The Republican Party

William B. Moran, Chairman of the Democratie State Committeo of Michigan, recenJJy addressed a note to Hon. William L. Webber, of East Saginaw, requesting his views on the political situation. The latter responded in an able letter of great length, from which ■we make the followiiig extract : I do not bolievo our country can over proaper sxoepi when tho üovernment ahall bo adminisered In aooordance with Democratie principies. Xo partv diseanling theso principie crii long rospef. Tlie aeemiug oxception of the success of tho ltopublican party for eighteon years grow but of the peculiar eircumatancoe of tho -imatiou; but the incapacity of that party to ■onci'tly administer the Government in times of m-aec is most clcarly demonstrated by tho prea■iit rondition of affaira. With auch a platform, and with uch a gloriouh record as tlie Dcmocracy bas made for ltself in adminlsterlng tbc affaire of tho nation in mea past, it is not surprising that Demócrata cling to it as tho sheet anchor of the nation's safetv. No Democrat can foraako it; it cannot be kiiled, because trnth i immortal and Democracy is fonnded upon the rock of truth. Thé Kepnblicau partv was foundod upon a sentiment, not a principie. It was formcd aa a aectional party and haa ever exiated aa auch. It can never bocome a national party, becauso its objects and ita'ftima are not in aecordanco with the principies upon which the Governmont waa founded. They are revolutionary in their tondency. Thore aro bad men in all parties, but tho maas of all parties aro equajly honoat and equally desirous that such policiea ahould auccecd as will beet promote the good of all. A party ia not to be held reHponsible for tho acts of i bad man aimply becanse he has allied himaelf with the party. A thief is no leea a thief whether he calla himself a Republican, a Democrat, or a National. Ho is an onemy to society. It ia only when a party acreons the wrongdoer, bv reason of hia partisan aasociations, or whon if continúes liim m power, or reward him af ter lúa iniquity is kuown. If thia is done, then the party ia to bo held roRponaible. Mistaken may be made by men of all partios, but aa aoon as a mistake is discovcred it abotild 1)0 admitted as a miatake and 1)0 discarded by the party. If the party approve it and peraiat in it, then the party bccomea responsiblc. Theao propositiona are 'believcd to be sound, and trir.l by thil test tbc Kcpublican party must be liclil reaponsible for a suriea of erimoa againat our form of government, and againat tho people, which eau only be expiated by it total extinction. We are making history, and for tho sake not only of ouraelves, but of tliose who may come aftèr us, the people should crush tlio licpublicau party, that ita prácticos may not become precedente. With The extinction of slavei-y the original miasion of tlie Kepnblican party was ended. It was organizad to tear down; it haa no skill tobnildup. But it was in power in the nation, and in moet of the States, and it asked only how that power conld be best rctained. It nevor learncd that the atrongth of a nation conaiats in the affection of its parta. Love of country aa a conient to bind many inio ene was foï-oigu to its thoughts. Forci was tho only means conaidered. It sought" to make secesnion a succoss by doclaring tlu: Union alrcady broken and that tlie rebellion of citizens bad produced that effect Defeated in this by the Supreme Court, under the pretenso of protoeting the negro in bis rights but rcally to keep itaelf in power, it gave him tlio ballot, and then in dehanco of law these colored citizeiiH (cqual in the eyo of the law with tlie wisest and best) were taken under guardiansbip without their consent, and it asBnmed that they wonld unitedly give it theii votca. Whon these newiy-enfranchiael citizens sought to vote as tliey pleaaed, by forco an: against tho law, eleetiona wero declared voic and tlie oflicera electcd wero refuaed permiaaion to tako their offices, and thia in direct violation of the coustitution. It asBumed in Cougresa to pass lawa on subjects not within the power of Congress, anc tlms sought to effect a revolution ia govornment This party arrogatcd to itself a power abovo the eonstitution. Under the tyraut's plea ol "necessity," a higher law was proclaimed, ant thia party conatituted itself tlie exponent of that law. All who opposed the doctrine of the highei law were villiliod and perseeuted. To refuso obedience to the flat of tho party, no matter what had been the service or sufferinga in the canse of the Union, was to incur the aeveres punishment tho party could bestow, and this without regard to anv law known to the courts. So long aa the fint of the party wae