New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-03-19
nEMncRArLC nLSLOYALTY.

Once more, Mr. Garfield has spoken for the
entire Republican party. The fiery Indignation.
to which he gave expression 50 eloquently, Is
shared by every sincere Republican. This feel
ing 10 not confined TO politicians; "plain peo-
ple." as Nh Lincoln called them, who are honest
and law-abiding, regard the course OF the Dem
ocrato party with intense indignation. RepuD-
leans expect from their opponents earnest dis
sent and strong resistance. rs to the methods
and principles upon which the Government
shall I've conducted Toward no man have they
right to feel bitterly on account Of such dis
sent But Trey have a right to expect that sub
mission to law shall he universali that Demo
Gratis as we'll as Republicans shall at all times
obey and uphold the law whether they like 1t or
not. Without this spirit of genuine loyalty,
sef-gOvernment cannot be maintained. In
deed, the form of f-gOvernment will he UNI
desirable, whenever force and fraud, brute
| force and blind prejudice, overpOwer the intel
ligently formed and freely expressed will Of the
people, acting through constitutional and lawful
methods. When the Democratic party shows
itself unwilling to submit to the will Of the peO-
pie, thus expressed, or to obey or uphold laws
passed in pursuance Of the Constitution, 1t
proves that it is not fit to have any part IN self
government, but is really striving to overthrow
free institutions and to Mexicanlze the Gov
eminent.
The Democratic leaders get very angry when
they are told that they and their supporters are
enemies of free institutions, and are fit for moth
ing better than q despotism. Like Mr. Nc
Mahon, In the debate with Mr.. Garfield, they
usually denounce the accusation with great IN
temperance of language. Butitis high time for
them to know that the Republican voters of
this country have ceased TO feel that the Dem
ocratic party is q constitutional or loyal ODposi-
ton. These voters see in the Democratic party
only a conspiracy of rebels, law-breakeIs and
unprincipled spoils-hunters They find that
the Democratic party is now, and for years has
been, entirely under the leadership and direc-
ton of Its worst and most dangerous elements !,
of men who are ready to defy or nulify any
law, to carry any election by fraud or force
and to trample upon the Constitution itself, III
order to grab the offices and the sros, or to re-
ms ate rebellism in power. These are not
pleasant things to say or to believe. But the
Republicans say them. through their faithful
representatives, because they fully believe
them and they believe them because the whole
history of the Democratic party for twenty
years proves that they are true. Again and
again, Republicans have been eager TO believe
better things. Kindly and conciliatory mea-
sures have been adopted, and a liberal policy
has been tried again and again, in the sincere
hone that Democratic dis oyaty-DemOcratic
determination to rule in spite Of law and by
breaking or defyinG law-had at last ceased.
At every such experiment, the old spirit has
broken out, worse than ever, and it is now more
dangerous to free institutions than it was when
armed rebels at the South and sympaihlzDg
Commercials at the North threatened disunIon.
The Republicans do not forget that the Dem
ocratlc party threatened TO rebel if a Republi-
can President should be elected, and did rebel.
They do not foI get that the Democratic party
tried TO nulllfy reconstruction acts by White
Leagues and Ku-Klux clans, ald resOrted to sys-
tematic assassination to defeat the VIII of the
people They do not forget that desire I a
liberal policy at the North has been followed at
the South 10y bulldozing, force, and frauds OF
the most infamous kind They do not forget
that the Democratic party tried to steal the
Presidency by bribing electors, and still up
holds the men whose cipher dispatches would