The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-04-17
WHERE THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
STANDS.

ital out OF the fact that Mr.. r. r. Shiei was
urer in the recent Republican convention.
To lay a foundation for the attempt it as
sumes that he was defeated by the A p. A.
and then proceeds to hold the Republican
party responsible for that organization, and
makes the astonishing statement that at
has become the controlling element in the
Republican party"
Any attempt to hold the Republican party
responsible for the a. p. A movement or
to identify it as a party with that move
ment in any manner or to any extent is
transparency dishonest. The Republican
party has never been given to running after
new movements or side issues, and there
never was a time in it's history when
there was less occasion for it's doing so
than the present. In this regard 1t can
we'll afford to invite a contrast with the
Democratic party. which has Endorsed ev-
cry financial vagary Of the last thirty years
and which is now sleeping under the
blanket with the free-silver-coinage faction
and the wild-cat-bank faction, and is di-
viding time with the Populists in the South
and the calamityites in the West. There
has never been a political party in this
country which adhered as steadily to it's
principles as the Republican party, nor one
that changed sacrificed them so often
as the Democratic. Horace Greeley was an
Abolitionist and a lifelong opponent of the
Democratic party, yet In the hope OF gaining
power it did not hesitate to make him it's can
didate for President There has never been a
time in its history when it was not ready
to run off after any side issue or movement
take up any hybrid candidate that prom
Used success The old Knownothing move
ment. which ran it's course before the Re
publican party was born, drew as largely
| from the Democratic as it did from the
| Wing party, and was strongest in strong
| Democratic cities.
The Republican party has never affiliated
| with side movements and by a law of its
| being is opposed to everything that savors
| OF prescription We speak of the party in
the mass and as an organization. which is
| the only proper sense in which a political
| party can be spoken of. What individuals
may say or do is one thing, and party prin-
ciples and records are another. The Repub-
lican party has always advocated the ut
most freedom of conscience in religious mat
| ters, and it's policy towards all foreign-born
| citizens has been uniformly liberal. 1t has
| never claimed to own any class of foreign
| born citizens in fee or TO vote them like
| cattle and it has always insisted on an
honest observance of the naturalization
| laws, but its general policy towards for
/ eigners has been broad and liberal Being
| in the fullest sense an American party. it
has no sympathy with any movement based
| on political discrimination against any
class of foreigners or any class of religion
| lists as such. Its only test of membership
is true Americanism and true Republican
ism 1--WE maintain that it is an outrage"
says the Hon. Theodore Roosevelt in a re-
cent article, 'ln voting for man for any
/
into account his religious faith provided
only he is a good American. When a Sc
cret society does what in some places the
American Protective Association seems to
have done. and tries to prescribe Catholics
both politically and socially, the members
Of such society show that they themselves
are as utterly un-American, as alien to our
school OF political thought, the worst inn
migrants who land on our shores. This
conduct is equally base and contemplate;
they are the worst foes of our public school
system, because they strengthen the hands
of it's ultramontane enemies; they should re-
ceive the hearty condemnation of all Amer
leans who are truly patriotic" There is no
better American or better Republican in
the United States than Mr. Roosevelt. and
the foregoing voices the sentiment of the
Republican party.
Mr.. Shiel was not defeated before the
Republican convention because of his ma
men, native-born and Protestants, were
defeated for the same reason that Mr..
Shiel was, viz, because where many were
called only a few could be chosen. The
friends of Mr.. Shiel. like himself, are Re
publicans from principle, and the Sentinel
will not succeed in stirring up any disaffec-
ton among them by ascribing his defeat to
the A =. a. and by dishonesty trying TO
4 d.
| movement.