The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1884-07-04
!" WHOM THE GODS WOULD DE-
STROY THEY FIRST MAKE MAD"

This celebrated aphorism finds many illus
trations. The old Wing party became SO de-
luded and infatuated as to conceive it posi-
bic, and seriously attempted to maintain the
control of the government on the policy of
Ignoring the slavery ISSUE The sequel proved
that it lost the favor and support of both the
friends and foes of that institution and that
soon there was an open field for a new, vigor-
Gus and successful anti-slavery party. Like
madness was evinced by the slavery olgarchy
when it spurned the Crittenden compromise
and insisted upon its right and power to per-
manently dominate the government and in
definitely extend the vile institution. The
war and its results showed the sequel Now
all thoughtful observers clearly see how utter
ly blind and fanatical the leaders were in both
these cases.
But the above aphorism never found more
stiking application than it does to the Re
publican party at the present time. This
great party, which in it's antagonism to slavery
rallied to its standard the great bulk of the
conscience and morality of the country and
which not only rid the country of the blighting
curse of slavery but also accomplished SO
many valuable reforms as to gain and deserve
the title of the "party of moral ideas, now
presents most pitiable and disgusting SUBJ
serviency to the rum oligarchy. Heretofore
there has been some show of force in the plea
that the work of reconstruction was not yet
complete and that the time had not yet come
to take up any other great issue. And when
the platforms were silent, there was large
crumb of comfort and hope thrown to the
friend of reform in the nominations of Hayes
and Garfield. And, credit to whom credit is
due, there has been an earnest grapple with
that foul blotch located in Utah.
But now, when there is no pretense of urg-
ency in any matter relating to the war and its
issues; when some states have demanded the
outlawry of the drink traffic by popular ma
jorities, and many others are ready to do so
as soon as trucking politicians can be got out
of the way, and when the demands of the
cause were pressed upon the attention of the
nominating convention with pressure never
employed before what is the result? The
whole subject is treated with studied silence
and contempt. The platform does not con-
tain the faintest allusion either TO the subject
or to those who were heard in pressing its
claims and then the two men who have
made themselves conspicuous by exerting
their influence to lay the states, as such, and
our public school system under heavy and
lasting obligations to the rum power, are
placed upon it. In this the example of the
Wing party is repeated, with clear proba-
bility that the same result will follow. 1t is
now demonstrated that the Republican party,
as such, cannot be relied upon to support and
promote this most vital and overshadowing
issue. The Democratic party is too deeply
mixed up with, and dependent upon the whis-
key system to allow of any hope of help from
that quarter. 1t is not possible at the coming
election to prevent the success OF the nomi-
nees of one or the other of these two parties.
What, then, is the supreme duty of all friends
of true reform? Make sure tie defeat Of tile
Republican nominees for president and 0ice-
PRESIDENT From this one of two results will
follow Either the party will share the fate
of the Wing party and leave an open field for
new organization, or it will reconstruct on
the basis of antagonism to the whiskey sys-
tenn, and may God help the right
G.. r. SNYDER.