The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-08-05


supporters ought to astonish the
world by mentioning the fact at once,
No'"ne pretends that the apportion-
ment made by Congress was not fair
or generous. Indeed, it has been
strongly criticised by many Repub-
ilcans as exceptionally and unreason-
ABLY favorable to the minority.
The decision in contested election
cases has been conspicuously liberal.
In considerable proportion of the
cases, Republican contestants have
been thrown out by Republican votes.
Not single case has been decided
adversely to the Democrats in which
there was not on record the opinion
OF Democratic journals or leaders that
the election had been carried -bysin.
defensible means. The best Of these
Journals have repeatedly said, in re-
ference to the methods by which
Southern elections were carried
"Ihls thing must stop it can be ex.
cused only where the control of local
government by the white people and
property-owners could not have been
otherwise secured" But the Re-
publican party maintains that the
white people are property-owners
never have any excuse whatever for
carrying an election by fraud. 1t
maintains, too, that the pretext of
anxiety as to local government,
whether worth much or little, does
not apply in the slightest degree to
the choice of lawmakers for the
whole country. and that the people
OF every other State haye an absolute
right to be governed, by by tissue
ballots, or rifle clubs, or forged re-
turns, but by the free choice of the
majority in South Carolina, or Missis-
sippi. or Florida, as in Massach usetts
or New York. Having driven the
Democrats to vote ard even to fill
buster for the retention of Members
OF Congress who were never elected
by the people, the Republicans are
entirely ready to 60 to the country
on the issue thus made.
AS to the appropriations, the sharp
dividing line between the two parties
is this: the Republicans have made,
and the Democrats never had the
honesty or the courage to make, the
appropriations required by existing
laws. There is no other vital dis
tinction between parties az to public
expenditures. Members of both have
voted for most wasteful jobs. BY
concurrent effort of the more honest
members of both parties great many
suchjobs have been defeated, in Dem
ocratic and Republican Congresses
alike. But the Democratic members
haye sought a fraudulent and decep-
tive reputation for economy, by re-
fuslng to vote the money required
for the execution of acts on the stat.
ute-books. They refused money for
the pay of Marshals, on a political
pretext. After voting for the Arrears
ofPensions act, they refused to ap.
propriatethe money which good faith
under that act required. So in many
other cases, the Republicans found
the Government in a position of
actual reputation of obligations cre-
ated or reorganized by lava repu-
dfation which sprang, in most cases,
from the desire of Democratic men,
bers to cut down the aggregate APP
preparations without voting against
the jobs and frauds by which large
appropriations were made necessary.
1t has been the duty of the RepubIi-
cans to vote money, not only for the
legitimate expenses of the current
year, but for the payment of many
millions which the Government was
bound to pay under existing laws. but
which Democratic Congress had not
been honest enough or manly enough
to vote.
Legislation in respect to bank char
ters and taxation is not yet complete.
The Republican party has made its
record, however. 1t has supported a
renewal of bank charters, and a re.
duction of about $4,000, 900 in taxa
tion, while the Democrats have op-
posed both measures with great
unanimity. The plausible pretexts
offered will go to the people with the
votes of the two parties. When the
record is complete, it will be seen
that the Republicans, however they
may have fallen short of full per-
formance of their duty, have no occa-
sion to fear a comparison with their
opponents. For the Democrats, when
they were in the majority, refused to
amend the tariff at all, refused to re.
duced taxation in any way, aud re-
fused legislation necessary to preserve
the national banking system.-N. Y.
Ir1blH1e.
The youngest bride ever heard of
-,