National Republican., 1885-04-18


lumha; for the iirst time since slaves were /
rnisel from clattels TO men; for the first time /
since they wore clothed with tho dignity OF /
American citizenship they nud themselves |
under the rule Of u political party which |
steadily opposed their every step from bond |
aye to freedom, and this fact may well enough
give peculiar cooring to the thoughts and
feelings with which this anniversary Of Cmnu.
CipatiOn Is celebrated.
The great question of tile hour respects the
true Significance Of this change IN the national
front. What does Il pOrtendl How will It
affect our relations to the people and govern
mcut Of this country How was this stupend.
Gus change brought about and In point Of fact,
II may he skcd with some propriety ii there
has really been any serious change made In
our condition by this change IN the relations
of particz2
10 the eye Of the colored man the change,
or apparent change In the political situation Is
very marked, aud wears very sinister aspect.
He has 20 long been accustomed to think The
Republican party the sheot'anchor of his lib.
erty, the star Of AL his hopes, that hc can see
nought but III IN the ascondancy Of the Demo.
cratic party. He addresses IL much as did
Hamlet his fathers ghost
TELL why thy canonized bo les, hearsed in
Have bur.t their ccrements; why tho sepul.
cher,
Wherein We saw thee quietly inurn'd,
Hath opCd his ponderOus and marble jaws to
cast thee up again.
What may this mean, that thou, dead corpse,
Again iu complete steel, reyisits. thus the
glimpses Uf the moon,
Making night hideous, aud we, poor fools of
So horridly to shake our disposition
With thoughts beyond the reaches OF our
souls
It's, perhaps. too carly to determine the
full significance ofthe return oithc Democratic
party TO power, or to tell lust how that return
to power came about. one thing must be nd-
milted aud that is that The power and vitality
oithe Democratic party have been vastly un-
dcrrsted II has INDUCED IN vices and crimes
enough to ohuvc killed sdOzcn ordinary parties,
and yet It lives, At times II has really seemed
TO bO dead Some said 1t had died by opposing
the war for the Union, but II was notso We
thought the lifo had gone out OF i when u
candidate for the Presidency and adopted
Republican platform, but it was not 30.
IL was the same old party in u new, dress,
and time has shown that II was as full of life
and power as ever. The fact is, 1t was never
either honestly dead or securely buried.
Even when 1t slept II had one eye, open, and
saw better with that one eye than did the Re
publican party with Its two Our mistakes
concerning II have been made abundantly
clear by the lsto election and the dazzling
splendor Of the recent Inauguration. We
thought the Democratic party dead when
1t was alive, and the Republican party alive
and strong when II was half dead. Long con-
tinuanCe In power had developed rival ain
billions, personal nnimosties, MctlonAl com
binations in the Republican party that were
fatal to its success and even endangered its
life.
one great lesson taught by Republican de.
feat is familiar TO all. II Is the folly OF relying
upon past good behavior for present success.
Parties like men, must act i'll the living pres
Gnt or fail. it is not what they have done or
leit uildOno in the past that turns the scale,
but what they are doing, and mean to do now.
The result shows that neither the past good
conduct Of the Republican party nor the past
bad conduct of the Democratic party has had
much to do with the late election.
ANA has Inn la TNnp tnF uNn
or bad political conduct. The people have
said In the late election, I'VE care nothing for
your past but what is your present character
aud work?' And in rendering judgment they
one to the other"
But, fellow.citizens, 1t is consoling to think
that this change in the political front justly i'm.
plies no real change for the worse in the moral
convictions of the American people. ON the
great questions that divided the parties during
the periods of war and reconstruction there
has been no change whatever. Upon all the
great measures OF justice, liberty, and cviliza-
ton, originated aud carried through Congress
by the Republican party, believe the heart
of the nation to bo still safe ahd sound. IT
the measures then In controversy between
the parties were now submitted to the Ameri-
can people, ] fully believe they would sustain
them one ana all by an overwhelming vote.
