majority they may name in the
two cities. Fortunately this fine scheme is
liable to run against something quite as solid
as the South. A party which repudiates
all the primary truths of political science,
which assails every fundamental principle in our
system of government, which makes light of
National honesty and honor, and whose CEN
tral purpose row is to gain possession of the
capital 10y using violence in the South and by
classifying the verdict of the people in the
North, is in fair way to discover that there
is such a thing as a popular conscience as
well as popular intelligence. The vote this
Fall will probably indicate that great many
people are giving serious reflection to these