National Republican., 1881-07-26
Some Plain Trnihs.

divided into two classes: one that was
in earnest the other utterly hollow and
insincerc. When the war was ended the
latter class attempted to cast the negro TO
his enemies, under pretensc of making a
mistake. They have since falsely pre-
tended not to see any denial of his rights,
and have often coarsely assaied those
who did They have been fiercely in
favor of laws for his protection, and as
fiercely against their enforcement The
whole party has professed great friend
ship for the negro, while large class of
self-styled conservatives have taken care
to have it quietly understood among the
negro-hatcrs that they did not mean it.
The Democracy have always had an al
lance with this soft-shellcd or halfbreed
element of the Republican party for neu-
tralizing as far as possible all that for APP
pcarance's sake had to be done
for the negro. These tricksters had
no faith in the people, believing
them to be base like themselves.
They hovered between the lines of the
two great parties, and, being moral cow
ards, always expecting defeat, they were
chiefly engaged in formulating terms of
surrender. They have strenuously Ia
bored to poison the Republican party
with the virus of Democratic prejudice,
In order to secure for the party Demo-
cratic support. They have always acted
as though the Republican party was
doomed to defeat unless it could secure
more Democratic than Republican votes,
and have always apologized for what was
decent in their own conduct This class
ofpatriots it was who always managed to
be recognized bythe Democrats as vainly
endeavoring TO restrain the excesses of
their party" and against whom there
could be no charge of " Radcalism" They
voted for the Ku-Klux bill and the bayo-
net bill, the one to enforce the Fourteenth
and the other the Fifteenth Amend
ment; but they always took the Demo-
cratic side of all discussions of the facts
on which was based the necessity of
enacting such measures. When
ever such hybrid journals as the
Springfield Republican, New York Tribune,
Chicago Tribune, Cincinnati C0mmerciui
and New York Erening Post raised a howl
against Southern Republicans and North
ern Radicals the Half-Breed class of
statesmen were on their feet to prove
that their sympathies were all with the
pure and undefled Ku-Klux leaders at
the South. Some of these braves went
Greeley straight in 1872, while others
fingered, wishing they could think that
the strong side, but fearing it would hot
be- After Grants second election they
gave the word "Grantism" to whatever
was direct and positive on the subject Of
enforcing the laws at the South. When
the Louisiana State government was forci-
bly, overthrown by the McEnery party in
September, 1874, President Grants re-
sponse to the constitutional application
of the Governor of that State for aid to
suppress the insurrection was de-
'nounced by the HalfBreeds as an act
of tyranny, although every lawyer
among them knew that the President
would have subjected himself to i'm
peachment if he had refused to respond
to the application, In January following
NIlNll bllN NV "
| sought to seize the Legislature, the
scheme was throttled by the strong hand
of Sheridan, and although his presence,
with out force, had preserved order and
prevented Observation-Disclosures it was
demonstrated that the few soldiers en-
ployed had acted solely as u posse cOmitdtuS
of citizens in response to the civil arm
of the law-yet every Half-Breed pot
house orator squealed his dissent Every
great eX-Greeley journalist wrote terrific
editorials about the ruilianism of Grant
and Sheridan, and even presidential tim
Der creaked in the same key ut public
meetings in Faneuil Hall, in Boston, and
Cooper Institute, New York.
The whole power of the HalEBreed
faction from 1878 till 1876 was devoted to
the determination 'of Republicanism.
The only enemies to be pursued were
those Republicans who were so imprac-
tical as to be in earnest against South
ern outrages.
The Nation would have met with
hearty and earnest acquiescence in its
measures Immediately following the war
but for the Half-Breeds, whose tortuous
course is above briefly outlined. The
cause of Republicanism has been be-
trayed by them again and again. The
outrages upon negroes at the South, which
were denied by them to please the enemy,
have afterward been made the battle-cry
under which they have rallied the people
to give them power.
Opposed to them at all times have
been the men who were in earnest-Radi-
calls, some called them and, later ON, Stall
warts some. They were and are Repubi-
cans, because they knew that large class
at the South refused to yield to the ma
tional authority. They remain constant
to the idea of equal rights, and are un-
willing to make foul bargains with those
who make haste to shed blood. They
have never demanded Office as a price for
adhering to principle They have no
favors to ask-no apslogy to make. They
are to-day the backbone of the party and
its main dependence. If the hundreds
ofthousands of Stalwarts in the land were
to become as friendly with and rs tolerant
Of the Bourbons as the Half-Breeds have
been there would be no need Of quarrel
ing over delegates to another Republican
| National Convention.
1t is well to keep in mind these truths
of history when Half-Breed mercenaries
are impudently clamoring for the expun-
CATION of the name stalwart" +" from the
political vocabulary,