Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1882-07-26
Of the Republi.
can Parry.

Pecuiiarifies Of the Republi.
can Party.
From the Wheeling Intelligencer, of June 20 !
The Republican party ever since its
orig in has been q party of positive con-
victions end reform ideas. 1t has not
been party of negstion 1t is the
most aggressive political organization
in the history OF the Government.
Commencing in 1856 with the PROPOSE
tion that freedom is national and
slavery sectional, it undertook to make
good this proposition as respects all
the territories of the United States. II
held that the Constitution did not carry
slavery into the territories Upon this
proposition it carried the country in
1860. AT every step of the agitation
of this subject before the war it was
antagonized by the Democratic party,
which was so completely a party Of
the South aud of slavery that it held
that the Constitution carried slavery
eyerywhel. where there was not ex-
press local i.a IL prohibit it.
All through " ar the Republican
party showed iis' !. to be great ag-
pressive organization, operated upon
! by the sanie deep-seated convictions in
regard u what was right and what
WAS wrong in politics as in the outset
of its career. Mr. Lincoln, who was
naturally very conservative man, al
most grew FESTIVE OF times under the
aggressive influence that constantly
impelled the Government to more radi-
cal steps in the conduct of the war.
| He only yielded at the last to the sue
cessive stages of this iHluence, after
the fullnesa oil time, and thus became
the exponent oi the fully matured con-
victions and purposes of the vital ele-
ment III the Repu.lican party.
The same im,-lling influence was at
work all through, the period of recon-
siructiou. The Republican party re-
fused to take any steps backward or
sacrifice any rf tie logical results of
the war, but carried ON the work of
restoration upon the same plane, as to
what was right AID what was wrong
in politics, upon which it demanded
the prosecution of the war
We refer to this characteristic of the
Republican party simply to explain
the position which it has occupied
several times on great public issues,
notably on the question of honest
finance. No party ever took greater
risks for the right than did the Repnb-
licans at the outburst of the greenback
craze. But for the fact that the same
old element of the party, that was ever
present with it as good genius, push
ell itself boldly to the front at that
time, and put itself fearlessly upon the
intelligence and moral honesty of the
people, this country would have been
bound hand and foot and delivered
over to the heresy of unlimited ire
deemable paper money, and made the
victim of another John Law paper
money craze, with all its disastrous
consequences.
This saving element in the party de-
feated the third term craze, and saved
the party from crushing defeat in
1880. This same element is now as
serting itself in Pennsylvania against
the Camerons.- against the rule OF
spoils and bossism-and it is willing
to take all the risks of defeat this year,
in the confident faith and belief that it
will rally the party next year as
great unbroken organization, on the
same cardinal principle of public
recognition of what is wright and what
is wrong in politics.
This is the principle that underlies
the contest in Pennsylvania. 1t is
the best element of the party attempt
ing to restore its ancient standard OF
steady and unrelenting reform in the
administration of public affairs. 1t is
an element that cares nought for men
or spoils, nor for mere party success,
but that, like the Golden Horseshoe
knights of the legends, is always
ready to do battle and dare defeat for
that which is right.
That it will finally succeed we have
no more doubt than we have of the
correctness of its past policy. 1t is
bound to succeed Those who are now
hesitating are those who have general
ly been inclined to temporize in the
face of the grand positions always as
sumed by this element of the party.
They will bring up the rear ranks in
this contest as they always have in the
past.
1t is the glory of the Repl blican
party that it is not afraid to take
risks of this sort. This is its distin-
gushing feature as an organization,
and always has been. 1t is not q par
ty of negatives. 1t deals in some
thing positive. And this is the charac-
teristic that always commends it ut least
in every great contest, to the sober
Judgment of the people. 1t always
wins as against the Democratic party
when the contest is for well defined
sound principle.