Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1880-07-13
The Republican Platform.
From the New York Herald.

From the New York Herald.
A closer examination ofthe republican
platform compels us 10 regard it as u
joke. 1t is impossible to imagine that
the gentlemen who drew it regarded it
as anything else. Take away from it
the brag and the bluster which consti-
tuie its comic portions and there is moth
ing left but commonplace.
1t begins with Dragging, The rcpub-
lican party, says the fret section, sup
pressed the rebellian, abolished slavery,
rasSed the value Of the paper currency
from thirty-eight cents to par, increased
the foreign trade, paid the pensions, paid
off third of the national debt, revived
industry, 1t seems pity TO stop just
there. Why not have added that the re.
publican party raised the crops of the
last few years, caused the draughts and
rains in Europe which made so great and
and profitable an expectation of our pro-
duets, created the fine wheat and corn
weather with which we have been bless
ed for years, put stop to the cattle
plague, discovered and developed the
new mines Of precious metals, and dug
out the Erie Canal?
If the republican party really furnish
cd all the soldiers of the war and paid
all the taxes since The war undoubtedly
it did all the other things we have sug-
gested. The plain truth Of course is
that the republican party has had con-
troll Of the government for twenty years,
on the whole has msmanaged public
affairs very badly, and Is not bit sorry
for its misconduct, In putting down
the rebellion and in frceug the slaves
Mr.. Lincoln took counsel at every step
with leading democrats as well as repub-
licans he was the President ofthe whole
country, and democrats were constantly
among his most intimate and cherished
coursellors As for paying the taxes
the democrats have not been exempted
from that; the pleasing and republican
part was to collect them acd spend them,
paying their share and no more.
The republican chiefs have fallen into
the habit Of looking backward. 1t is the
common habit ofpurtics which have been
in power twenty years, In that time
and indeed before that time, parties in
the nature Of things, become edcte,
Like old men they live in the past; there
Is no future for them. Like old men, al-
20, old parties conveniently remember
only the pleasant and credtablc part Of
their past, Thus the republican plat
form in It's amusing retrospect saysnoth-
ing Of the scandalous misgoyernment In
the Southern States for which the party
Is alone responsible; nothing Of the years
In which they tampercd with the currcn-
cy aud brought upon the country by
their cowardlcc the plague ofgrecnback-
crs; nothing Of the mischlcvous election
laws which they enacted and mlsused
nothing Of the scandals in which all the
republican leaders, with less than doz-
en honorable exceptions, have been dis
agrccably involved nothing Of the waste
of the peoples money which was thrown
with lavish hands TO jobbcrs of various
Kinds for years, until the democrats were
at last placed In control Of the House by
an indignant and impoverished country,
Where the platform ceases to brag II
begins to buster, the connection being
modc by u brief section IN which poly
gamy, internal improvements aud pro-
tcctiyc tariffs are huddled together,
few cold words IN commcndaton of Mr.
Hayes yctoes being thrown In. The
hluslcr concerns, naturally, the solid
South and those dreadful democrats
whose only object IL seems, is to turn
their minority into majority, MS though
the only object of The republican chiefs
were not to retain possession Of the gov
crnmcnL The bluster 10, on the whole
more strongly comic than the brug; II
draws picture Of the democratic "lust
Of Office aud patronage which II II
were not labelled democrat" F" would BE-
generally mistaken fora description Of
The republicans drawn by themselves.
Surely party which seized tho Presl-
denoy as the republicans did In 1867
aud then quurrclcd with the man they
forced into the White House because he
would not crafty TO the extent Of their
demands thelr "nsatIublc lust Of office
and patronage" but bononbly prcferr-
cd to serve The country rather than the
party leaders--surely such o party
should "sing small, " 10 use a sen phrase,
when the topic II greed N otlce and
power