Year: 1876




Whether the republican party is the real
| party of reform is question which now in
terests and puzzles a large number of voters,
who do not quite know on which side of the
political fence to get down. These voters
do not like the democratic party they do
not believe that democratic success would
| give the country very important reforms.
| They are not much encouraged by the con-
| duet of the democratic House of Represent
atives which has shown, in their opinion,
no greater wisdom than its republican pred
ecessors, ana a capacity for selfish legisla-
tion, as in the River and Harbor bill for ig-
norant Legislation, as in some of the bills
scaling salaries and for wholesale and in
discriminate removals from Office as in the
kicking out of their petty places of number
of crippled Union soldiers, which do not
| give much hope of prudent or decent con-
| duct if the whole administration of the
| government should fall into their hands.
| Nevertheless, the class of voters of whom
we speak are still undecided. They do not
like the democrats; but they prefer to see
these come into power rather than to risk
another four years of such demoralizing mis-
rule as has been tolerated by General Grant.
They are waiting to see if there are real
signs OF reform in the republican party If
there is a reasonable probability that the re-
form clement in that party will rule 1t If 1t
is once more put in power.


So far, it must be confessed, these watchers
on the fence top have not much reason for
encouragement The letter Of Governor
Hayes satisfies them; but they remember
that General Grant wrote quite as sensibly
and decidedly on civil service reform. Some
of them believe that General Grant meant
| just as honestly what he wrote as Governor
Hayes, and that if he had not found himself
under the control Of the party leaders he
would have acted up to his promises
with moro or less success. The Hayes
| letter needs therefore, to be reinforced
by other and general acts of the party,
before it can give confidence to the doubling
voters of whom we speak. Now, when they
look about for evidence, what, up to this
time, do they see? Alas they have but lit
tie to console them. They see Mr.. Zachariah
Chandler made chairman of the Republican
National Committee, and they do not think
that means reform. They see United States
Marshal Packard republican candidate for
Governor in Louisiana, and that does not
mean reform. They see Sheats, a tool Of
Senator Spencer, made republican candidate
for Governor in Alabama -Sheats, a person
so incompetent that he had to be turned out
of his place in the Post Office Department in
Washington because he was actually too ig-
norant to master the formal details of the
place, SO notoriously incapable that in 1874 the
very negroes refused to vote for him for Con-
gress because, they said, he was mot fit"
They see Orth republican candidate for Gov
ernor in Indiana with charges against him
in Washington which would subject him to
criminal prosecution if it were not for a
statute of limitations. They see Jewell dis
missed from the Cabinet and Babcock re-
tanned in his place as Commissioner of Pub
lie Grounds and Buildings They see Com
missioner Pratt go out in cool disgrace,
and the Senators who opposed him in
tluential favorites at the White House.
That is to say, they see the old Ring. the
old spirit-that which they hate and fear
still apparently predominant in the republi-
can party, and that not only at Washington,
but in the State organizations and they
listen in vain for some party leader to pro-
test against all this and to summon the party
to unload its camp followers and turn out
of the control the men who have brought
disgrace on it. Nobody speaks or, if any
one does, he is not listened to.


What sound or reasonable ground for
hope have men, therefore, who want reform,
who would like to vote the republican ticket,
but who feel that it is better and safer in
every way to risk four years of democratic
rule rather than to allow the republican
Senatorial Ring and it's followers in the
States to be strengt gthened and consolidated
by four years more Of power? The voters of
whonp we speak make up considerable and
important part of the republican party.
They are not and will not be democrats,
unless the democratic party should display
a wisdom, prudence and decency of which
they believe it so far gives no signs They
nav not even in November vote the demo-
cratic ticket. But unless there appear very
soon some definite evidences in the repub-
lican party that the reform spirit has the
lead and that the same men are not to con-
troll the party under Hayes who have con-
trolled it under Grant these voters will stay
at home. And if they stay at home if they
tahe no interest in the success of the ticket,
the republican party will be defeated in
November. Nor ought it to succeed under
r. 4
for its fruits only the continuance of the
present regime every interest in the country
demands its defeat. 1t is better to take the
democrats, with all their capacity for folly,
than TO take back for another term the men