National Republican., 1882-07-27

A Wild ASS Brays.

/. d. Mckee is the chairman ofthe Inde-
pendent State Committee eeofPennsylvania.
He recently used the following language
in letter to S. F. Lytle, of Centre
County, who had written to him, Offering
to start an Independent club:
No. l am not surprised at finding some Inde-
pendent Republicans in Centre County. True
manhood and political independence will mani
fest themselves everywhere-eyen in n boss ridden
county like Centre There are many men in your
county who don't propose to follow the
leadership of Grant Arthur Conkling- Guiteau-
Cameron Sialwarts simply because a Centre
County Grant man is placed upon the machine
ticket. The Garfield Republicans are locking to
the support Of our ticket all over The State. When
you organize club would suggest that you call
1t Garfield Club
Dr. Lytle took offense at being adj
dressed as one capable of sympathizing
with such utterances. He replied to Nc
Kee, and in his letter said, among other
things:
do not like the way you speak Of the Grant
Arthur Conkling- -Guiteau- Cameron Stalwarts.'
To associate Guiteaus name with any gentle
mans is offensive, and used US you have done
1t in the above instance is really indecent, un-
worthy the leader of any reform, political or
otherwise. Then, too, never thought 1t was n
crime for an Independent Republican or anybody
else to be friend of General Grant remember
q time when we were glad TO follow him. II was
when he was on his way to Appomattox.
To defeat q Capitalization OF power in the party,
to put down abuses 10 give the masses Of the party
fair representation, should be the paramount OBJ
jec!s of all Independent Republicans who are sin
cere in demanding reform. These ends cannot be
accomplished by associating disrespectfully the
name of Guiteau with some of the most splendid
men of the nation not by reflections Oh the honor
aud manhood Of General Beaver not by making
capital out of the name of the beloved Garfield rs
q clap-trap for temporary increase Of numbers or
clubs. These ends cannot be accomplished by
ignoring trampling upon the very principles for
which true Independent Rcpublicans are battling
DIR. Lytle concluded by expressing him
self in favor of the proposition for new
convention made by the regular State
committee.
To this Chairman Mckee replied, under
date of the oath instant, in letter cover
ing column and u half of the Philadel-
rliia Press. In this letter he defends his
former association of eminent names
with that of Guiteau, and says: see
nothing incongruous in such confed-
Grafton of names" He then proceeds
to maintain that Grant was a con-
spirator, and that all who IA
vored his nomination were guilty of
crime. He says Guiteau was guilty of
murder, and that Chester A. Arthur,
Roscoe Conkling and j. Donald Cameron,
and the 1903 other conspirators at
Chicago were all guilty of treason"
He goes on to say that he retracts moth
ing. and that he would mot hesitate to
add the names of Judas Iscariot, Bene-
diet Arnold, and ]. Wilkes Booth to the
catalogue" lie then aludes to Lytle's
reference to General Grants military SER
vices, and says:
But Cesar, too was valorous, and his martial
deeds were heroic. "But" said Brutus, " because
he was ambitious we slew him."
The fair inference from which is that
Chairman Mckee thinks Grant ought
also TO have been slain for his alleged
ambition. We will quote no further.
The extracts we have given will show
the character of the man who is the chief
organizer of the malignants in Pennsyl-
yania He seems saturated with the very
spirit which animated Guiteau. Who
doubts, after reading his rawlings, that
he would gladly see the Presi-
dent put to death? Shall We Or
ganize politics in this country on
such issues as he presents? Is that
the freedom and independence which
cannot brook the restraints of fairly
ascertained majority? And is such
brutal spite to eat out the heart of
Republican institutions under the inn
pudent pretence that it has commits
sion from the people? The people have
no more sympathy with such stuff than
they had with Guiteau and his talk
about inspiration. Whoever Mckee
represents had better dissvow his bray
ings unless they are willing to be con-
sidered Of the same breed of asses with
himself