Year: 1874

The following remarks from the Peoples
Independent views with impartial eyes the
present status of the two old parties, and
shows why and how the Independent party
must naturally attract beneath its broad
banner every good man, and eventually re-
deem our country from the wicked oppres-
sion imposed upon US by Republican rule


"The time has come when the good men
of all parties ought to unite. They are
uniting now and we believe they will con-
tinue TO unite until they sweep both old
parties out of existence. Democrats have
learned that their party is passing into "the
sere and yellow leaf" and that being in the
decline of life no amount of nursing or phys
icing can restore it to the vigor of by-gone
days. Its career Of usefulness is ended,
and it must in the course of nature soon
die. But while the old party as an organi-
zation must cease to exist, its principles are
undying, and hence intelligent men are will
ling to unite in young and more vigorous
party holding the best principles of Democ-
racy and better capable of trumphing with
them. The Republican party having full
iilcu ltS HisSioIi, IL DuI d S"iNahAcu wi Peo
to-day. 1t is kept alive by the electric cur
rent constantly passing through it from
battery located in the Treasury Department.
Or to use familiar expression, it is kept
fiom dissolution by 'the cohesive power of
public plunder." The honest and good men
Of the party seeing this to be the case, are
turning their backs upon it and uniting un-
der the banner of reform with new organ-


zation embodying the best principles of their
party, and without its errors and faults.
After all, the old Jeffersonian principles are
dear to large majority of the American
people-to Republicans and Democrats
alike-and therefore it is not a difficult mat
ter to construct platform that will be ac
ceptable to BOTH A strict construction of
the constitution. equal and exact justice to
all men, free trade and opposition to monop-
olies and every class of robbery-these are
the groundwork of the new party, and
they are Democratic principles and Repub
lican principles. In each party there is an
opposing element believing in high tariffs,
encouraging monopolies, and favoring the
few ia all things at the expense of the
many. They are composed largely of the
CidoS Aho"H do poiit'CidhS VIM SSA"Pio "e "O
means to secure certain ends, and ever
ready to fleece the people when they can
profit by the robbery. These are all against
the new movement because they can hope
for nothing from it. Then there is another
class composed of old foges who have
learned to love the old parties as they do
their own lives, and who can see nothing
wrong in them. They cling with fondness
and wonderful tenacity to them. They are
ever ready to invent excuses for their short
comings while they denoupce the opposite
party for doing the same things. These are
the incorrigbles who are determined to die
in the last ditch with the good old banner
waving over them. They fail to see that
this indulgence of selGshness is incompatible
with the duties of citizen, and will con-
tinue to hug the corpse as long as tley
live. They are blind because they delioer-
ately shut their eyes and will not see. OF
such there is no hope. The two classes
named can see no virtue in the new organi
zation, end have no faith in the ability Of
the people to bring about reforms through
it. They say the old parties are good
enough, and that the good men ought to
purify them, forgetting that they have fallen
into the hands of the rogues and good men
are powerless in them.