National Republican., 1882-11-22
Will the Party Live e?

Will the Party Live?
Perhaps some readers of this paper
may have heard during the late
campaign the remark that the Repub-
lican party, having accomplished its mis-
sion, will now die--that all parties die
when their work is done. The remark
is not as wise and profound as it seems.
1t is true that some parties actually die
Ehen their work is done but some die
before, and some live on without know
ing any good reason for not shuffling off
their mortal coil. We remember the
Know-Nothihg party, with its battle-cry
of put none but Americans on guard to-
night" and how it swept the country
but it died leaving as many foreigners on
guard as were there before, and its mission
was never accomplished. Mission or no
mission, it could not be kept together, and
it never accomplished anything but the
making of a few governors whom
no one now cares to remember. The
Wing party, to which we belonged, also
died before it's work was done. 1t was
pretty good party, and undertook to make
a national bank and maintain system
of internal improvements and tried to
elect Henry Clay and Daniel Webster
two first class men--to the Presi-
dency, but 1t never did, and its bank
and internal Improvements came to
grief, and it died leaving its mission
chiefly unfulhlled, as all readers of his
tory may know. The Greenback party is
another instance of death resulting with
out the fulfillment of mission. The
people who make the assertion that par
ties always die when their mission is
ended declare that the mission of the
Republican party was to abolish slavery
and restore the Union of the States. 1t
seems to us that these things were accom-
plished some eighteen years ago and, if
we are correct, then, on the theory in
question, the existence of the Republican
party is unaccounted for, or there Isl mis-
conception as to what the mission of the
party was; and if the party has survived
so long after doing its work, what is to
prevent it from running along two years
more? 1t is q little premature to declare
the party dead.
But the Democratic party affords
another instance of long life after its
mission has been accomplished
accomplishment of many missions. Not
to go back too far, we remember wheh
it was the mission of the Democratic
party to put an end to Mr.. Lincoln's un-
constitutional methods of conducting the
war, and the pleasant face of George II.
Pendleton and body of influential
Democrats from Ohio were seen in these
streets on that errand to save the Consti-
tuition. Not far from the same time the
party was devoted to the good work of
endeavoring to stop the draft, and there
are yet living good many persons who
witnessed the deep indignation Of the
men of that party when their mission
was opposed by Mr.. Lincoln in the send
ing of the now goyernor-elect of Massa-
chusetts TO New York city with q military
force sufficient to prevent the mission
from being accomplished. We may ven-
ture the remark that General Buffers
raid upon New York city was not SO well
received in Democratic circles as his late
raid upon the State-house on Beacon Hill.
A ;ittle later the Democratic party took
up the duty of calling halt and putting
q stop to the war, and nominated Nc
Clellan for President on peace platform.
This mission sadly failed at the time !;
but subsequently the methods of Lincoln,
the draft, and the war all came to an end.
The prime mission of Democracy was
achieved. but the party did not die.
Since then the party has had an oc-
easional mission. At one time it took
On Mr. Greeley and his baggage of isms
and undertook TO bundle him and them
into the White House, and again there
was something called by Thurman "the
Ohio idea" about which considerable
noise was made, and Uncle Sammy Til
den had one or two fascinating notions
we don't remember what they were
but they were deeted of great import
sncc. and many barrels of money were
spent 10 enable him TO Gerry them out (;
and lastly the question whether the
tariff was not local issue came to the
front under Hancock's lead but all these
things were settled, and yet the Demo-
cratic party did not die.
1t is apparent by this time, We trust,
that the existence of parties in this
country does not depend SO largely upon
what is termed mission specifically as
has been supposed. The Democratic
party, as we know it, was formed in
Jackson's day, and it held almost unin-
torrupted sway for thirty years, TO say
that it did not carry out its measures is
to deny the plaInest facts of history. II
1. carried out its measures its mission
was accomplished, and according to the
theory named it ehould die-should
have died twenty years ago. We have
pretty convincing evidence that it still
ives, and is a much more lively party