The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1881-10-27
Address of the Republican State Com
mittpe.

THE REPUBLICANS OF PENNSYLVANIA
ASKED TO RALLY AROUND THE OLD
FLAG.
To the Electors Of Pennsylvania:
Ours is "a government of the peo-
pie, by the people, and for the people
of the people, since all authority
springs from them; by the people,
since their will, when expressed
through established voluntary and
legal forms, should be respected aud
obeyed; for the people, in the fact
that whatever Is thus done should he
done for their welfare. Accepted
maxims are these. They were given
shape by the spirit of our customs and
laws and direct expression by q mar
tyred President at time when they
had just been sanctitied by the best
blood of the nation.
There was an election last year, and
the result was confessed on all sides to
have been fairly reached. 1t showed
| both an electoral and popular ma
jority for Republican President and
| Vice President. The bullet of an as
| sassin has robbed the people of their
personal choice, and in his stead they
| have secured by constitutional and ac-
ceptable methods his distinguished
colleague. Since that election events
! have crowded thick and fast, but the
| onlooking world saw a Republic, in
| every material view, mistaken by
calamity; our own people saw
| through the instrumentalities of the
| laws and Constitu ion, Il faithful re-
| Election Of their will in the more i'm
mediate change incident to the death
| of their President, and they had
almost permitted their political vigil
| lance to relax and take an indiffer-
emily easy air, when it was aroused by
a partizan act on the part of the po-
| litical organization which did not
represent the people in the struggle
for governmental policy. For the
second time in our history "a prize
had been drawn in the lottery of as
sassination" by common foe; and,
in both cases, that foe was quick in
the search for cumulative profit. The
Democratic party did seek a partizan
profit from the murder of Lincoln,
and unwarned by that experience, in
its greed for power, repeated the at
| tempt but week ago. Andrew
Johnson's betrayal of the idea that the
! legal expression OF the will of the
! people must be respected was COM
pensated after struggle of. many
months, the recent betrayal of a pub
lie trust by the Democratic Senators
was, so far as we can now judge, par
I TALLY met within two days. a bad
| purpose has been defeated, and while
the will of the people has not been
fully guarded or their policy guaran.
teed, the Republicans of the Senate
have at least removed glaring temp
tatioD to further assassination, and for
u time checked the greed of ever
watchful enemies.
DEMOCRATIC BOURBONISM.
! The saddest of ali deaths, the legal
succession, the theft of the second
place in the gift of the people, and its
| partial restoration have transpired
with confusing speed; yet not so fast
but that the rejecting man could give
some little thought to the fact that if
this government of ours is 10 be pre-.
served "as of the people, by the people,
and for the people," there must be
neither direct nor indirect overtures to
a partizan foe which has never yet
bowed to the d0ctrine-which was the
friend Of slavery, in great section
the author of rebellion, in yet other
sections IFS alder and abettor--and in
all times subsequent to our greatest
civil crisis the persistent foe of every
advance toward a more perfect free
dom. With its inherent belief in
slavery, it opposed emancipation, civil
rights, equal suffrage, the planting Ot
the School-house in the places where il
was most needed; and instead of IA
voring and fostering those who suf
fered for their country, it has, by
every insidiOus agency, sought to re-
ward those who betrayed it. This Is
not true of all Democrats, but it is
true of the leaders, into whose hands
power will be thrust by failure to hold
Republican strongholds. They have
q machinery which is cohesive in jts
power, which permits no freedom OF
opinion, which never divides, and
which grinds on until its own force
breaks it. The power of selection
still rests with the Republicans o1
Pennsylvania. Ohio has risen from
! her grief to confirm her selection by
nlaiorities relatively greater tlan in
Presidential years, Iowa makes 9
most intelligent choice with unani
nifty. The Virginians, struggling tC
rid themselves of Il form of Bourbon
rule which is The same wherever il
obtains, were until recently, divided
as TO policies; but in the rush of events
have thrown away every idea of fac
ton, and are now ready to place them
selves in the column of progress. Tho
Republicans of New York, in natura
solicitude for distinguished citiZeI
called to the point of danger, have
buried from sight every dividing issue
and now present an example of har
mony which has been wisely initiated
in nearly all other States, There is {
needed unity of watchfulness, to The
end that the present, and at least tn,
near future Of our country may bt
guarded from possible calamity. Shal
we, as Pennsylvanians, he less dutiful'
When, in the past sacrifices were
called for have we ever, in eithe
hatred, sullenness or despair, stooC
Off A claim to patriotism but mocki
the term when it will not sacrifice
convenience, comfort, even happiness
and life, for the country's veal, A
profession of fcalty to admittedly jus
political principles is but a sham anC
pretense when it will not sacritic,
something to unity and when it viii
not blend personal purpose into th'
one which moves for the common
good. When public dangers quicl
succeed each other, when but a singl,
life stands between approved govern
ment and revolution in policies
there ought to be no room for merJ
personalities, none for the detractioI
of friends, none for the creation o
| faction. and there ought TO be uniYer