The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-02-14
Political Distrust.

eome the main accusation of each |
yty against the other. Each party
believed, by its opponents, to be
willing to submit Loyalty to the
zftlict of the people, anG to be ready |
*hwart or defeat that verdict by |
Rd or force. In turn, each party
*Pmpted to resort to unfair means,
s. The belief that, if it does not, its
EpnentS will. There is no doubt
this disIrust of political oppo-
ITS is very general. No one can
nbt that it is a serious menace to
e Institutions. Elections become
rs truly expressions of the popular
The feeling that their oppo-
~ Will not submit, If defeated,
tenus 70 prepare each parry fof re-
sisting decision at the ballot box.
AS long as we tread this path we are
1moving, step by step, toward Mexi-
canization.
Who is responsible for this state of
things, and how can it be changed
for the better? The Republicans
point to the fraud in Maine. The
Democrats retort that a President
was counted in wrongfully in 1877.
TO them it is replied that force and
fraud had debauched elections and
destroyed their virtue in the disputed
States. The Democrats reply that
carpet bag frauds had prepared the
way for resort to extreme measures.
But in turn it is said that Ku-Klux
massacres and White League ress-
tance to colored suffrage produced
the dangerous legislation under which
frauds sprang up at the South. The
Democrats answer that colored suf-
frage was bad in itself, was imposed
upon the people by unfair means,
and SO led to resistance. But back
of colored suffrage there was the dis
loyal spirit which made it needful.
and back of that was the rebellion
an armed and organized resistance of
A braham Lincoln in 1860.
The truth is that the spirit of re-
belion, which struck the first blow
when the flag was fired upon at Fort
Sumter, in 1861, has been the fruitful
parent of all sorts of frauds and rev.
olutionary steps to this day. That
spirit was the spirit of the Demo-
! cratic party. 1t was determination
ITO rule or ruin; to destroy the Union
as soon as the control of it through
forms of law and through free elec-
tons had passed into Democratic
hands. 1t matters not how many
preteXts or excuses are given for this
! first great act of resistance to the will
of the people. 1t was the greatest of
all conceivable crimes against free
government. 1t was greater crime
because of its tendency to MexicanZe
our institutions, and to undermine
all respect for law and the popular
decision lawfully expressed, than be-
cause of the terrible expenditure of
treasure, of blood and of life which
it Immediately caused. 1t justified
that profound relief, which the Dem
ocratic party has never yet done any
thing to remove, namely, that the
Democratic party as a whole was
ready to resort to force just as far as
it dared, and to fraud just as far as it
could, in order to defeat its political
opponents and retain or regain the
power.
No sooner had the war ceased than
Democrats. oyerflowing with profes-
sions of revived loyalty, began to tear
Edown by massacre or fraud the loyal
governments set up in Southern
States. Southern Democrats muir
dered; Northern Democrats excused
or justified them. But this was only
another form of rebellion against law
and the popular Will. Colored men
were enfranchised in order to secure
support for loyal governments, and
i Democrats then resorted to masked
leagues and systematic assassina-
tions. Then laws were framed CIV
ing to loyal governments extraordi-
nary power to prevent defeat of free
elections by terrorism and violence,
and it was under these laws that Re
publican electors were declared elec-
ted in Louisiana. The Democratic
party resorted to wholesale fraud
attempted to buy electors, and. hav'
ing failed, raised the cry that the
Presidency had been selzed by fraud
Without doubt it has strongly im-
pressed belief of this upon many OF
its adherents. The result is that they,
who know that they have been ready
to see laws defied and elections de-
feated in their own interest, really
believe that Republicans have been
H. oil 4 laAfN