The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-04-05
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.

why an intelligent foreigner will vote 1or, or
affiliate politically, with republicans. The
history of the republican party is one not cal
culated to inspire foreign-born citizens with
| confidence in Its professions nor with admlra-
ton for its principles. 1t is a party born OF
one idea, and with singular consistency II
has remained true to its origin. 1t was
founded upon sectional hate, and has gath
cred unto itself all the tag ends OF other par
ties and the isms that have been at war with
the peace, good order and well-being of so
ciety for the last thirty years or more. A
glance at its history will prove this. In lS4S
a few Abolitionists, calling themselves Free
Sellers, assembled at Buffalo and prevailed
upon poor old MartinVan Buren-then in his
dotage and lost to reason through his hate of
Lewis Cass, the democratic nominee for the
presidency-to stand as their presidential
candidate. This detection of Van Buren, de-
feated Cass and elected Taylor, the why can
didate. But the victory of the wing party was
gained at the expense of its life. The few
democrats that had been unconsciously led
to the support of Van Buren,, seeing the drift
of the sectional element witt which they had
temporarily associated themselves, became
alarmed and returned to the democratic fold.
The greater portion of the balance of the
Van Buren, party was absorbed by the wings.
1t was a deadly poisonous element, and when
in 1852, General Scott was nominated for the
presidency. against Franklin Pierce, the
democratic nominee, this same element so
thoroughly disguised many of the better por-
ton of the wings that they focked by the
thousands to the support OF Pierce and de-
feated Scott, and thus virtually defeated the
whig party. Ever bent on mischief, and true
to its instincts, the element referred to scaven-
ger-like, picked up here and there the tag
ends of the old whig party, and factions that
the democratic party had kicked out from its
W ranks, and in 1854 formed the Know
Nothing party. Every one is familiar with
the history of that party, with its bigotry, its
intolerance of foreigners, it's prosecutions OF
them, its sacking and burning of Catholic
churches, its efforts to keep the down-trodden
of other lands from finding homes in Ameri-
ca, its attempt to change our naturalization
laws, so as to require the foreigner to reside
twenty-one years in our land before he
could be entitled to vote or hold an office.
and it's bitter hostility to everything and to
every one that was not purely native Ameri-
can.
Against this party of one idea, the grand
old democratic hosts, the true friends of the
fo%reign born residents of our country, waged
a fierce and unrelenting war in the local and
state contests throughout the Union, in
the years "a and '55, and finally forced them
body and soul id the ranks OF the party that,
under the name OF republicans, supported
John G. Fremont for President in 1856.
In the republican fold the Know Nothing
party has since found a congenial home.
Uniting itself with the Free Soil faction of
AS, the old Garrison abolitionists Of an ear
lier date, the high protective tariff wings of
80, the republicans of Sc, and the free-lovers
of New England of a later date, it has in.
fused into the heterogeneous mass more OF
less of its intolerant spirit and hatred of for
eigners which crop out wherever and when
ever an opportunity presents itself for its ex'
GrClSt. lJuElIS JIG idJc lcDClllOu HC llidoo
directed and influenced by the better class O
republicans aided by democrats, performed
some deeds worthy of mention. But since
the negro is being eliminated from American
politics, this mass, once the great Republican
party, is threatening to resolve itself into it
> original elements. Signs of its decay AM
8 dissolution are discernible upon every hand
The old whig faction has asserted itself il
%pronouncing for the highest Of high protect
i've tariffs. The old abolition element, tru
-, to its desire to abolish something, has entere'
into a crusade against the manufacture of al
coholic beverages, and while casting one yot
for the republican party manages to cast tw
for its own. The Free Lovers, headed b
Beecher, still lovingly linger around tn
e camp-fres of the party, hesitating to leave i,
protection yet longing to enter a more extent
3 ed field in which to indulge its beastly pa
. sions. The more honorable and intelligent
the Republican party, becoming thorough
' disguised with the squabble between its LEAF
ers over the spolls of Office, are fastening t
join the democratic legions. But til
y old Know Nothings, where are they
We will answer. In every town and city j
the Union in which the republican part
maintains an organization and where foreig
= born citizens reside, their presence is felt
not in open, outward prosecutions against TO
y eigners, but in sllghts--in whispered innueI
does-in secretly using the power of the ba
-. lot box to relegate them to the lower walks
80 life. to keen them down TO opDl ess them al
=. silently prosecute them out of the countr
=. We don't have to go out of this county to fiji
~ evidences that the spirit of Know Nethingis
finds a refuge in the bosom of the republics
marty Here at Rutte il mlnifeStS itself al