National Republican., 1883-09-08
Political Reform.

The deMocratic papers of the north charge
that tho iouthern Independents woro for.
mcrly mcnibers OF the democratic party, and
therefore responsible in part for southern
outragcs. But these papers found no fault
with then, until they came out from the
party Of outrage and fraud. The organs ap-
pear very ridiculous in charging crimes
which they have denied were over committed
on men Who have left the party. These
bad men we're so good while they were demo-
Gratis, anduo they are too vile for description.
So say tn, bourbon editors For our own
part we re dice when any man ceases to do
evil and lcrns to do we'll. The past acts of
a man weigh as nothing against his present
conduct. Tho man who acts we'll now is to
be trusted even if, like Paul. he held the
coat of stephen, the martyr, while he was
being ston1d, and tho man who is doing what
he knows to be wrong now is TO be con.
/ dcmncd, even if, like Judas, he was once u
chosen disciple. Taunts Of the Independents
| by former democratic associates are simply
confessions by the latter of wrong doing in
the past The real independents of the south
are telling the ugliest truths of the bourbons,
! and they will have tho hearty sup
| port Of the honest people of the land
as fast as they can be understood.
! The bourb,n contingent in the north cm-
braces soma of the metropolitan newspapers
and all thoie republicans who want the south
TO remain solid, so that they may constitute
a small magin of the party, and thus take
it by the throat for mercenary uses. The
coarse and ruilianly assaults by pretended
republican papers on all sincere hostility to
bOurbonisn in the south will be understood
! by the people by and by. The republican
millions whose votes are to be cast
/ for a republican candidate will be ask
ing why it is that the southern
bourbons find so much sympathy at
the north yhen they are assailod by honest
men who will no longer tolerate these muir
ders and r,bberies of voters. The candidate
of the party will have to place himself
| squarely ga the side of the southern friends
Of law and order and against the democratic
| bulldozers and ballot box suffers, or he will
not receive the republican vote of the north.
If the republican party is not against south
crn bourbcnism it is no more fit to govern
| than are the red shirts of South Carolina. If
it is against that curse of our age, it must cx-
communicate all who lend it aid and com fort
We call it lending aid and comfort for any
man claiming to be n republican to suddenly
discover tn 1t men who abandon tho democ-
raCy and become Independents are worthy of
his denunciation when prior to that time
| thev had esrannd it. WL------.-----" I" =
revolt against "a longer continuance of bour-
bon misrulo in southern states, and subject
| themselves to prescription, persecution,
and death in crusade against ballot
box thieves and murderers, they de-
serve aud receive the sympathy
and encouragement of all at the north worthy
to be called republicans The auughraces
who aid the bourbons in traducing them are
meaner thal the bourbOns themselves, by as
much as thoy are the menials while tho latter
are the masters. On this issue tho republican
party will be firm in Its next national con-
vention. No doughface need apply. The
party will rot do the dirty work of the bour-
bon dcmoc acy in trying to whip back those
who leave It's detestabe service, nor will il
insult the rue men of the country by asking
them to elect to the presidency any man who
throws stumbling blocks in the way o
southern Independents, the chief plank il
whose political creed is "the union, the con-
stitution, sad tho enforcement of the laws