The Red Cloud chief., 1884-01-25
Giving Away the Whole Case.

UivAuS away NuC WuVAC O0SCe
The New York Herald was seizeC
with a spell of frankness the other day
and the result was an admission on it.
part that the Republican party has me-
the great political issues of the las,
twenty years '.gloriously and success
fully In the matter of the prosecu'
ton of the war, the overthrow of slav'
cry, the reconstruction of the Union and
the protection of the rights of the freed.
men, the Republican policy has beer
thoroughly vindicated. the HeratO
grants, and the Republican party has
earned the thanks and gratitude of the
country and of mankind. Such an adj
mission from a paper that has resOlute.
ly. not to say bitterly, antagOnized Re-
publican principles and methods at ".
cry step, is somewhat remarkable; and
the natural inference would be that the
Herald had concluded to urn over a
new leaf, and to do its best henceforth
to keep the Republican party in power.
S.ngularly, however, that is not the
Herald's intention; on the contrary, il
makes its praise of Republ;canism the
DSSAc va oSuAhCioA ~ v VI ~
ting Republicanism slide.
In adjusting the. great problems Of
the last twenty years so ''glOriOusly
and successfully" the Republican par
ty has exhausted. itself. the Herald con-
t%inues; its work is done, its mission
ended. New questions + nOw coming
up. and, according to the Herald 5
philosophy. a different party should be
chosen to deal with them. 1t will be
apt to strike the average reader as a
very curious system of reasoning which
maintains that a party that has COM
mended itself to general approval and
gratitude by twenty years of sagaciOus
and shining devotion to the best inter
ests of the people should ON that very
account be thrust aside when there are
new questions to be determined. And
when We add to this the fact that the
party which it is proposed to intrust
with the responsibility of caring for
these new interests is the party that
has been uniformly and assiduously
in the wrong during all the time that
the Republican party has been right
and faithful. the thing becomes self
refuting and fit only for the uses of or
binary rid:cule.
If some strong, aggressive and we'll
equipped new party had made its ap-
pearance, anG voters were being asked
to join it because of its peculiar sound
ness of faith and purpOse-as was the
case when the Republican party first
came to the front-there might be some
warrant for the Hsraid's style of logic.
But there r only two parties worth
speaking of in this country now, Just as
there have been for twenty. years past,
and choice has to be made between
them. There is no third party, no
middle ground. The Republican party
is to be continued in control of the
Government, Or things are to be placed
in the hands of the Democratic party.
In other words, the people must decide
whether it is safest and best to commit
the task of settling new questions to
the party that has met all the questions
of the last twenty years ''glOriously
and successfully" as the Herald de-
clares. or whether they will confide
this undertaking to the party which
throughout these twenty years has new
er once been found on the right side of
anything. That is the situation, plainly
stated.
The Herald really gives one of the
best of reasons why all intelligent and
considerate citizens should vote the Re-
publican ticket. If the Republican
policy has been a GLORIOUS and success
full one through all the stormy and i'm
portant history of the last twenty years,
does not that alone justify the con-
cluS.On that we can do no better thing
than. to 90 on trusting the management
OF affairs to a party which has thus
demonstrated its capacity and its
fidelity? In the daily transactions oil
life. f%aithfulness is the basis of conf
dence, and past good conduct is a
mans best recommendation to favor
for the future. Why should not the
same rule apply in politics, and parties
be judged as we Judge individuals?
That is, in fact, the correct and sure
test. The Republican party has kept
itself in power by being able to stand
such q test whenever required-and the
party, on the other hand.
has just as surely been kept out Of
power by always failing to make a sat
isfactory showing in that respect
The mission of the Republican party
will not be ended, it is safe to say, as
long as the Democratic party is the only
organization that puts it upon trial by
comparison. There are new questions
to be solved, it is true, and new inter-
ests to be guarded and promoted; but
what party is SO well qualified to deal
with them as the one which has proved
itself equal to every past emergency?
Certainly it would not be the part OF
wisdom or prudence to prefer over such
a party the n that has persistently
for twenty years to do anything
or creditable. The issues that
the Republican party has successfully
disposed of since 1860 were all new ones,
in turn. as they came up, and most of
them were far more grave and intricate
than any of those which are now
attention. There is nothing
likely t arise in the next four years. il
again to the end of time. that can
call for more of ability. courage and in
than the Republican party has
displayed in adjusting the many peril
.us and difficult problems which i: has
been obliged to confront at diff
ferent stages of its busy and splendid
career. The Herald admits as much in
allowing that Republicanism has solved
the great issues of the past twenty years
- gloriOusly and successfully" And