Page:History of the newspapers of Beaver County, Pennsylvania.djvu/44

28 HISTORY OF BEAVER COUNTY PAPERSf. bis advisers thought the 'Eepublican' wotild not suit thcna in other hands." The fierceness of the party spirit is well sho-rni in an editorial of the paper in its issue of April 24, 18S4, here given in full ; "We did not, we could not expect to escape the assaults of party abuse, but we did not imagine these assaults would have been as virulent as they have been. We have expressed our sentiments fearlessly, and for this we are denounced by the leaders of a party that docs not tolerate independence. They have threatened to prostrate our press. They may do so. We cannot pre- tend to have means sufiicient to withstand the combi- nation of any set of men. We may go down, but if we do we have the satisfaction of knowing that the dynasty they maintain ia also near its end, and that we fall not in such company. We have comfort in this feeling, but we trust we have friends among the lovers of the Con- stitution and the laws who will not suffer the tramplmg power of an arrogant and domineering faction to succeed in overthrowing every press that dares to breathe its political heresy. Is it not enough to awaken the people to a sense of the danger that threatens their liberties, when office holders and the partisans of what ought to have been a Eepublican administration, not only applaud the abuse of power in the Executive head, but also mark as the victims of their vengeance, all who have the in- dependence to raise their voices against it. We will hold on however, on our course, and though the breakers of party may now and then bulge in a board, yet we will repair as we can, the damage we may sustain, and our barque shall not founder for want of a hand to guide. Are our antagonists, displeased with their name? Let them change their principles. Let them learn to reverence the Constitution whch divides the powers of the government and denies to any branch a supreme authority over the whole — and we will gladly accord to