The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1900-05-25
w. CT. U. COLUMN.
CONDUCTED BY MRS. N. L. HOBBS.
The Old Republican Party.

There were two kinds oil men IN
the Republican party when i came =
into power lney were the con-
science and the policy varieties.
The first-named class were rell-
giously and morally opposed to the !
institution OF slavery; the others !;
were politically and seltishly o?-
posed to the aggressions OF the slave
power, which exercised a power in
national affairs far beyond its nu-
merlcal proportion.
4 When the Republican party came
into power, this difference began to
he strikingly manifest. Those who
had opposed slavery from policy 50
crowded the departments at Wash
lington for offices, that a leading
congressman at the time said that
lii seemed TO him after all that all
his party meant was TO get the oil
fees. This was in the heat and
glow OF the first Republican victory.
But the congressman alluded TO
did not see the conscientious and
modest patriots who did not throng
and besiege Washington Tor offices.
These were the mer'torlous and con-
: s,ientious men who remained at
, home, satisfied with the great moral
victory. and who had given their
/, sons and tn .ir means to bring 1t
. about.
: This class supposed that their
party had put down the rebellion
and liberated the slave from con-
: science; for the part which they
themselves had borne had sprung
that motive. When the questions
, 'of slavery and reconstruction were
fairly settled they began to say TO
their political brethren, "Now this
= our party i a party Of great moral
ideas, let us now repress this worse
evil, the liquor traffic, and SO still
further deserve ths gratitude OF
man kind. y
The effort was made and watched
with great interest, but it soon be-
came apparent that there was mis-
take somewhere. The policy Re-
\ publicans. while always ready to
claim all the moral and religious
= credit pos sihle for what the party
had done. when they saw detection
toward temperance had begun, turn
ed upon the temperance men and
told them that the slaves had been
freed. not as a matter OF conscience
and right. but a "a military ne
" cessity,r and that il would be tool
ish and fatal for the Republican par
ty to attempt to oppose the llquoi
- interests.
Here the conscientious member:
were forced to see that the party
, which they loved and had looked
upon as the best exponent OF theil
honor, religion and patriotism, wa'
Iby interest and self-defense Sc
nd sauarely and strongly against tn
: agitation of auy question, no mat
ter what its importance, that woult
.siu-t let the Democrats IN.
Henceforth il became the first ant
chief aim and end Of the Repubil
I, can party to keep the Democrat
out. a. it was the chief end oi TN
0 Democrats to get themselves IN.
* The politics Of the country ha
nc- been entirely divided ever sine
between the ''outs" and the ms.
- No party has ever taken up any =
sue that was not entirely subordI
nate and secondary to the on
question Of its expediency for get
,i,r itself in and the other out.
/ The men who remained with tn
Republican rarty, and who seeme'
No have the rudiments OF consclenc
y. on the whisky business, began I
All promise US that the Republican paI
on. tv would soon take up the questlo
all and settle it, and some feeble effort
- were made to commit the party q
Is hostile TO the legal standing OF tn
traffic. But they failed, and tn
IN. efforts seemed to have pressed tn
at liouor men in upon the party an
lay 10 have warmed up the friendship Z
on on the party for that business, Just a
IL i the tntile efforts OF the late A. Z. A
atlhas resulted in more favors to tn
ee. Roman Catholic church at Washing
ton than ever known before in tn
a history Of our government.
But after the o-callediemperanc
'ip, Republicans began to feel the hope
ach les.ness of this undertaking, the
md to,k a new tack and told US tha
to the party was in fact, and had a
ways been, the true friend OF "a q
at attemperance cause, and that all "a
Legislation we ever had on tempe
had come from that party.
(To be continued.)
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