The trouble was that the Republican party
| in the late campaign forgot for the moment its
! high mission as the party Of great moral ideas,
aud sought victory OH grounds far below Its
ordinary level. II made national pelf more
! important aud prominent than national purity.
| II made the body more important than the
J soul; national prosperity more important than
national Justice. There was no square issue
made up between the parties. One talked in
| favor of the tariff andithe other did not talk
against 1t. Both together beat the air and
raised dust, confused counsel, blinded the
voters, and rendered victory a thing of chance
rather than thing of choice The Republi.
can party was not more surprised by defeat
! than the Democratic party was astonlshed by
victory. Twelve hundred votes would have
! changed the result; 80 that nothing for the
] future can be safely predicted upon the elec-
ton either way. 1t does not imply that the
| Democratic party Is in power TO stay, or that
the Republican party Is out of power TO stay,
or that new parties are TO arise and take the
| place of the old.
While 1t was painfully evident that the Re-
| publican party, during the late CANVASS had
little or nothing 10 sHy against the outragcs
committed upon the newly enfranchised
people of the south, 1t was equally plain that
the Democratic party had nothing TO say in
defense of these outrages. Yet II is not strange,
In view of the history of the two parties, that
much alarm was felt by colored people all
over the south when they first learned thar
the great Republican party was defeated aud
| that the Democratic party was soon to admiil-
| lister the national government,
Ignorant as the COlorCd people OF the south
have been, and may still be- about other mat
ters ofnatiOnal importance, they have always
been intelligent enough as TO the character
ana ItlhllOlh Dl pIAllltNl lhIlltss lUtN nave
never been mistaken us 20 the historical differ
ence between the party which gave them lib
crty and the party which sought TO continue
their enslavcment They had known the
Democratic party long and well aud only rs
the party of The old master class. They nat
urully held the triumph Of that party Us vic
tory Of the old master class In the panic oil
the moment they saw in II n possible attempt
TO rehabilitate the old order OF government In
the south, in which they would be greatly op'
pressed If not enslavCd.
In the Joy and exultation OF the old mas
ter class over the defeat Of the Republican
cratic party to power, they read what they
thought their doom. Jealous OF their newly
gained liberty, as well they might be, feeling
themselves In peril and len naked to thcil
enemies, their fears amounted to agony. But
thanks TO the kind assurances promptly givcr
by the President.clect and by other Democrat.
in high places, this alarm was transient ant
has now given way in some measure to u feel
lug of confidence ana security.
How long this feeling of confidence and Sc
curity will last, however, will depend upoi
, the future policy of the present ndministra
tiOn. The inaugural address of President
I Cleveland was all that any friend Of liberty
and justice could reasonably ask for the freed
men II was frank and manly ayowal
worthy OF the occasion. II accepted thci
citizenship as n fact settled beyond debate
and as n subject which ought to attract Gttcn
tlon only with view 10 the improvement o
their character and their better qualification
by education for the duties and responsible
ties Of citizens Of the republic.
ikNo better words have dropped from the eas
lOrtlcO of the capitol since the Inauguration
days Of Abraham Lincoln and Gen. Grant,
believe they were sincerely spoken, but whotho
the President win he able to administer th,
government In the light Of those liberal senti
mrnts Is an open question. The One.mal
power In our government Is very great, but tn,
power Of party may be greater. The Presidon
Is not the HutOcrat, but the executive of III,
nation, But, happily, the executive * yet
| power and may be- able to obtain the supper
of the coordinate branches of the gOyernnien
Ia so plain duty MS protecting the rights o
the ColUred citizens, with those OF all Othe
citizens Of the republic. For one, though Re
publican am, aud have been and ever CNpeC
to be, though did what could to elect jaime
q. Blaine as President Of the United States
AMI disposed tOtrust President Cleveland, by hi
words, Hs well as his by oath of ONCE. solemn,
subscribed to before unCOunted thousands O
American citizens, he is held uud lirmly houn,