Year: 1879

very strange that even one citizen of
the Republic should seek its destruction;
and it is incomprehensible that a great
political party should base its sole claim
to support on the theory that the United
States of America do not constitute q
Nation with the right of self-preserva-
ton through the exercise of every
power known to any governmental or
ganism! 1t is astonishing that both of
the great political parties of the coun-
try are compelled to relegate to the fu-
ture all questions of administration
questions of taxation and revenue, and
questions of fnance-in order to give
place to the one supreme question: Are
we Nation, or q mere aggregation of
States held together by a simple con-
tract in the nature of a treaty, which
any one of the contracting parties
States-may abrogate at pleasureP Un-
der the impression that the War of the
Rebellion settled this question in favor
of the integrity and unity of the Nation,
thousands of Republicans quit the Re-
publican party during the period of
1872-1876, on the ground of its contin-
ued adherence to the theory that the


Southern wing of the Democratic party
was still inimical to the Nation. Con-
servative citizens who did not carefully


note the political signs of the times
failed to comprehend what appeared to


be an absurd proposition This defee-
ton from the Republican party resulted
in the ascendency of the Democratic
party in Congress. The Democratic
control of the Lower House of Con-
gress in 1876 verified the theory of
Radical Republicans, who had all
along maintained that the ruling
element in the Democratic party
counsels-the Southern wing-had
by no means abandoned its hostile
attitude toward the Nation as opposed
to the dogma of the absolute sovereign
ty of the States. The fact becoming
apparent, there was a change in public
sentiment. Many disaffected Republic
ans resumed their old party affiliations,
and in 1873 greatly reduced the Demo-
cratic majority in the popular branch
of Congress. But the repentance came
too late to save the Senate. The bull
DOING and frauds which made all the
Southern State Governments solidly
Democratic gave those States almost q
solid representation in the Senate, and
the Republican detection in 1874'76 re-
suited in such Democratic gains at the
North that its control of the Senate was
assured. The Congressional session of
1873 and the special session of this year
rendered still more evident the fact of
Democratic hostility to the Nation. 1t
was boldly denied that there could be
such an event as National election,
and a most determined attempt was
made to erase from the statute books
every enactment which implied such an
event. Coupled with this attempt was
the declaration of the purpose of the
Democratic party to repeal by whole
sale all the legislation intended to pre-
serve the fruits of the late war. This
for the Nation and National
laws so prominently and defantly ex-
pressed in Congress produced an imme-
diate effect at the South. The Southern
journalists began to denounce the Con-
stitution, the flag, and the recOnstruc-
ton laws. and these denunciations in
creased in violence from day to day un-
til the Okolona States came out boldly.
new revolution! A
significant circumstance in this
connection is the fact that the
of the States has rap
idly increased, and other papers,
observing that their. contemporary has
caught the popular breeze. follow with
more or less fervor in its wake. Thus
we have indubi.able evidence that the
States, which pronounces unqualihedly
against the Union and in favor of the
dogma of absolute State independence,
most accurately reflects Southern pub
lie sentiment. To the same effect are
the inculcations of the Yazoo assassina-
ton. That horrible event shows con-
clusively that with a Democratic Con-
gress the Democrats of Mississippi have
no fear of being brought to book, by
National authority, for political crimes,
however heinous; and that they propose
to nullify, absolutely. the negro-suffrage
amendment to the Constitution. This,
then, is the situation: the house is on
fire,-and the incendiaries are Demo-
Gratis. It-is not to be presumed that
they would, if they could, exhQghisr
the flames they have kindled. 1t fol-
lows that to give the Democratic party
control of the Government would be to
doom it to destruction. No situation


could be more grave. 1t is its gravity


which has reunited all the factions of


the Republican party. As the attempt


to shoot the Union to death divided the


people into two distinct, solid, opposing


masses-the party of patriots and the


party of traitors, in the words of the


famented Douglas-so the threat of the


Democratic party to disintegrate the


Union by law and administration drives


from its affiliation the conservative


class, and forces them ipto the Repub-


lican ranks. The issue under such


circumstances cannot be doubtful.


The proposition to even menace the


Union with dismembermenti is not mere


ly threat against the integrity of a


great Nation; it is q menace equally to


the happiness and prosperity of every


citizen of the country. Chicago TTib-


t'se.