About Republicans
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The designation of Republican to one of the two modem American political parties came into modern usage in 1854. But its origin goes back to the time of Jefferson and was tied in with the use of the Democrat.
Originally, republican was a vague, neutral term, because the Constitution had guaranteed to every state "a republican form of government." Jefferson in his first inaugural address in 1801 said, "We are all Federalists; we are all Republicans." On the other hand, since the Federalists—the party of the second president, John Adams,—were accused of being aristocrats, democrat offered itself as the natural counterpart of this term.
But man
objected to be called "democrats," because the word brought up visions of mob
rule in revolutionary France. Consequently, the Federalist used "democrat" in a
derisive, negative sense to throw at their "republican" rivals. Jefferson's
followers thus preferred to be called "Republicans," although the official name
of his party was Democratic-
Republican.
With the decline of the Federalists, political affiliations became a matter of personalities rather than parties. It must have been especially confusing to voters in 1824, when the four candidates for president were all members of the Republican Party. When Andrew Jackson won election four years later, his wing of the party decided to end all confusion and reintroduce "democrat" as a partisan label; immigrants also were drawn to this party in the decades ahead, because of the advocacy of 'democracy'—a semantic coincidence that Democrats did not mind trumpeting at election time.
In the meantime, the wing opposing Jackson under John Quincy Adams and John C. Calhoun first adopted the National Republican in 1832 and abandoned it altogether two years later for the English name. Whig, hoping to hang Jackson with unpopular name of Tory - the pro-British party during the American Revolution.
Thus the overused republican vanished as a popular political term for the next two decades. It became synonymous with democrat, especially in the South, where democrat! still retained it connotation of mob rule. Nevertheless, opponents of both Democrats and Whigs, such as the Native American Party in 1843, tried to resurrect republican:
"Our friends -will understand us as cutting adrift from both the political parties of the day—that we are neither Whigs or Democrats, but Republicans"
Similarly in 1848 the campaign of General Taylor (a Whig) tried to capitalize on the changing mood:
A new and mighty party is rearing its gigantic form before the -world. It is not merely the Whig party, nor the Democratic party—not the Native party nor the slavery party—it is the great Taylor Republican party.
The anti-Taylor Whigs, however, claimed that Taylor had "appropriated" the Whig name, and they called themselves "Republicans." It seemed everyone wanted to be Republicans!
The modem use of Republican followed all this confusion some 20 years later. Alvan E. Bovay, born on July 12, 1818, in Adams, Jefferson County, NY suggested in 1852 to New York Tribune editor Horace Greeley that a new party—formed of disaffected Democrats, Whigs and Free-Soilers—take Republican as its name:
Urge them to forget previous political names and organization, and to band together under the name I suggested to you at Lovejoy's Hotel in 1852...I mean the name Republican.
These groups met at Ripon, Wisconsin, on February 28,1854, and the name was adopted at a state party convention at Jackson, Michigan, on July 6, when it was:
Resolved, that ..we will cooperate and be known as Republicans until the contest be terminated.
James A. Woodbum, professor of American history and politics at Indiana University, wrote in 1903, that a direct philosophical link can be drawn between Jefferson's Republicans and the modem Republican party:
^ The new party fell back to the old and honored name of Republican, the name which had been preferred and approved by Jefferson for the party which he founded, and the new anti-slavery restrictions now called upon the nation to walk again in the path marked out by Jefferson, the original Free-Soiler, who, with other Republicans of his day, had so persistently striven to prevent the extension of slavery to Western territory—an attempt that had won such notable success in the important (Northwest) ordinance of 1787.
As of the evolution of Jackson's Democrat party—often called the Democracy up until the Civil War—Republicans continued to argue for a slight alteration, and one used today by the Republican National Committee. As reported in the Ohio State University Lantern in its October 7, 1995 issue:
Lately (then
Republican National Committee Chairman Leonard) Hall has
tartly referred to the "Democrat" party rather than using the more common term,
the "Democratic "party...Hall says he
dropped the "ic"
from Democratic because "I think their (the Democrats') claims that they
represent the great mass of the people, and we don't, is just a lot of
bunk."
Indeed, it can be argued that the Republican party can rightfully claim the name Democratic-Republican in the wake of the "formation" of the so-called "new" Democrat party by presidential candidate Senator George McGovern's radical followers.
The Republican Philosophy
WE BELIEVE:
That the right of the individual to achieve the best that is within him or her, as long as he or she respects the rights of others, is the source of our Nation's strength.
That the government exists to protect the freedom of opportunity in which each individual's creative ability can flourish.
That the government activities should be limited to those things which people cannot do at all, or cannot do so well for themselves.
That the most effective government is closest to the people.
That those who cannot provide for themselves should be assisted by both government and society, but that every effort should be made to help them become self-supporting , productive citizens with pride in their independence.
That equal rights, equal justice and equal opportunity belong to all, regardless of race, creed, age, sex, or national origin.
That the preservation of our Nation and the security of our citizens depend upon the constitution, the laws and the courts, and that respect for them is the responsibility of every individual.
That government is accountable for maintaining sound money and a responsible economy. Individual rights, liberties and properties are continually eroded when citizens are oppressed by excessive taxation, inflation, government waste and over-regulation.
That government is responsible for national defense and that only a strong America can remain a free America.
That it is absolutely essential to maintain a strong national defense posture in order that we may at all times negotiate from a position of strength, not weakness, in our continuing efforts toward world peace and friendship.
That these concepts are the foundation of our national strength and that the Republican Party, which is committed to their preservation, is the Party of today, and the Party of the future.
Lincoln's Ten Guidelines
YOU cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
YOU cannot help small men by tearing down big men.
YOU cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
YOU cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
YOU cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich.
YOU cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.
YOU cannot further brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
YOU cannot establish security on borrowed money.
YOU cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence.
YOU cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.