Democratic Sentinel, Volume 5, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 July 1881 — The Republican Party. [ARTICLE]

The Republican Party.

The Republican party is this year unfortunate in its relations to various public questions. The elections in three States are likely to become interesting, and differing difficulties will beset the Republican party in each of these States, and in each of these States the embarrassments in the others will prove embarrassing. The three States whose elections will attract curiosity are Ohio, New York, Virginia. In Ohio the relations of Republican campaign to the temperance advocates are not altogether lovely. The late Republican Legislature, aided by Gov. Foster, succeeded in alienating, probably, about 20,000 or 30,000 votes from the Republican party of Ohio. The Republican managers will reap the reward of insincerity, of hypocrisy, of unfair dealing. The plank in the Cleveland platform concerning this subject is an insult to all voters in Ohio who have convictions of any kind upon the temperance topics. It is cowardly, dishonest, a trick. It cannot win a liberal vote touching this subject. Placed alongside the behavior of the late Republican Legislature it will inevitably drive away many thousands of voters who have been in the habit of voting the Republican ticket. The relations of the Republican campaign in Ohio to the subject of caste are not encouraging to that organization. The Republican managers have all along laid special stress upon this idea in relation to caste. They have ostentatiously denounced the spirit of caste. The greatest men of the Republican party made their fame by antagonizing the spirit of caste. But the Republican Convention at Cleveland insulted every Israelite in Ohio. It refused to nominate for the small position of Lieutenant Governor a gentleman thoroughly competent, honored in his own city and beyond it, for the sole reason that he was an Israelite. Verily, they will receive their reward. The attitude of the Republican party toward public virtue at this moment is peculiarly unfortunate for it and for public virtue. The star route swindles, which will not be any too rapidly made known to the public—which would have been more rapidly and thoroughly made known had Democrats access to the books—have really caused some men to believe that “ a change” would not be a national calamity. The hope of public virtue does nob confidently rest in or upon the Republican organization. If we look to Virginia we find that the Republican organization is become an ally and supporter of what it has vociferously called repudiation, and the alliance is not gratifying to Ohio Republicans. If we look to New York we find the Republican house divided against itself, and such a house can not stand. The greatest living men in the Republican party are hostile to this administration, opposed to the Republican organization as it is. These things are not unknown in Ohio, and naturally lead the friends of Democracy, of a better Government, of a change, to thank God and take, courage like Paul at the Three Taverns. The preponderating probabilities are JJjat the three States, named above, will all file notice upon the Republican machinery as now organized, and on the Republican methods as now known, that they are not liked.—Cwicdmiari Fnquirer.