Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1912-06-22
WHOM THE GODS WOULD
DESTROY.

1t has been claimed by those who
believe that the divine hand can be
seen moving in all events that the Re
publican party was called into being
for the express purpose of removing
slavery from within the bounds of the
United States. If that is so, it is a
great pity that once it had served
that purpose it was not Immediately
disintegrated into its original elements
and another party called into being to-
take it's place, free from the hatred,
the prejudice, the passions and the
other evil influences that emanatai
from the civil war.
Since the war the Republican party
has been the party of pelf and of priv
ilege. Scandals galore marked its
course during the eight years Of
Grants administration. Never before
nor since, and it is to be hoped never
again, has any government been the
source of so much corruption in high
place as marked its course during
those two terms. Then came the
stealing of the presidency from Til
den, another black spot on the party
escutcheon. And since then the coun-
| try has been treated year after year
to the pension scandal, to the spec
tacle of the government exploited for
The benefit of manufacturers and
trusts and combines, to the disgrace
of elections won by foul means, to the
open ruling of foreign appointments
and cabinet and other high offices by
liberal campaign contributions Truly
the Republican party has been for
fifty wears stencil in the nostlils OF
the people.
And now the end of the reign of
deauchery, of criminal alliances. OF
open, defiant misuse of governmental
power in behalf of the few, seems to
have come. The lust for power seiz-
ing upon Roosevelt following the pit
liable weak surrender of the man he
made president to the most retrogres-
sive elements of his party, has
brought about condition, that, Will
1t has its alarming features, must APP.
peal to the major part of the country
as but fitting finale to long period
of debauchery of power, grown insol-
ent by almost unbroken retention in
high place.
If the divine hand was in anywis:
instrumental in calling the Republi.
can party into existence then the same
superhuman agency must be accredit
ed with bringing about it's prosperity.
dissolution. The old adage "Thos;
) whom the gods would destroy the,
:. first make mad" seems to run riot in
the Republican cOunsels just now. Thu
pandemonium of a pack of dogs afflict
ed with hydrophobia could not he
worse than the snarling and denunci
J alton and savage accusations and gen.
} eral verbal violence that mark tbs
Chicago convention. One wonders who
, is the most insane. Roosevelt and his
/, lmpetuOus, unbalanced cohorts or Taft
, and his mob of negro delegates, Office
kholders and dethroned bosses. Judg-
ment seems to have disappeared from
both sides, the desire for right, foI
: Justice, for reason seems to have been
obliterated Passion rules supreme
and the only wonder is that mob VOL
, ence in its worst form, with blood
, shed, has not taken the place of de.
= libe1 alton and parliamentary action.
1t is spectacle approaching an
archy that confronts the nation at
, this probably last gathering of the
republican party as a party to be
feared in national politics. 1t was
; born in chaos, in sectional feeling, i'll
!, hatred, in defiance of the constitution,
in contempt for the guaranteed rights
of others. Its death struggles are
marked by exactly the same spirit that
environed its cradle. The old song
has it that God moves in a myster-
lous way his wonders to perform.
Perhaps he has afflicted the nation
with the Republican party in the past
half century for some purpose not
yet clearly revealed. Let us hope so
1t leaves a black, dismal record be-
hind it. Its progency of socialism and
anarchy unfortunately survive it, Bur
the Democratic party, true to its priv
ciples of over century, can be look
ed to to throttle them through the in
strumentality of wise laws, of Just adj
ministration, of conscientious adher-
ence to the popular will and the pro-
lection of human rights. It's sanity
alone redeems the country at this time