The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1880-07-16
The 9aiIg Arens,
ROCK ISLAND, ..TLLTNoIs
The Repu alican Party and Sectional
Antagonism.''

Antagonism."
.FromlSt Louis Republican.
The leading Republican organ in the
country says:
.sThere is nothing more desirable than the ute
is nothing more desired by the Republican party
but the thing fs impossible so long as the South
its Democratic solidity, thereby making the Dem
ocrntic party perforce . sectional party"
If the weather wereias,coola as the above
the community would be much more com.
Portable. The New York Times knows
that the political movement of which il
was lately the journalistic champion was
based on the continuance and utilization.
by the Republican party, of this ''sectio-
nal antagonism;" that Grant was the rep
resentative of the ''stalwarts" and their
policy, and that the bone and sinew of this
policy was sectionalism pure aud simple.
And The great grievance of the third-ter-
mers now is-aside from the dem olition oil
their pet scheme -that sectionalism is
practically eliminated from the canvass
by the nomination, as the Democra-
euished soldiers 10 the Union army;
A soldier who shed his blood 10 the
Union cause and contributed largely to its
final success. When Hancock rouses as
much enthusiasm in the South as in the
North, the Union may be considered
as tolerably safe, and the results of the
war''in no danger of being lost. The
''bloody shirt" has hitherto been banner
of victory to Republicans. The hero of
Gettysburg and the Wilderness has put it
ia his pocket, and it's Disappearance is a
guaranty of Republican defeat. If the
Times and its school could have their
way, the quarrel settled fifteen years ago
would be prolonged, for partisan purpo-
ses into the next century, And that 1880
sweeps away the sectional rubbish left in
1865, is due to Democrats and not to
Republicans.
The South has been, and still is, solidly
Democratic, because the Democratic party
is the only national party; the only party
that atall times and under all circumstances
has embraced all sections in its principles
and its power. Before the war the South
was, in Republican estimation. the chosen
home of the sum of all iniquities." and
had made "a covenant with death and an
agreement with help in order to monopo-
lie the iniquities, Since the war it has been
in Republican estimation, the nursery of
treason" the citadel from whence''a new
rebellion" was liable at any moment to
issue-valuable only as ssconquered terri
tory which. if judiciouly cultivated by
and federal bayonets. would
produce aD exhaustless supply of RepublI-
San votes. The Republican idea of "our
restored Union" is Union which
must always be under Republican
rule. The South was treated &C.
cordinely for twelve long years
the darkest and most disgracetul period in
American history. The southern people
were first ground beneath the heel of
military tyranny and then bound hand and
foot and delivered over to carpet baggers
to be outraged and robbed; and all for the
furtherance of Republican interests and
for nothing else. Is it any wonder that,
as one southern state after another escap
ed from the wretched bondage, they
ranged themselves under the Democratic
flag and persisreDtly fought Republicanism
at the ballot box? Is it any wonder that
when the last state was released, the
'Demoar attic solidity" Of the south became
at once an accomplished fact? How could
it be otherwise, unless the southern peo-
pie had been dogs. to lick the hand that
smote them and the boot that kicked
them? The south is Democratic because
thar rarty knows no north. no south,
no. hing but the union" and because the
Republican party recognizes DO union, no
rights. no law. apart from Republican
supremacy.