National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-12-31

Taking the world at large the year that |
closes to-day has not been so wonderful in |
any respect that IL will be accorded an cx- |
ccptionally conspicuous place in history. |
lie who u century hence gazes back through |
the vista OF buried years will find no monu- |
ment erected over the grave Of 1885 to dis |
tnguish II from the years that preceded. |
Each Of those fell dcstroyers--war famine, |
and pcstilcncc-hos done its permitted or
appointed work, but each has been circum-
scribed within narrow limits and the ag-
grcgatc work Of all has not added many
thousands to the dcath.roll Of the year.
There has been 10 tumbling of thrones or
extinction Of dynastles, pc great readIust-
ments Of the boulNssss I,.ays.1o empires, no
grand discovery of utS y for util-
izing any hitherto negS..4 @orce Of
nature, no sudden, wondrS ~. >Ssridc in
science, art, or literature. actically
speaking It has been a wholesome year--of
good, general averages, rather than bril-
liant surprises. No worthy cause has lost
ground, no great reform has yielded to
crushing defeat; the tide of progress has
flown calmly on, assuring higher civiliza-
still giving promise Of continually bright
Cning future.
For "thc world does move" The tend
ency Of mankind is away from the brutal
and toward the God.like. There was never
year since the morning stars first sang to-
gether when there was so much Of nobility
in life, so much of good in the world, and,
proportlonatcly, so little Of evil as has been
witnessed in the year that dies tonight.
lie has read history aud studied humanity
to little purpose who does not know that
the good men Of our day are better than
the holy men of old, the wise men OF our
time far wiser than the sages of antiquity.
1t may be that this claim Of superiority
for our own time viii seem like sacrilege TO
that vast number of persons who are
accustomed to associate the good with the
vencrablc--who are apparently incapable
of disas sociating the antique and the holy.
But we beg to assure those excellent people
that the NATIONAL REPUBLICAN has no
malice in its mind, no ruiles or frllls on its
temper as relates to the patriarchs and
potentates Of early ages. They had but few
advantages as compared with those which
we enjoy. The world was young, life was
narrow. We have the experience of all the
generations that have gone before, the
great achievements, the marvellous inven-
tions, the myriad agencies for refining, en-
larging, exalting, and embellishlng life. 1t
is not strange that we are so much better
than those holy men that we build prisons
for such of our fellow-citizens as follow
their example.
1t Is still true that "man's inhumanity to
man makes countless thousands MOURN"
true that tyranny reigns over millions;
true that the inalienable rights Of the race
are denied to most nations; true that the
surface Of the earth the land that God
made for all, has been taken and is held by
few; true that the labor Of the suffering
poor in many lands supports the rich and
proud in idleness and vice; true that
hypocrisy in the garb Of saintliness too
often triumphs over piety in rags; true that
vast progress must yet be made before the
race fulills its possibilities; but, conced
ing all this, II is still fact that humanity
is steadily rising to higher and higher planes
and that the new year will be more fortu.
!
sor than the old year was.
The most remarkable change which th,
old year has brought to this country was tina
which occurred on the 4th of March, wher
the executive authority, with its resultan
responsibilities, was transferred from Re
publican to Democratic hands by virtue o
decree issued by states made Democrats
by force and fraud, and countersigned b.
some five hundred and twenty odd dis
, gruntled Republicans in the state Of Ne'
York.
The new administration came in with IN
Vulnerable pledges Of reform. II was billie
TO find any number of "rascalsn In oillc
and to ''turn them out.n 1t was warrante
, to expose corruption in all the department.
and TO introduce pure methods in lieu {
wicked ways of transactlng public bus
ness. For many years the Democrat
; masses had been educated to believe thl
ReEublicanism and rascality were convert
ible terms. Thus schooled and drilled
would have been strange II they had NJ
| expected that awful disclosures awaite
= the advent OF Democratic administration
1 although many thousands of good and trr
$ men have been "turned out" and the su
Y stantial excellence OF the public service
/. it existed when turned over to the Demo
I racy is no longer questioned. In fact, Il
I highest tribute ever paid to any party
the United States is that which the Repu
lican party has extorted from its old enen
S in the practical Endorsement Of the latt
Y after all the wild vaporing and FOOLS
+ abuse of more than twenty years.
!. 1t was deemed probable that the els
q tions Of 's5 might go far toward indicatil
a the future of the two great parties, b
8 they have shown little that was not pr
viously apparent. 1t seems likely that 3
o south will hold on to its solidity till aft
another presidential election, and that Nc
York will be the fighting ground.
f. The present Congress may clear aw
Il some doubts. II the Democratic Hou
q antagonizes the Industrial interests Of t
II country by useless agitation of the tar
q and by neglect of such legislation OF nc
= partisan character as the people deman
% the next Congress will be Republican a
70 President Cleveland will be assured Of
Il Republican successor.
D. In the growth of churches, in the increa
II OF the number and strength of schools,
n the development Of literature, in the stead
~ healthful progress of science and