The San Francisco call., 1896-06-19
THE REPUBLICAN, PARTY.

The Republicon party celebrates this
year the fortieth anniversary of its birth
as q great National organism, destined
and devoted to the support of principles
of liberty and justice which are as old as
the race. Like a strong man at its age it
is upon the very summit of vigor, health
and power, and from this emnence it
looks forward proudly and hopefully to
future as fruitful of splendid accomplish
ments as its past has been of glorious
results.
In the weakness of its infancy the Re-
publican party devoted its energies to the
most worthy cause which could command
the loyalty of party IN any land or
under any form of government. 1t was
the cause of iberty-not for its
members, not for Americans of a
favored race, not for men possessing
already guaranteed rights under the Con-
stitution-but liberty for four millions of
slaves, members of another race upon
which the centuries had set the seal
of bondage. Like Hercules in his
cradle, it grappled with the SER
pents of personal slavery and political
injustice and crushed them in its strength
ening grasp. IT the Republican party
had done nothing more than this during
the first decade of its history it would
have richly deserved the gratitude of man
kind.
But it did more, much more than this.
Amid the doubt and tumult of civil strife
its statesmen clearly perceived and pre-
seDted those principles which are essen
tial to the life and growth OF the Nation
in war or peace. The very exigencies of
the time made it the more apparent
to Lincoln and Seward and Chase that
the highest destinies of the Republic could
only be realized by making it great self
sustaining commonwealth; a Nation of
freemen bound in loyalty to their country
by its loyalty to them and its constant
protection of their personal, political
and property rights. Hence it was that
cortemporaneously with the Republican
party policy of freedom to the slave arose
the Republican party doctrine of protec-
tion to American industries, in the in
terest and for the benefit of American
freemen.
The record of the Republican party for
the past forty years furnishes two re-
markable facts to students of politics and
to organizers of parties. These are the
Of lnXf
other and their prophetic forecast of
the Nations political and commercial
history. Like a pioneer pushing out
into new and fertile lands, the campfire of
the Republican party OF to-day has been
the busy center of ideas and activities to-
morrow. It is this progressive quality
which furnishes theRepublicans ample rea-
son for pride in their party's past and hope
its organization prolific of statesmen and
of leaders. It is this which attracts to its
ranks the young men of the Nation and
renders it the representative of the mov-
munity in the land.
The Republican party was born among
the people. Its early and it's later leaders
have come up from below. Its greatest
man and the worlds grandest commoner
defined the mission of the Republican
party when he declared at Gettysburg that
"a government of the people, by the people |
and for the people should not perish from
the earth" This was the Republican doc
trine of forty years ago. 1t is the Repub- |
lican doctrine OF to-day and will continue
so to be as long as human rights and |
liberties require declaration, protection or
defense.