The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1885-06-20
Issues. Real and other.
From the NelO York Times.

From the NeU Fork Times.
The editors of the regular Republican or
gans are doing no good service to their party
by hailing with delight and enthusiasm those
parts of the Ohio platform relating to the al
legged outrages on the suffrage in the South
and the appointment by the Administration
of men who were engaged in the rebellion.
These are not the strong points OF the plat
form. They are not the points which interest
the public They are not likely to bring over
to the Republican Party any voters who have
heretofore been opposed to it, or to keep any
who have acted with the party in the past and
for any reason are dissatisfied with 1t. They
are not even calculated to "rally' the regular
voters who are in somewhat apathetc state
of mind. And, most important of all, these
points are not those which viii arouse the
enthusiasm or enlist the sympathy OF the con-
staDtly increasing number of young men who
are lust beginning to take part in politics or
have any ambition for political honors.
Undoubtedly the rebellion was great
wrong, and, on the part of many who tostered
it, it was monstrous crime. But the rebel
lion was put down twenty years ago, and 't IS
now seventeen years since the people OF the
United States by solemn constitutional pro-
vision conferred on Congress the authority to
remove all political disabilities arising from
It. an authority which Republican Congresses
have so freely used that it is only by accident
that any man likely to enter public life and
subject to these disabilities has not been re-
lieved of them. Moreover, in three OF the
four Presidential elections previous to last
year the votes of the Southern States, cast IN
every case by men many of whom had been
engaged in the rebellion, were received and
counted without serious objection; these same
I h<ns IN
Office by Republican Presidents, and taken
an equal share in the labors and honors OF
the Federal Government. tits absurd to sup
pose that at this late date power is to be re-
transferred from the Democrats to the he
publicans because Democratic Adminlstra-
ton has given a liberal share of Offices to this
class of Americans and because few OF them
have not had their disabilities removed by
Congress. It's not on that line that the polltl-
cal battles of even the near future are to be
fought out, and the further we get from the
close of the civil war, which Is already purely
historical to great proportion OF our most
active citizens, the less can any party hope to
gain in choosing that line to fight on.
In the same way it is unquestlonably true
that the right of equal suffrage was violated
in the South in the interest of the Democratic
party for a long time after the war closed, and
last canvass. But all we'll informed persons
agree that this particular form of political
wrong has steadily declined, if it has not
practically disappeared, and whatever may be
the present extent of it, it is not an available
issue in national politics for two very strong
reasons. One is that the Republican party,
when it controlled all the powers of the Ma
tional Government and every branch of 1t,
passed laws to suppress the evil. In our
Judgment those laws were right IN purpose
and were as effective as any laws could be.
But the Republican party cannot now come
before the country, announce that it has failed
in suppressing the evil, and ask to be gwen
power to try again. 1t is against common
sense. The second reason is that, right or
wrong, the people do not trust the accuracy
or the sincerity of Republican charges on this
subject. 1t is now some ten years since Gen.
Grant-certainly an unprejudiced observer
declared that the Nation was tired OF the
matter, and it is certainly not any more inter-
ested now than it was then. A party, there
fore. which tries to make an issue on sub
iect by which it has been confessedly bat1ed,
and as to which the country has lost not only
confidence but even interest IN what the party
may propose, is pursuing policy, not to put
too fine point upon 1T, OF remarkable stu
pidity.
There was enough in the Republican plat,
form in Ohio besides this rn-out sectional
issue to repay attention. The organs would
do well to drop this and to study carefully
what the Ohio platform has TO say about, the
principle of civil service reform. Let them
explain and enforce the sound and high posi-.
ton taken on that subject-the extension of
the reform and the application of the law in
letter and spirit. Here is something solid,
practical and pertinent. Ii may require a
little hard study for the organs to ''get up to-
the subject, but it will pay, and they will have
the unaccustomed satisfaction of knowing
that they are serving not only the party but
the country.