The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1882-08-10
Republican or Bourbon.

The Republican press Of this State has
warned the honest but misguided men
who had left the Republican for the
Greenback party that the time has come
when they must choose between the Re
publican party, whose principles they
so long upheld, or go over to party they
had fought for years-a party whose pol
icy is antagonistic to their interests, and
to the best interests of the country, and
whose principles, or want of them, emit
tie it only to the contempt of all right
thinking persons. The Fusion press has
sought, with poor success, to break the
force of this statement. All sorts of sub
terfuges have been resorted to with
view to dragging Greenbackers into the
Democratic camp. But what man of or
binary intelligence could be deceived by
so transparent a device as the putting
forth of two platforms, which widely con
tlict on the financial question, and the
placing of one set Of candidates upon
them. 1t has been truly said that ''The
Democratic platform and the Greenback
platform are no more alike than the
gloom Of midnight is like the spendor Of
the monday sun. The Democratic plat
form declares that the paper money shall
be redeemable in coin at the will of the
holder No Greenback platform ever
made that declaration" And on these
conflicting platforms stands Plai8ted, who
has boxed all points Of the political com
pass and been all things to all men in his
quest for office; Mr.. Dane, a hard money
Democrat, banker and bondholder:
Mr.. Thing, who protesting to be a Green
hacker, has declared that he will proudly
stand with the Democrats in any war
fare that is directed against the RepubIi-
can party; Mr., Ladd, who appealed to
Republican Greenbackers for support on
the ground of his opposition to Bourbon
ism, bnt who has tamely followed the
u,
every contest with the tissue ballot
frauds Of the Southern Democracy, voted
square!y against the Greenback Repre-
sentatives Of every other State; and Mr.
Murch, Of whom his friends said, after
his first nomination to Congress, that he
had always been a Democrat, bad never
voted any other than the Democratic
he never would vote any other ticket. of
his record in Washington there is little tu
be said, as be has generally been conspc-
uous by his absence, and his speech
making has consisted of 'leayp to print"
the worked over speeches OF others
These are the men who seek the sUirag-
es of the people Of Maine, and offer rs
declaration Of their principles two plat
forms as unlike us daylight and darkness.
This is certainly a remarkable combna-
ton of political Inconsistencies and fraud
ulent pretences
On the other hand, we buve the RE-
publican platform and candidates: the
former sound in principle and framed for
the best interest of the people, the latter
consistent, straightforward Republicans,
men Of ability, and all well qualified for
the positions they are respectively des-
tined to fill. We have at the head Of our
State ticket as d candidate for Governor,
one Of the most upright and honored Of
our citizens, qualified by long experience
in the legislature, the council chamber,
and other public positions to fill in the
best manner the place for which he is
nominated; and of the Congressional
candidates, it may be said that if elect
ed, as We have no doubt they will be,
Maine will have, with Messrs. FRYE ana
Hale in the Senate. a delegation second
to none, if not superior to any in ability
and influence. Aside from the principles
involved, here is a matter which concerns
the State pride. But We prefer to make
the contest on principle. We submit the
Republican platform to the intelligent
voter in contrast with the two faced de
claratlons Of the Fusionists; and we Snh-
init our candidates with their consistent
records, admitted abilities, and steadtast
principles as against the men Of loose
convictions and inconsistent records by
whom they are opposed. The professions
OF the Republican party have been illus
trated in practice. 1t does not frame i
platform to catch votes, only to abandon
it when the desired end has been attain
ed. But that is the record of the Demo
cratic party. in the dark days of the
rebellion the Democrats made a peace
platform and then placed war Demo
crat on it, They resolved the war was /
failure and nominated Mcclellan" After
the war they had serious thoughts of
nominating Gen. Grant, hoping to utilize
his brilliant war record, but have since
persistently denounced and villitied him
They nominated Seymour and Blair, who
were the victims of Democratic treachery
on the eve of election. In 1872 they
sought to grasp and utilize the Indepen-
dent Republican movement by nominal
ing Horace Greeley a life long opponent
of Democracy. Next, this party, notori-
Gus for its corruption and opposition to
reform, nominated Mr.. Tilden on his re
form record. And then, after declaiming
for years against electing military man
to the Presidency, they nominated Gen
Hancock. On tariff and financial issues
they have been equally Inconsistent
They have been for fiat money and hard
money, for free trade and protection, as
the political exigences Of the moment
seemed to demand but with each recur-
ring national election from 1860 to the
present time, the people have put the
seal of condemnation upon their meth