Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1890-02-28
Is the Republican Party Eesponsi
BILE for all the Wrongs that
A6dict the Country.

eDOn75b 10 contain All the political parties except
the one he claims to belong TO, l. e. the hepuOtl-
can party Dague ia too smart a man not 10
know that the party TO which de claims 70 DelonS
Is responsible for all these ills that ne now ciaIIls
afiict the masses; now il does seem strange that
a man who is smart enough to write up so S"oq d
platform cannot be induced To stand upon that
Crat.
We have all the time stood on that
platform. But now as to the Repub-
lican party being responsible for all
the Ills that afiict the country. We
are no blind party man" as is we'll
known, but we protest against the
charge that the Republican party has
been and is so vicious an Organiza-
ton. It is true it has made mistakes
and many Of its leaders have been
and are now unfit to be leaders, but
the great masses of that party are pa
triotic and honest. Let us mention
few good things the Republican par
ty has done:
It declared that freedom is ma
tional and slavery is sectional and
wrong. It opposed that ubiquitous
doctrine that "a Negro has no rights
that white man is bound to respects"
it opposed and repealed the fugitive
slave law, one of the most Infamous
laws ever enacted; it used the power
Of the government to suppress the
slave holders rebellion. It established
schools all over the South as we'll as
the North for the poor; it gave homes
to the homeless on the public lands;
it Fgave the poor man liberal exemp-
ton laws; it made about all the laws
that have been enacted that have con
ferred upon women the legal right to
own and control property and to vote;
it has in Maine, Iowa, Kansas and
Dakota passed prohibitory liquor
laws and has been about the only po-
litical party which has opposed the
colossal evil of the saloon; it has fos-
tered education; defended liberty
encouraged the development of our
national resources; won for this re-
public the highest regard from all
nations of the earth, and in twenty
FIVE years has helped to push civil
zation to a higher plane than ever be-
fore existed.
The Republican party to-day con-
tains within its ranks a greater pro-
portion Of progressive, philanthropic,
liberty-loying, tyranny-hating people,
than any other political organization.
1t has made some mistakes, and left
undone many things which it ought
to have done, but it has done a grand
work and its mission has not yet been
fully accomplished
We will not Islander the Democrat
lie party rs our cotemporary has the
Republican, for the Democratic party
contains some good men in its ranks:
it has done many commendable'things
we cannot just now think of many
good acts which 1t has performed, but
we want to be generous and admit
that it has been the author of some
wholesome laws. We might enumer-
ate quite a list of bad laws passed by
that party, such as the fugitive slave
law, the secession ordinances. the
laws fostering and encouraging the
saloon aud other evils, but we desist
The truth is that all human organiza-
tions have their Weaknesses and have
committed errors. We prefer to act
with the Republican party, than Will
any other-not that it is perfect. no
because 1t exactly suits US. for it fails
to promptly do many things we would
like to see dOne-but because it comes
nearer doing what we believe is RICH
than any other great party. We Of
ten critise it severely, and point ou
its errors, and condemn its leader
ship, and stOutly protest against som,
of its teachings, but we do so as w,
believe for the partys and the coun
try's good. We believe that the mos
efficient way to keep a party pure anC
progressive is for the members of /
to jealousy guard its honor. resis
corruptlng influences seeking to con
troll it, demand that it right existins
wrongs. drive from its leadership bat
men, and insist that it shall not b.
content with past achievements. bu
shall address itself to the investiga
tion of all political and industrial an,
other questions pressing for solution
and move forward in the work O
bringing about every reform, and tn
removing of every obstacle which pre-
vents any citizen of this republic iron
tho r,-nr-l.1rn If hir 49,. ?, :, A,..1 -. u