The Lake Charles echo., 1884-12-20
NO. a.


| N. Y. Graphic
Will the Republican party diet It
was thought BY many that its mission
was ended with the abolishment Of
slavery and the close of the war II
has lived some time for the most part
on false pretense, and has achieved
success by purchase and through
schemes bad enough to threaten the
destruction Of everything for which
party ought 10 live.
The star-Route vilainy, both III to
the robbery and the trial which fol.
lowed it, had perhaps as much to do
with Republican defeat as anything
else. The corruption IN the Navy De-
partment, the whisky and other rings
of Grants second Administration, the
Republican craze for vast wealth and
wild speculation and the widespread
ruin wrought by it, the unjust tariff,
the heavy taxation, the depression in
business as result Of Republican
rule and the suffering Of labor inter-
ests in consequence, afforded eyi-
dence enough that the party deserved
to go out of power, and are perhaps
evidence enough that it ought to 90
to pieces.
If it survives its present defeat what
will it dol 1t has declared itself
against temperance and is hard az
work at this moment in Recommendations
Of st. John and his disciples. 1t will
still be the party Of the monopolists,
for Democracy is opposed to nonop-
oily and its success is built largely
upon that opposition; but four years
is long time, and within that period
monopoly will be robbed by judicious
legislation and government Of much
Of its power. 1t is at its best sec
tional party--with every opportunity
to establish itself in the South Il
failed TO do so, and il can look for no
hope there. Neither can it recover
its lost power in the North BY Gre
ating an unjust prejudice against the
other locality The time for this has
gone by. The effort in that direction
made by John Sherman just previous
to the late campaign was wretched
failure. The miserable falsehood that
Democracy means restoration TO
slavery which has brought such terror
to Southern whites and blacks alike
will have mn effect upon the voters Of
both the North and South which will
hurt the Republican party badly. II
will strengthen the Demoeratic ranks
in both sections, for the lie will be
shown to be lie, and the truth will
bring discredit upon most of the sto-
ries Of Southern outrage on which
the Republican party throve so long.
Ii the Republican party lives, how
will It manage to get back the Inde-
pendent Republicans who had so
large an influence upon the atc cleo
tion u Why should they 90 back on
it if the administration Of the man
for whom they voted proves to be
good and the party at his back proves
to be worthy Of the confidence placed
in til How can they serve both mo
nopoly and labor, or will they repu-
diate the one in order to serve the
other! Will they come ont openly
for projections That would be more
dangerous than It has yet been, for
the people have learned, and win be-
come more and more familiar with the
fact, that protection IN Republican
hands means protection for capital
alone and insists that labor shall be
without protection in every market
This tariff question is not the hugbear
ii has been, 1t will be more discussed
dufing the next four yeEs than It has
been during the past thirty years.
Democrats may now have the eourage
of their convictions in favor Of tariff
reform, for they have nothing 10 fear;
and tho people have discovered that
under Republican protection they have
grown poorer until hundreds Of thon-
sanda Of them are suffering a,humilia-
tien as workers that they have never
suffered before.
How can the Republican party liyes
What shall il live fora Who, outside
OF the beaten mouopolist and the pc.
renuial office holders, cares whetherit il
lives or diesi