The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-08-26
THE CHANGED REPUBLICAN CAM
PAIGN.

The New Challenge They Have Now
Put Forth.
GFrom the New York Herald QndependenD.l
1t is less than two years since Gen.
Garfield, on the floor of Congress,
painted the following patriotic sketch
for the conduct of the Presidential cam
paign of 1880:
.sTheman who attempts to getup a polit-
ical excitement in this country on the old
sectional issues will find himself without
a party and without support. The man
who wants TO serve his country must put
himself in the line of its leading thought,
and that is the restoration of business,
trade, commerce. industry, sound politi-
cal economy, hard money, and honest
payment of all obligations.
Circumstances unexpected by the art
ist put him into position two months
ago, by his nomination as Presidential
candidate, to exert as much influence as
any other man In the country to realize
his own patriotic pic -ure. Is it unfair
to judge him out of his own mouth and
by his own behavior? What has he
been doing this week? Has he been at
tempting to get up a political excite
ment On the old sectional issues" or
"to put himself in the line of the coun-
try's leading thought?" Let the pro-
ceedings of the Republican conference
in this city en Thursday answer.
Beyond peradventure the four repre-
sentative speakers in that conference
were Senators Blaine and Logan, Secre-
tary Sherman, and Gen. Harrison.
What did they set up in their speeches
for the issues in this Presidential cam
paign? Mr.. Blaine said that the issue is
whether " the men who fought the civil
war shall surrender to the men who
fought against the Union" Mr.. Logan
said that it was whether "the loyal men
of this land. who stood by her constitu-
ton and flag when the sword and fame
were applied to the temple" or "the
rebel army and the copperheads of the
North" shall have the fright to govern
this country" Mr.. Sherman said it Is
whether "the Republican party shall
resign to the solid South, headed by
Wade Hampton and the Ku-Kux Klan,
and little segment in the Northern
States calling itself the Democratic
party" Gen. Harrison said it is chow
we will defend Washington against the
enemy that once opposed it In arms" IF
these assertions are not revival of the
old sectional issues, what are they? Not
a word was uttered in the conference
from first to last concerning the line of
the leading thought of the country
concerning business, trade, commerce,
industry, sound political economy, hard
money, and honest payment of all OBJ
| legations, with the solitary and melan-
choly exception that Mr.. Sherman an
nounced that the Republican party has
accomplished all the results it pro-
posed to accomplish of financial char
acter," although hundreds of millions
of legal-tender greenbacks are outstand-
ing, and eighty-eight-cent silver dollars
are coming monthly by the ton.
1t was entirely within the power OF
Gen, Garfield to check this torrent Of
sectional passion if he had willed SO.
He sat in an adjoining parIor, anu knew
what was doing. At any time between
noon and o'clock on Thursday, he had
only to walk out of one room into an.
other and repeat his own words, which
we have quoted at the beginning of this
article, to have given an entirely differ
ent complexion to this Presidential cam
paign on the Republican side from that
which he has suffered it to assume. But
he willfully withheld from "serving hi
country" He willfully ratified a parti
san policy, which he himself has stig
matized as so unpatriotic that the MAJ
who pursues it deserves to find him
self without party and without sup
port" He starts back to his Ohio home
this morning with the internal conscious
ness, whatever show of stolidity he ma.
put on, of having been false to his owl
ideal of patriotism. With his full as
sent. by the concurrent voices of hi
party's leaders, "the old sectional is
sues are adopted for the main issues o
the Republican canvass, and the line o
the country's leading thought" F" is sub
ordinated to them.
Can the Republican party elect Gen
Garfield President upon issues which h
himself, not two years ago, nobly con
demned as unpatriotic2 1t is too earl
to predict. Much will depend on th
good sense of the Democratic leaders.