Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1880-10-20

every vestage of his manhood, anC
made him a thing with no rights 6
white man was bound to respect. II
closed the mails against religious and
political books and papers containing
the teachings of Jefferson and defending
the Declaration of independence. In
opposition to all this, free labor organ,
lied the Republican party, and unfurl-
ed its banner with the inscr ption,
Free Labor Free Men, and a Free
Ballot" Around this standard, the
great productive power-the working
men of the Nation-rallied, and the
Government was transferred from the
hands Of the Democrats to the hands
of the people Against this change
the slaves States rebelled, and our
civil war followed. At the beginning
of this war the Democratic party made
itself an immense breastwork over
which the Union armies had to force
their way Almost every measure pro-
posed for carrying on the war was op-
posed by the Democratic party. 1t OPP
posed draft for soldiers to fill the ar
my. In fact, it claimed that the Gov
ernment had no constitutional power
to coerce the seeding States and COM
pei obedience to the authority of the
Federal Government Even when the
enemy was in the agonies of the death
struggle the Democratic party met in
convention at Chicago, and in the most
and deliberate manner, resolved that
the war was failure, and called upon
the Government to withdraw and dis
band its armies Thus it would have
buried the American flag, the blood of
our heroes and the glory of their
achievements in ignomy and disgrace.
The Republican party naturally at
tached the friends of protective-tariff.
1t naturally gathered in the intelligent
workingmen throughout the country,
and from the fact it overcome the her
estes of the Democracy, it ought to be
the instrument through or by which
the reforms we seek may be worked ont.
To it alone is the country indebted for
the abolition of slavery to it alone are
we indebted for the restoration Of the
Union; and the perpetuity of our sys-
TEN of government depends altogether
upon the intelligence, independence
and virtue of the producing classes.
These classes naturally adhere to the
Republican party-or rather the party
itself is the organized agent of the pro-
ductive power of this country.
To the workingmen the Democratic
party promises nothing. Its antece-
dents and its traditions make it impos-
sible for the friends of equal rights, of
progress and of reform to look to it as
an agent for good
Another element, perhaps more dan
gerous than any other to the future
harmony and prosperity of this country,
is the Democratic theory of States
rights. By subordinating the supreme
power of the Confederation to the SOW
ereignty Of individual States the coun-
try would be continually menaced with
sectional disputes and intestine strifes.
with no arbter having power to control
sectional interests, prejudices or ha-
treds. We want Government capa-
bic of harmonizing the institutions af-
fecting industry, commerce and educa-
tion, so that the people may be one in
interest with equal chances for special
position, wealth and power.
With the candidates l have nothing
to do The one elected will obey the
commands of his party. We want
peace, and measures that build up our
industries and promote our commerce.
Intelligence, wealth and prosperity
will follow. The party that abolished
slavery, that has given us what we
have of protection, that created the
greenback currency and furnished the
members of the Supreme Court that
pronounced it constitutional, that main
tains equal rights and impartial justice
is the party into whose hands the des-
tinies of this great Nation may be con-
fided. At least | would rather trust
it than the party that has heretofore
antagonized all these great measures.
Very truly yours,
r. B. MCCOMB.