New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-07-06

wrong, and would undo the work IL III couiu'
as it has shown i'm hundreds of votes. III Is not
true that every grand achievement OF the ne
publican party can still be un1one. Some OF
them have so changed the National life ana so
imbedded themselves in the very foundation
walls of the Government, that no return 10
Democratic theories or practices is possible.
Slavery cannot be in form reesIaDiishou'
though Democratic laws might easily MAKE
colored labor free only in name Inc Union
can never be broken by secession INTO WARTIME
fragments. but the Solid South keeps alive,
controls and owns the Democratic party, ana
gives it the only chance of success 1t mas anu
Democratic victory would merely mean the
gray above the blue--a capture of the Union by
those who tried to break it and failed. ne
pudiatOn, imitation, return to dishonored prom
ises having forced circulation as money,-all
these are possible and probable results oil
Democratic success.
But youth often thinks lightly OF preserving
the results of past heroism. To many young
man il seems certain that the past IS SAFE ana
infinitely necessary that he should lind new
dufy. and room for new heroism in the pres
ent and the future. Be it sol For such a
IL,
country better by his political activity, the
Republican party only offers held lor WORK.
To join the Democratic party IS TO go uo"h
among the dead men at once, and TO chaln one ,
self to the dead past forever. Not to a past OIL
good deeds molly done. but to past OIL cruelty
and treason. assassination and perjury DIS
honor and chronic defeat. Above that past the
Democratic party never rises. BY it the better
impulses of the party are OVERCOME us pesV
aims are defled its ADLER men debased, ana all
IFS action is shaped. He who wants TO 90
anything good for the country must act ID anu
through some other party, or mlseraoly Ial
II is the immediate mission OF the EepuDicah
marty to make elf-government real. For years
snffrape has been a cheat and elections farce,
in mqny of the States. There can be no other
duty higher or more pressing than to make
sure that henceforth there shall be free vote
and an honest count for every citizen IN every
part of the land. The problem is one oil eX-
ceeding difficulty, and will require as 1t Is wei
WORTH the most patient efforts OF the aolesU
men, 1t is no child's play to establish real tree-
dom of elections in regions where 1t mas never
existed, and where public opinion not only does
not demand but has never learned TO tolerate
it. The difficulties are the greater because all
parties have in the past winked at many
ABUSES We recognize the fact that circum-
stances rather than any deliberate purpose,
have thrown the Democratic party INTO the
position of defending such wholesale frauds
and outrages that they amount to an absolute
denial of free government, and that circum-
stances have also compelled the Republican
Marty to undertake the task of giving fee
vote and an honest count to every citizen. But
so it has been with every great reform. Slavery
was tolerated and even courtcd by all parties
until events forced parties to take sides Tor or
AGAINST il. Dishonest money was defended by
demagogues of all parties until the Republicans
came to the parting of the ways where they
were forced to choose. Honest elections nave
become the overshadOwing issue III political
life, because it WAS found that the control OF
Congress and of all legislation depended upon
the success of fraud in some of the States.
The Republican party has other duties ana
other aims of which it does not lose sight. III
has done much since the war, but still has more
TO do to reduce the taxation that was made
necessary by Democratic rebellion. ltsalm
| for sixteen years has been to reduce taxation as
fast as possible, without subjcctng the pubic
credit to assault or American industry to de-
structive competition. The people trust it be-
cause it has shown the will and the capacity to
promote a marvellous growth of industry even
while paying OH public debt with unprecedented
rapidity. The party believes in popular edu-
cation. in the rightfulness of expenditure for
improvements of National utility, and III the
encouragement OF a thrifty immigration 10y
Offering free homes to actual settlers. But the
youug man who believes heartily III the neces-
| sitv of honest elections will find his way into
The Republican party, whether he agrees with 1t
in all other matters or not. And he who agrees
with it ON many other points but wants force
and fraul to prevail in the election of the
peoples representatives, belongs III some othei
PARTY and has no business to call himself
Republican.