Year: 1876

splrlt u those institutions Is em 0rhced in
the rule ofthe majority, and a triter say
ing thanthat of Grant in reply to John.
son-"This is republic, where the will
of the people-is the law of the land" wa:
never uttered. The decision of all ques-
tions of policy or Of government, except
those in which the exigency requires inn
mediate action, are left to the arbi ira
ment Of the ballot box, and the people
decide, in the choice Of men, the princi-
pies which are to govern the nation. And
any and all proceedings which tend to
nullify the viii of the people are revolu-
tiorary and subversive of the cause OF
4 popular government.


1t is part Of the Democratic programme
! to secure "united South" for Tiden and
/ Hendricks. If this result be effected it
1 will be indicative of one of two things.
I Either the principles and administration
of the Republicans are so obnoxious 70 the
Southern people that they unite to drive
the party from power, or the voice of
Republicanism is stifled in that section OF
our country. If the former be the case,
there must be grave errors on the part of
the party in power to unite against it the
entire strength Of a section; if tie latter,
it is a state Of affairs disgracofu to our
boasted freedom and one which calls
loudly fol a remedy. For if the party in
power is guilty Of such acts Of oppression
as creates unity of sentiment in opposi-
ton to 1t, justice and humanity alike de-
mand that it be hurled from the position
which it uses to so bad advantage. No
course of oppression can long continue to
exist which will not arouse the indigna-
ton of fair minded citizens. and change
the current Of politics. Every party is
justly held responsible for an abuse of
power, and the principle which so holds
it is one not to be gainsayed.


Let us see how the case really stands.
At its organization and for some years
afterwards, the Republican party was
held to be sectional one. 1t had no
foothold in any of the Southern States.
The secession movement made it ma
tional party. 1t formed the nucleus
around which Union men could cling in
Texas and Georgia, as in Maine and In
diana. It's efforts to perpetuate the I'm
ion were successful, aud by the aid Of the
negro vote it became a power in the
South as well as at the North. 1t was
humane and liberal in its treatment to-
ward its conquered foes. II granted am
nesty to those who had been engaged in
rebellion and restored to them the fullest
rights of citizenship. And in return for
this we are told that United South will
be arrayed against the party. And the
ominous threatenings of the Southern
press, the reports, we'll authenticated,
which come to us from that quarter, ind-
cate pretty plainly how this result is to be
achieved. When sectional feeling is ap-
pealed to in one quarter, it leads to the
same condition in other places, and if we
have a united South to day, it may be
followed by a united North tomorrow
The Republican party have at no time
found it necessary to resort to violent
demonstrations to gain their political vic
tories. Even in the darkest hour of the
nations peril, the balo.-box was un-
trammeled in every Northern State. In
every Northern State there are Southern
men residing, and it will not be disputed
that their lives are ms secure as are the
lives of any other citizens; that their
ballots are as free as are the ballots of
those who are native and 'to the manor
born" that their social privileges are
just what they themselves make them,
and that any one who would attempt to
molest them in their just rights would be
considered bad citizen. We hear no
reports Of Democratic meetings being
broken up or Democrats murdered for
case is reversed. One by one the South
ern States have been redeemed" to De-
mocracy, but no intelligent man can pro-
fess ignorance of the manner in which
this has been effected. 1t was not done
by fair expression of the will Of the peo
pie, but rather because the will of the
people was overawed. This is not
pleasant picture to look upon, but we be-
lieve it TO be true one. We trust the
day will come when any man can speak
and vote his opinions rs freely in one State
as in another, but that day will lot come
while we have Democratic party, whose
leaders every where are apologsts for
every crime which inures to their politi-
cnl advantage. 1t is only in the continu-
ed ascendency of Republicanism, with its
broad and liberal educational ideas, its
progressive measures looking to the in
telectual advancement of the whole peo-
pie that true freedom can be maintained.


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