New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-06-21
DISTURBING PAST SETTLEMENTS.


9Tbo Republican party is a Renaissance"
so;d tho LAST National Democratic platform the
questions which have divided parties in times
mot ore settled. This assertion had in 1t
semblance of truth. But it was true only on
the suppostiOn that another party II lhIrusto"
with mower. would respect the decisions OF the
people in the past, and would refrain honi az
reactionary steps calculated to disturb the
settlements which had been mace. hoSo
settlements could be disturbed as well by diS-
regard of the spirit by violation OF the ie''ei
| If so disturbed the questions could no longer w
considered settled. In that case the hepuoli-
| can party could no longer be deemed, even ny
| Democrats, a mere "reminiscences Dut IL muSV
| still be the embodiment of the deliberate pur-
pose of the people, which the Democratic party
| had pledged itself to respect and had not re-
| spected
| LET us See what the fact is. President Cleve-
land was inaugurated over three months ago
His Administration has already given some
| cleor indications of its ruling ideas and AIMS
What do the people think of it Does 1t honor
and faithfully respect those settlements OF vital
questions which have been made IN years past
by deliberate decisions of the people, or Is II
engaged in trying to defeat and reverse thenl
| This question, every candid Democrat VIII
| admit is n fair and important one, anu should
| be answered with honesty
If was held settled by decisions of the people
in MANY past elections that the Rebellion was 10
be held a crime against free government IT
was held settled that the individual partlcl-
pants. and especially the chief lnstigatorS OF me
| Rebellion. while spared the punishment legally
due TO their crime, should not be held worthy
| of trust or honor on account of that crime IL
was held settled on the contrary, that men OF
nroved LOYALTY and of honorable service to the
Union, other things being equal, should be pre-
ferred to those who had tried to destroy the
Union. What has Mr. Cleveland doneT From
the first hour of his Presidency, his course has
been calculated to nOnOr and reward rebeiS ana
sympath,zers with rebellion, not because OF
their superior merits in other respects, but most
plainly because they had taken part i'll the
great crime against the Union. ltwould be I'M
possible to imagine course more directly cal
culated to ovcrturn and reverse the past de-
cisons of the people, as respects the rightful-
ness of the Rebellion or the merit OF those VINO
suppressed it, than that which Mr.. Cleveland
has followed.
So it was held settled by repeated decisions
of the people in past elections that the Consul
tutional Amendment, giving suffrage to colored
citizens, should be respected and obeycd, and
that the laws enacted to give effect to the
amendment should be faithfully enforced But
the Democratic party has never ceased to de-
nOunce the amendment as unconstitutional and
wrongful, or to resist the laws framed to en-
force it. Mr. Cleveland himself was elected by
a systematic and organized defeat OF those
laws continued through many years and IN
many States. Nevertheless, in his inaugural
address he reiterated the professions which mad
been made during his canvass and by means OF
which many voters had been induced to give
confidence to his party. He affirmed that the
rights of the coored people should be every
where respected and upheld, and that the Con-
stitution and laws should be faithfully enforced
Yet his first official act was TO re ward with
the highest honOrs in his gift some OF the men
who had been most conspicuous in defylng and
| defeating the Constitutional Amendment, and
| IN resisting and thwarting the laws framed to
| enforce it, From that hour to this, appoint
| ments have been made, especially III the
| Southern States but also at the North, which
| have no other reason or excuse save the tact
that the individuals appointed had been active
and peculiarly effective in defeating the Con-
stitution and laws of the United States i'll
| order TO give power to the Democratic party.
These are but two of the great questions
| which it was supposed by some had been for
ever settled prior TO the last election. Had
these voters supposed that Mr.. Clevelands Adj
minstration would pursue the course which it
has pursued does any man believe that they
would have voted to give power to the Demo-
cratic party2 1t is because that party has Mt
once set itself to unsettle the most deliberate
settlements of the past, to reverse the most
solemn decisions of the people; to honor and
/ reward the crime Of rebellion wherever ii can,
and to uphold and reward the crime of denying
the right of suffrage to cOlorcd citizens, that the
old questions come to the front again in spite
of u.s. The Republican party would be glad to
have those questions remain undisturbcd. 1t
would be glad to have the constitutional right
of all citizens respected, and the honorable
preference that is their due given to those who
upheld the Union and helped tosuppress the Re-
bellion. The old questions have been opened
not by consent of the Republican party, and
not by consent of the conservative and patriotic
citizens of either party. They have been
opened because the controlling spirit of the
Democratic party is essentially reactionary and
is to-day as heartily in sympathy with resist
ance to the laws and rebellion against the
authority of the United States as it was when
the Democratic party of the North served as
the left wing of Lees army