Year: 1874




The present Republican party ha6 It's origin,
as is well known, in the effort to force Slavery
upon the Territories OF Kansas and Nebraska,
which began in 1854. 1t grew with unusual
rapidty, but did not carry the country I'LL
after the Democratic party, drunk with power
and confident in the hold it had by its name
and traditions and its presdg upon popu-
lar support, attempted to sustain Outrages
upon the ballOt-box in Kansas, against which
the whole North rose with indignation. Thou
sands Of Democrats, who up to that time had
believed in the old party and trusted its
leaders, and maintained through thick and
thin their allegiance to the regular Organiza-
ton, broke away from it and Joined the
new party, which was so soon afterward
to come to power. Many of them were
Democrats of the straightest sect, who not
only had always voted the regular ticket, but
could boast of Democratic ancestry running
back to the beginning of the party. They
had held to the name till it ceased to bear
any relations to the principles which called it
into existence, and had followed the leaders
till they had fairly countermarched and were
moving in q direction dametrically opposite
to that in which the fathers of the party set
out. But it was the crOwning outrage upon
the ballot-bOx, the attempt to dcfraud the
people of Kansas of their rights and defeat
their expressed will, that opened their eyes
at last to the tendencies of the party and the
purposes of the bold, bad men who had
assumed its leadership. 1t was then that
thousands of honest Democrats broke loose
from the old party and carried over to the
young and vigorous Republican organization
the strength which gave the latter for four
teen years uninterrupted success.


One would suppose that with so recent an
example in history before them of the in
eyitable result of such an experiment, the
leaders of the party now in power would
hesitate before undertaking in any State or
district of the Union to defeat the will of the
people, fairly and legally expressed at the
polls. Yet this is precisely what is now in
progress in Louisiana. No impartial person
can read the political history of that State for
the past two years without being convinced
that the will of the people has been persist
emily defeated by corrupt ring OF Federal
office holders, supported by the Administra-
ton at Washington. The story is familiar to
the readers of THE TRIBUNE. The peaceful
revolution of September, by which the Kel-
logg usurpation was driven out, and only re-
stored by the interference of the Federal Gov
ernment, went lar to show that the State
Government represented only minority, and
was in fact usurpation. But if there had
been any doubt on that point, the election of
November furnished conclusive proof of the
fact that majority of the people of the State
was opposed to tho corrupt Kellogg Govern
ment, and to the rascally Ring that, with the
aid of the Federal Army and Navy, had SO
long held the State by the throat. No reason
able man doubts that fair count Of the votes
cast at the November election would give the
Conservatives q clear and positive majority
in the Legislature. But the Kellogg Returning
Board, having held the returns under c0nsid-
Grafton for an unprecedented length Of time,
has made report which, instead of the thirty
or forty Conservative majority actually elected,
gives the Republican, or Administration, or
Kellogg party, or by whatever name it may
be called, q majority of two, and consequently
the organization and control of the Lcgisla-
ture. That this is dishonest, is only to say
that it is of q piece with the whole manage
ment of affairs under the Kellogg regime; that
it is utterly shameless is apparent enough
to all who have followed the course Of events
and the conduct of the Returning Board 1t
remains to be seen whether the outrage will
be sustained by tho Administration as the
Buchanan Administration undertook to sustain
the perpetrators of similar outrages in Kan
sas and afterwards, whether servilc party
organization will stand by the President i'll his
support Of this crowning iniquity.


Happily there can be no question as to what
action the people will take whenever the
matter shall come, rs il some time must, before
them for review. The Republican leaders may
be blind and mad, and it may be that through
prejudice and passion and partisansbip they
will be able to swing with them enough of
the rank and file Of the party to control the
organization. But the masses Of the people
will not be 80 led. Just SO surely US Kansas
killed the Buchanan Democracy will Louisiana
give the death. blow to Grant ReDublicanism,