obeyed, no matter how much the law was violated, the offender waa Bcreened. Witnes, for examplo, the ñendisli attempt to impeach President Johnson for striving to enforce tho provisiona of the constitution, and tho shameful spectaelo of tho Preaident of the United States volunteoring his evidetice, and thereby hia influenco, to saveBabcock from ïneritod punishment. Witnesa the contribution from the present Chairman of the Mirhipm Republican Committeo of a thousanc doüirs to aid Baheock to escape. To onumerate the crimea of the Rcpnblican party against the people would require a volume" This volume will be writtcn, but that ia the work of the historian. I can give but fow items. At the expense, not only of every pnncipl of civil liberty, but of vaat auma of money drawn from the taxjiayera, it kept the Union in turmoil for more than ten years af ter tho war closed. It haa declared in aubstance and offoct tha the war for the Union had destroyed the uuiot of the Statea, and that power waa contralizod in the General Government by the war in deflance of the constitution, ivhich dcclaroa that "the powers not delegated to the United Statea bv the constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to tho Statea roapectively,' or to tho people. Regardleaa of the heavy bnrdens necesaarily imposed in defense of the "Union, it has wantonly increaaed thoso burdons by creating new a"nd unneecsaary ofticea aa rewards for partiaan favoritoa, and 'to peqetuate ita power given them high salaries, and has alao greatly increased the salaries formerly fixed by law, doubling the pay of the Preaident, voting back pay to ita Congressmen, and defrauding the aoldiers by its post-traderships and the people by fraudulent coutracts in the navy and other dopartinents. For the Credit Mobilior awindle, defrauding frcedmiii, (randa in the conshyuction of public buildings, and the whisky ring, thia party ia directly responsible. It bas also to anawer for the crime of forcuig the freed nogi-o to be a prey to unserupulous and aelfish miscreants who only sought to uao liim as a moans of power and emolument. The next census will teil a fearful tale in this regard. By its action and the action of its party leaders it has corrupted the moral senao of tho fieople, and the fearful catalogue of dofalcaions and hreachoa of truat which the country bas witnesaed aro but the legitímate outgrowth of ita example. It has discriniinated betwoen tho Government and tho people, asauming their iuterests to be unliko, and striving to build up a atrong governmont to keep the people in subjei-tion. By force and f raud it defeated the will of people, at the last Preaidcntial eloction, and thereby greatly endangered tho peaco of the country, which was proaerved only by the forbearance and patriotism of the Domocracy, whn preferred to suffer ovon thia great wrong, for tilia once only, rathor than plungo the country into hloodshed for the enforcement of their rights. On all fiuancial matters it haa favored the rich even at the exponao of the Governmont, and relving on tho atrength of the army bas bidden detianee to tho struggling poor. It passed the Pnblic Credit act, pledging tho faith of the nation to pay moro than tho contract called for, and agreeing that the Government ahould not avail itself of privilegca giveu by the contraot It lias provided one cuiTency for the bondholder and another for tho people. It bas built up a non-taxpayera' ctess by its i . inpticin uf lionds from taxatiou. It domonetized silver. It inercased the expenses of tlie Government from $2 for each pcraon in I80O tb $&78 for cach peraon in l'.l, as ahown in President .JohiiHim's last annual moasago, an iucreaso of 389 por cent., wbile in the sanie time the POPUlation increased only 23 per cent. and tlie aaficwafld valuation of " the country incroasod leas Ulan 'JO per (■ent. lt lias vesjted tho administration with such a disbr'ètion and control over the flnaneea as to enaUtit at its will to oxpand or contract the circulation, a power valuablo only to enable its favonios to aoqxdre fortunes on Wall atreet but which the good of all demands should never bo left in discretion butcontrollcd by law. Ithas made civil-wrvice reforma hy-word and a reproach. When Mr. Jewell refuacd to permit the asseasment of bis clerks for partisan purposes hia reaignation was demanded. When Bxistow in good faith sought to enforco the law againat the whisky ring lie waa obligad to leavo tho Cabinet ïhe whisky ring had bied for tho party, and itn power would be broken should the "sinews of war" fail. It haa made the military superior to the civil power. lts constant action bas been revolutionary, tending to a permanent change in the fonn of government.