Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-06-04
ISSUES IN MuNIo1pAn ArrArRs.
A Caustic Review of the History of
the RenubIicau Party,


despite the censure pronounced on |
Republican policy at the last Presidential |
election still continues to be the practice |
of the Republicans of this city to infuse |
that policy into the most trivial affairs
witness the alleged action of the Y. M. R.
@. in the matter of the Board of Health. |
The humorous phase of the situation is |
that no Republican, from the newspaper |
contributors to the most cultured men in |
the party, seems to perceive the |
absurdity of EXPECTING us to |
exalt their candidates here be- |
cause Republican candidates elsewhere |
are alleged to have deserved something |
which, in our unbounded confidence in |
their ability to get, we firmly believe they |
got, or, in other words, if we ask why we
should elect Republicans here, we are
told to go to Sacramento or Cincinnati or
Augusta and find out-that we should
elect "tweedledum" because of the
claimed desert of ''tweedledee !" Can we
imagine more candid confession of
weakness2 We shall, at the proper time
essay the task of showing why the Repub
lican party of this city, wisely dreadingto
stand on its record and achievements,
seeks to exc out the fox's with the lions
hide; for the present we pass ON to
necessarily brief review of that party to
which we are SO confidently referred,
Born of no great necessity, impelled by
no noble impulse, the Republican party,
minority in numbers, as in many other
things, passed into power through the
fractional obstinacy of the Democracy,
who were then so powerful as to enter.
tain no fear of defeat, even when divided
on two candidates. Then began series
of innovations, departures from estab
lished customs and arbitrary construc-
tons of constitutional law, such us could
only have been possible in the perturbed
state of the country at that time. The
party was amazed by success it had no
| policy, therefore we must assume that its
increase of numbers after that election
was due TO the success of that election.
Let any one turn back to its first utternnces
and see what they contained relative to
protection" or National debt"-even
the emancipation proclamation was not
issued until the fear of defeat in war
dictated it, vide Life of Lincoln where
he says "if could have saved the Union
without freeing the negroes would have
done it," &c. Augmented by accessions
of office-seekers, and by the unwarrant-
able introduction of military at the polls,
it was not difficult to outvote Cor out
COUNT the few Democrats who were per-
mitted to exercise the franchise at the
succeeding election. The added prestige
"expediency Legislation" and the glamor
of military glory, realized at the next
election, the vision of "the man on horse
back" National affairs had by this time
become emoralized-jobbery aud shoddy
were the powers behind the throne
Greedy protested and in vain-Bristow
investigated and was dismissed. Slowly
with faint indications on the surface, TIT
tide turned, gathered strength, and sweep
onward till on the erest-wave of popular
/ approval Samuel j. Tilden was elected
, President The fraud by which the Re
publican party retained itself in powe
created the impression that nothing shor
of war would be able to Gust it, whicl
!, may be accepted as an explanation of tn
: apathy of the Democratic party at tn
: time when Garfield was elected. Wit
: this success the party and its histor,
: ends, for, by the nomination of Blaine
J. consigned itself irreyocably to the oppo
sition.
O "lt swept path in Heaven, and shone Il guild,
. Tlhen IN steaming stencil Of sulphur died.
d Ingratitude to its friends undoubtedl
is fastened its downfall. Andrew Johnso
was disgraced by it; Bristow driven on
y of it; Conkling insulted by it; II. "
Beecher abandoned it in disgust Horac
:, Greedy quilted it in despair; Wende
70 Phillips declared that ''imposters hu,
usurped the laurels that should hay
graced nobler brows;n Schurz, Fish and
host of others aided to destroy il; eve
the illustrious general, the "keystone
n the arch" robbed by mushroom Gu iti
lists Can any man take pride in belun
5 ing to n party controlled by this aval
g, cious Republican eXcrescence, who leyit
IL his attachment ON those testimonials
ms esteem, dearer to the soldier thnn his lif
ne in that they were the tributes of IN u
n miring worldwide scrupled not to wril
IL, from the old hero's dying grip even Il
II once mighty sword that laid rebellit
to low. But the prime cause of the Repu
I'd licau party's decay was its ruinous polio
&c the results of which may be briefly state
rk orr navy declared (even by its Repub
&c can secretary to be II collection of rotti
is hulks, incapable of resisting the assaI
of fleet of nautili; our ocean ira
on ruined, and the prestige of that martin
he glory of the early days, the bare rect
he of which once caused the blood of o
ID youths to leap in their veins-so far fl
of gotten in the world that only few wee
ne ago the insurgents of little patch
he jungle had no more respect for our fl
zee than if il had been n scullion's discard
20 night-cap our coasts, defenseless 81
mt for II few antique and worm-eat
ed fortresses that might be stonned by
mt squadron of mosquitoes; our army,
le- demoralized that it cannot restrain
IN ravages of n handful of half starv
suvnges, infuriated TO desperation by t
continued pilfering of their annuities
Justly due them for their relinquish
zen lands our public domain mentioned
it an illustrious Democratic president MS
wn sacred trust ITO be preserved for the
IN. yet to cross the ocean and generations
unborn delivered prey to 'laI
,,ss sharks !" our cities filled with unsatisti
nm. millions, who are either unemployed,
law toiling for wages, the relation of which
,rk the prices of all things necessary
mr.. civilized life can best be expressed ~
off square of the prices increases, MS I
nm square of the wages decreases" This
nd the record to which we are referred n
III it is an insult TO the intelligence of
nh citizens TO ask them to iillorSe such pol
in the face of such results-it is ask
II man TO buy the dagger that has piert
his vitnls. We have heard many erud
uaS and eloquent dissertations on "Natio
w. debt national blessing" Tariff
. Protection" &c., and we would ask
~ w question: When the period of unnatu
w. w. activity had passed, and the depress
IL that inevitably follows an expensive '
-! began with Grants election in ~,
~ ~ the 'blessing" and the protection" co
''"' to our relief? On the contrary, Il
were our bane We closed our mark
against the world, egotistically declar
that ii needed us more than we did i
'so and the world went on its way with
nan us. Give us the home market, bull
I. OF wall around it and put broken bot
nee on the top" Well, we have
re the home market with over measure)
'lg unlike the Chinese Empire, whose shin
M example we followed, we begin to tire
ose it and its friends. The most rubid fri,
l'at of tariff, who has eaten it, drank of
~, .I'n slept ON it, who is so permeated by it I
Wy it exudes from the pores of his bod
l ,H has injured Wilmington more than
th5 whole tariff scheme ever benefited
seu That he will have M opportunity
'eiu ascertain the actual cost of acceptil
10 contract from Republican admins
81 ton with hope of subsidy and perfo
'th ing that contract with no Ii
Of subsidy under Democratic
ADMINISTRATION, is no consolation
the Wilmiugtonians who, by his un
a d&r, bid, We're deprived of the contract Y
Tho thn all its attendant advantages. Let