National Republican., 1882-11-20
What We NTeon.

! do not understand the tenor of your editorials
since Waterloo. But they seem to say that there
must be no more Dempcrats turned out of Office
that Republican ofice-begging must end That
has been the Administration policy largely, and
have no hesituncy in saying that from this fact,
more than anything else. comes defeat
He has good deal more, sharply said,
and full of strong and earnest feeling.
But the above quotation will do as u
sample.
In reply we have to say that what our
friend calls Waterloo" appears to us
great political revolution. We do not
pretend to wisdom enough to clearly un-
derstand all that it means, but we do
pretend to know that it will not be
turned backward by any application of
the birch by the President, as upon un-
ruly boys, nor by any bulls of excom-
munication as in cases of heretics. We
are inclined to wait until the
elements settle down q little. We
are much disheartened with re-
gard to the cause of political
equality, and we can see a good deal of
harm to republican institutions when
turbulent and uncomfortable faction
forcibly possesses the ballot-boxes in
one-third of the States, and refuses any
access to them by political opponents
where the latter are a majority. We
have deemed this the burning ques-
ton in American politics. To many of
our party it is bore, except for month
prior to each presidential election,
when our distant black brother is made
to do duty, without compensation, as an
awful example of the bad conduct of
our Bourbon opponents. We have been
pleased to see the negro make new
friends in Virginia and elsewhere South,
and we have argued that fair play to him
was sufficient test of political worthi-
ness and basis for political association.
We have done some service to the
cause of Freedom and Americanism
by our persistent efforts in this be-
half The future cannot tear down
what THE NATIONAL REPUBLICAN has
helped to build in Virginia. The
ballot will remain free there, because
native white ex-Confederates enough
have willed 1t to prevent restoration of
Bourbon tyranny. If our party has moth
ing to propose for liberating the negro
from political slavery in the other fifteen
ex-slave States, then he ought to be
honorably discharged, and told to take
| care of himself. Our hope has been
strong that under Republican inspiration
and encouragement the work of disi
tegration of Bourbonism, begun in Vir-
ginia, might extend through the
South, thus insuring freedom of
| the ballot without disturbance, and
| averting the explosion which must come
sooner or later from rights withheld. The
leaders of opinion at the North must, in
their wisdom, decide how to advise the
people on that subject.
If the consent of the governed is still
the source of the just powers of gov
ernment, then our party cannot
deserve to be called Republic
can if it withholds its moral
support from those who, like Malone
and his associates, antagonize the lawless
faction which tramples down majorities
in any of the States. With the party
unit on this policy of Americanizing the
South, and purged of all traitors who,
pretending to be it's friends, are really
the friends and political allies of the
Bourbon law-breakers of that section,
there should be no difficulty in mending
| its ways upon all matters of which COM
plant has been justly made, and no hesi-
tation about changes not deemed neces-
sary by the majority, if thereby the
minority shall have a stumbling block
removed from its path.
This is not depression from the text fur
nished by the friend we have quoted. 1t is
our explanation of the tenor of our edito-
rials "since Waterloo" We do not con-
slider the offices the main question. We
do not believe in appointing Bourbons to
office, nor in retaining them. We do not
believe in turning out Republicans to
"get even" for anything. We do not be-
lieve that Republican office-begging
should ever have begun. We believe in
office for public use, and not for private
or party bounty. incidentally, the man
chosen is benefited, and if he is high
minded man he does what he can for his
party, which he believes is the best one to
govern the country. We have high hopes
that the disaster of the campaign will
turn out to be blessing, as it surely will
if it makes the Republican majority of Tie
North realize that they must coup higher,
and care more for country than for fac
tion. Let them distrust only those who
conspire with the enemies of Liberty
and Progress. Opposition to Bourbon
restoration is an essential test of Repub-
licanism. On all other questions there
can be an agreement.