The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-09-03


them looked with real. others with pre-
tended. horror at the prospect of their
opponents getting control of the Gov
ernment They believed, as the Re
publicans of to-day have believed, that
the country would rush to ruin if their
rival plasd his profane hand upon the
ark of the Constitution. They had so
long looked upon themselves as the di-
vinely chosen and appointed rulers of
the people that they could not imagine
the possibility of such calamity's ever
happening.
When it did happen the leaders and
spokesman of the Federalists were wild
with rage, apprehension and disap-
poinsment. Like the Republicans of
to-day they felt as if they had been
cheated out of their birthright They
could not bring themselves to admit
for moment that there was any hope
for nation that had so far forgotten
itself and its history rs to turn them out
of power and put their rivals in,
The success of Jefferson Admins
tration aggravated their misery. They
were so unreasonable that they alienated
their own followers. and built up their
enemy's party. Mr.. McMaster. in his
second volume of the History of the
People of thu United States. which has
lust been published. is unfriendly to
Jefferson. Although fair and just in his
statement of facts, his sympathieS seem
to run with the Federalis.s rather than
with their opponents. OF extreme in
tereSt Just now. therefore, in his review
of the results of the Federali,t injustice
toward Jefferson, ending in their bitter
attack upon him for the Louisiana pur-
chase from the French. He declares
that nothing so fully illustrates the low
state to which the once prosperous Fed
eraliStS were fallen a the turbulent and
factious opposition they now made to
the acquisition of Louisiana.
But remnant of the great party re-
NAMED" he continues. tens of thou
sands of independent thinkers, 10 whom
good government was better thau pol
itical strife, who were under the lash OF
no political chief. who believed that the
duty of every honest man in the party
of the minority was to uphold. not pull
down, the government of the majority,
so long as that government labOred for
the common good. had drawn off from
the party of Hamilton. and now gave
warm support to the Republican cause
To them the Administration of Jefferson
deserved support.
They had seen promised reforms be-
come actual reforms. They had seen
the Federalists add S3,0OO,000 to the
public debt in five years. They had
seen the Republicans reduce the debt by
-, 600. 000 in two years. They had seen
the Federalists 90 TO the very limit of
constitutional taxation in the levying of
a direct tax. They had seen the Repub-
licanS dry every source of internal reve-
nue. and still have money to spare
Never had the Government been so
smoothly, so savingly carried on.
with such an Administration they
could find no fault. Government by
the old friends of Washington was not
worth the money wrung from the peo-
pie by the grinding taxes it imposed.
Not State election, therefore. took
place out of New England but showed
large Republican gains"
The likeness between the Republican
irreconcilables of to-day and Federal
irreconcilables of eighty years ago is
still further emphasized by the attitude
of each toward the President in office.
ITO the narrow partisanS who re-
manned in the Federal ranks" says the
historian, ''the good which jefferson &C
compliShed went for nothing. 1t was
a maxim with them that nothing
which Thomas Jefferson did was right;
4l,%
when they should agaiS be placed in
power. the Government never would be
stable, the country never would be
safe. They ceased to contend for
principle and began to contend for
place They became mere obstruction
lists, sect Of the political world which
of all other sects is the most to be de-
spised They received the news of the
best and wiseSt act OF Jefferson ; whole
Administration with roar OF eXecra-
ton they ought to have been ashamed
to set up"
The deliberate cultivation of like
temper in the Republican party of to-
day is likely TO have the result which it
had upon the fortunes of Federalists ut
the beginning of the century. In times
of war and great excitement men will
overlook injustice toward their party
opponents, because the necessity OF
keeping their own party in power seems
so great that any weapons are pardon
able. But in time of peace and par
tisan temperance the people will desert
that party which is unreasonable and
unjust in its assaults upon an admi2is-
tration that is evidently trying to do
its duty honestly and conscientiOusly in
behalf of the citizens and the nation
it seeks to serve. The Federalists dis
appeared from history.-Detr0H Free