Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-12-07
A Republican Crisis.

! I u
A Republican Crisis.
That the result of the elections marks
a crisis in the history of the Republican
party there can be no doubt, and that
| this crisis is far more grave. and deci-
sive than the party has ever confronted
before, is equally certain. There have
been many Republican defeats during
the last twenty-one years, but none of
such sweeping and crushing character
as this; none which indicated such a
tremendous revolution in popular senti-
ment, such unmistakable and emphatic
condemnation, of the principles and
practices that have SO long controlled
the National Administration. After
making all due allowance for Republic
an discussions, there still remains a
wide margin of defeat, which cannot be
attributed to these, and which must be
charged to the sins and shortcomings
that patient people have endured un-
til patience ceased TO be virtue. The
discussions themselves are unimpeach-
able and unanswerable witnesses against
the power they have helped to break.
They were caused, not so much by the
conflicting ambitions and INSCRIPTIONS
intrigues of party leaders, as by the de-
moralization and rottenness of the party
itself, which, disgusting the better por-
ton of the rank and Tile, either drove
them into open and active opposition or
kept them away from the polls. The
intelligence and honesty of the people
as a whole, are. and we may hope will
always be, the salvation OF our system
of government; and no political organ
ization, however old and strong, how
ever firmly cemented by drill and dis
cipline and the cohesive force of patron
age and plumber, can persistently insult
that intelligence and honesty without
provoking appropriate punishment.
Circumstances may conspire to delay
this punishment, but never to avert it
altogether; and when it comes its weight
and severity will more than atone for
the postponement.
The Republican party began business
on single issue. and after one failure,
in 1856, established itself in 1861, only
through the suicidal blunder of the
South. That section, had it cordially
united with it's Northern friends, could
easily have elected Democratic Presi-
dent; and if Southern Senators and Rep
resentatives had remained in Congress
after the Inauguration of Republican
Administration, a Democratic majority
in the National Legislature won Id have
been al-sulficient protection of Southern
rights. But it was not so to be, and the
one Republican issue reached its con-
summation by the terrible processes of
civil war. No sooner was the war over
than the party dropped the mask of pat
riotism and philanthropy it had so sue
cessfully worn. Instead OF being con-
tent with the restoration of the Union
and the destruction of slavery, and set
ting about the. healing OF the wounds
the sword had made, it Immediately
proceeded to consolidate and perpetu-
ate its political power by comforting cit
izenship upon those who hardly knew
they were free, and certainly had no
Just conception of the duties and re-
sponsibilities of freedom-muchl less,
Military government in
the South accompanied African enfran- |
and ena bled it to be util-
lied at the ballot-box; and fol-
lowing in the, same train, as a natu- |
raj and legitimate result, came So
called "Southerh reconstruction in t
which negroes. carpet baggers and Fed
eral bayonets were the dominating ele- |
ments. OF the fruits of this desperate /
effort to Republicanize the South we do I
not care to speak. Enough to say that
they fixed an indelible stain upon the
American name and Nation. and Gull
minated in the greatest political crime
Of the century-the theft of the Presi-
1ency. This crime, however, compelled
The usurper who had profited by it to
lit the oke from Southern necks; and
since then Republicanism in the South
has maintained precar.ous and COM
oaratively harmless existence only
through the influence of Federal patron
age and the shameless treacherv of such
men as Malone. If the Republican
1arty had nothing to answer for except
is action in the South from 1865 to
1877, it would still deserve even more
han it has received from the people;
3ut when we remember all that
S meant by "Grantism,' .'Stal-
Vartism'' and "Bossism;'' all that is
included in the reign of abuse and cor
upton from 1877 to 1882, the wonder
5 that the "off year. did not bring an
avalanche of popular rebuke to extin-
,ush the guilty party at once and for
yer.
IF there has not been such an av-
lanche, there has been most unques-
ionably a combination of earthquake
nd tidal wave that shakes and skaters
he Republican party from turret to !
oundation. No explanation will ex-
lain the result in New York, Pennsyl-
ania. Massachusetts and elsewhere that
oes not recognize the great and essen
ial fact that the party in it's present
hape is hopelessly rent asunder; and
a house divided against itself cannot
tand.' There must either be radical
from bottom to top. a
omplete turning over of an entirely new
eaf. an unequivocAl and absolute new
eparture. or Republicanism is dead