The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1880-09-30
CALIFORNIA; LADY LAWYER
FoRTIFIEs HER STATEMENT THAT THE "REPUB-
LICAN PARTY SAVED THE NATION -" 1T
Is NOT A PARTY OF HATE"
san FRANCISCO, September p, 1874

SAN Francisco, September p, lsss
To EDITOR THE NEW NORTHWEST:
/ see, by your issue of the I'd instant tszslJ one
A. 5. Hughes has taken it upon himself 10 reply
to my letter of the 18th ultimo. l have read his
remarks with interest, and say deliberately that
for sublimity of cheek-for downright extent and
eXpansiveness of facial area-I think be has not
an equal on the Pacific Coast. Hear him.
There We're more followers Bell and Douglas
ponded to the call for troopsl than Of the Republicans
That is his answer TO me. 1t certainly is bOld
enough but it just as certainly lacks the elements
of truth. Every soldier in the army, every man
at the North, and every schOol-boy in history
knows better. do not desire to insult the nte4-
ligence of the readers of the NEW NORTHWEST,
but | must present a few facts for Mr.. Hughes
benefit.
First-The army was permitted to vote and,
Notwithstanding that one of the Northern Cen
erals, Geo. b. Mcclellan, was put up on the Demo
cratic ticket, the army vote was overwhelmingly
Republican.
Second-Casting out the Southern States tine
Border States and the States of the Pacific Coast,
we have left the Northern States from which the
| Federal army was drawn In 1860, those States
gave a Republican majority of 2.9lO votes. Then
the soldiers went away, and in 1864, without the
soldiers, those States had their Republican major
ity reduced TO 97749 votes. Then the remnants ot
the army returned, and the majority Immediately
went up TO l5l 4S7, and then to 332,529. When Jht
soldiers went away, the majority went down more
than one-half When they came back, the majUs-
ity nearly doubled.
In the light of these facts am justified n say
ing that the Republican party saved the nation.
At the very best, the Democracy were not half
loyal and the biggest half" the disoyal half
used and does use the loyal half. Mr.. Hughes says
The writer evidently intends to convey the idea tiat
Democratic party ia spirit i'm rebellion.
Does the man mean that anything but the De-
mocracy was I'm rebellion? Sir, memory has not
faded nor has history all been burned, and because
they have not I say boldly that the Democrats
party-the body, the controlling power, the head
the brains the p1ry i'm fact-,rdS in rebellion, and
it is too early yet deny it without insulting the
intelligence of every man and woman in America
and outaging the feelings of the widows and be-
reaved parents that yearly bring their floral offer
ings to the little mounds all over our land
Mr.. Hughes SAYS the Republican party twas
conceived and brought forth in hatred, /" and that
"hatred still constitutes its vitality" That sir j.
a libel ON the grandest party ever known. That
party was the offspring of the nobler moral senti-
ment that had been growing up for more than two
centuries. Twas the child of the spirit Of Freedom
1t embraced all the nober thoughts and all the
grandtr sentiments Of the age. 1t is not party
of hate. Other Powers when they conquer wreak
vengeance ON the foe. The IsTaeites put them To
the sword Rome sold the Jews into captivity
and Cato before had thundered the decree, Gear
thage must be destroyed;" Germany demands in-
demnity; England always makes the enemy pay
the costs of the war; France hangs guiIlotines or
banishes her traitors; and Russia puts hers i'm
the mines of Siberia. In the armed rebellion at
the South that fought against our nat 3nal exist
ence, there Were millions of people; but only l4OGU
were ever put under disfranchisement, and today
less than 200 are with political disabilities Not a.
single one that asked to be relieved was re-
fused-not one There never was n single execu-
ton, nor Punishment confiscati0n. At the
close of the rebellion, the Southerners said they
Were poor and suffering. The robe of American
citizenship was again accorded them; they were
invited to the board faternally and patrioticaly
and asked to share common destiny in the fu-
ture; and Jefferson Davis, who came from the
Cabinet of Franklin Pierce and swore before Al
mighty God to support the Constitution, and then
plotted treason in the very halls of Congress, and
waged war against the Union, walks free anJ in
peace over all this fair land The assertion dhat
the Republican party is a party of hate is an in
famous libel 1t is the verdict of the world That
the greatest magnanimity ever known in the his
tory of nations was shown at the close of the war
l have studied somewhat closely the history Of
our country, and l think the more we become ac-
quainted with ursystem of government, the more
are we inspired with love for the Union, reverence
for the Constitution, and faith in our eountry's
destiny Yours sincerely, CLARA 5. FoLTz.