National Republican., 1882-11-22
than the best good of the country re-

than the best good of the country re-
quires. t-
1t is not easy for party to start and
grow into Importance without a purpose
or mission, but once fairly started and
under good headway it may continue n
long time, even after the original pur-
pose has been enacted. 1t may live on
its momentum. A body of people hav-
ing acted together for time with success
naturally looks TO further success
through affiliation and sympathy. 1t may
live on its record. Having done great
and good things its capacity and dispo-
sition for accomplishing good things is
established, 1t has proved itself worthy
of trust, and it will command confidence
enough to keep 1t alive for long period
after the original cause of its for
nation is out of the way. 1t may
live because other parties do not pre-
sent issues of sufficient importance and
vitality to create q diversion in their
favor, or do not support them by methods
which can stand what Mr.. Tilden called
the sunlight of publicity" There are
those who think party can live on the
mistakes Of its opponents, and the his
tory of the Democratic party for the last
few years in assisting the Republicans
certainly gives some plausibility to this
view; but the stupidity which has been
manifested by the Democracy has been
too vast and exceptional to be relied on
as factor in the duration Of parties, and
we prefer to throw the probability of its
manifestation out of the account.
The existence of the Republican party,
therefore, seems to be assured until it
divides on some great issue not now in
the ascendant. 1t has saved and firmly
established the Unio on of the States on a
basis which cannot be shaken. Slavery,
which was the foundation of sectional
ism, has been destroyed. Whatever law
aids the agricultural, mining, and manu-
featuring interests of Pennsylvania now
aids equally the same interests in Geor-
gia, Virginia, and Tennessee. The inter-
ests of States and sections are identical
or reciprocal, and contests on sectional
grounds are thus rendered impossible.
This great work having been per-
formed by the Republican party -
and it is a work which astonished the
world-that party must receive the full
credit of it for the plain reason that the
Democratic party North, while support
ing the war, bitterly opposed the finan-
cial measures and emancipation policy
which were absolutely necessary to con-
ducting the war to successful issue, and
thereby showed their incapacity to mas
ter the situation, to say nothing about
the secession tendencies which were
manifest among them. The Republican
party has shown and proved its purpose,
That purpose was the ingrained, unadul-
terated, eternal disposition, intent, and
principle-first, to save the Union, and
secondly, to make the Union worth the
saving
The Republican party has thus pre-
sented its work and results of its work to
the country, and the country is pleased
with it and will not forget it. This is a
pretty intelligent country and not at all
likely to say to the party which has done
so much "you must step aside and give
way to the other party which failed al
the grand crisis; which has done nothing
and shown no capacity for doing any.
thing but mischief" The Republican
party can claim its honors fairly-it is
not necessary for it to wave the bloody
shirt-and the efforts of few malcon-
tents and proprietors of small side shows
will not be competent to annihilate it.