The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1880-09-04

know. the destruction Of an institution re-
cognixed and protected By The constitution
naturally and inevitably reused 2 spirit OF
antagonienl IN The Soath which, when
RepublsoA gained itB flfBt nation&I
victory Ia 1881, broke out in open secesS
sion. The man who. having set dre to
house. claims praise and reward for extin-
gushing the flames, issvery properly re-
LQarded as either fool or knave, or a COM
bination of both, Had the Republican
party. kalone and unassisted. conquered
the conflagration kindled by les own hands
il would have deserved che thanks; but eit
Is hardly necessary to say that without the
aid of its political .opponents,the conquest
would have been slmply an impossibility.
Democratic bIeod and Democratic money
wers poured out as freely as if thewar had
been Democratic invention. The people
Of The North, throwing all party afi liations
aside, rose In defence OF national unity and
re-established federal NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
the land. Republicans did their share of
the bloody work, and no more; but when
that work was done, when the time had
come for craftsmanship to finish the task
begun by the sword. the party in power
assumed exclusive control, and with il the
whole responsibility. Democrats had
helped Republicans 10 suppressing armed
resistance TO the Union, but were debarred
from any participation IN the more diff.
cult. andsvastly more important, labor of
restoring the Union in reality as we'll as
10 inama. All branches of tho government
were in possession of Republicans, land
they proceeded 10 utilize this undisputed
supremacy. The world knows the history
of the next twelve years. Scarcely had
the smoke of battle blown away before q
policy was inaugurated, having as its
syowed end and ssaim, not the restoration
of the Union, not the revival of fraternal
feeling between the members of the feder-
ell family. not the healing of wounds in
Aicted by fraternai strife, not the drawing
eogether by ties of mutuslin interest and con-
fdence states which that strife had torn
asunder, but the consolidation and per-
petuation of Republican rule in the nation
at large. From 1865 to 1877 that party
concentrated all its energies on this single
point. Negroes. carpet bsagers and
bayenets were the tools employed. and the
tration and Republican congress, backed
by Republican press, platform and pull
pit, was exerted in behalf of these tools.
Not until there was a Democratic majority
in The house and Democratic president
had been chosen by the people did a
change occur. And then, when Mr..
Hayes endeavored to atone for bis usurpa-
ton by adopting the Democratic pro-
gramme in his treatment Of southern
affairs, he was denounced by nine tenths
Of his party as O renegade and traitor.
IF that party could have its way to-day
the eouth would be remanded to the de-
spicable tyranny il suffered when Hancock
FIRST stood forth as the champion of liberty
and law in LouisiaHa. s % es5
J Such, in brief. is Republican union saw
ing. Breaking up the union By forcing a.
purely sectional issue. thereby compelling
Democrats to assist in crushing a rebellion
they had predicted and endeavored to pre-
vent, and then spending twelve years In an
effort to prostitute national victory to
partisan purposes. To understand what
the Republican idea of Union is we have
only to remember what Mississippi. Lou
isiana and South Carolina were when these
states wore the Republican yoke. 10 sec
q genuine, unadulterated Republican
Uuion saver of the orthodox pattern We
have only to Look upon Ames, Kellogg.
Spencer or Patterson. To learn the creed
and doctrines pertaining to Republican
Union saving we have only to read the
soeeches of such eminens Republicans as
Blaine. Conkllng, Edmunds and the lsts
Senator Chandler, Fatal as accomplished
disunien must have been to national growth
and prosperity all honest and patriotic
will agree that o 9 nion restored on
the Republican plan would have been
infinitely worse, as :much worse Gs the
condition of the South was ten years ago
than what it is COW. Yet the Republican
party has the sublime impotence to base
its claims to popular Endorsement ct the
election upon its record as
the savior and restorer of the Unionl