The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1872-05-25

| u. IL IlHODkS,
Secretaries.
| To Hon. HORACE GREELEY, New York City.
MR.. GREELEY's REPLY.
| NEW YORK, Nay 20, 1872.
GENTLEMEN-I have chosen not to acknowl.
| edge your letter of the 3D. inst. until oould
learn how the work of your convention was re-.
Judge whether that work was approved and rsti.
fed BY the mass Of our fellow citizens Their
| response has from day to day reached me through
kilograms, lette-s. and comments of journs lists
independent OF official patronage, ana Indifferent
! to the smiles or frowns Of power The numbe:
| and character Of these unconstrsined, unpur-
chased, unsolicited uttersnces, satisfy me that
the movement which found q presson at Cincin-
natl has received the stamp of public approval,
and been hailed by ma ority Of our countrymen
az the harbinger Of better day for the republic.
do not misinterpret this approval az especially
complimentary to myself nor even to the chival.
roas and justly.esteemed gentleman with whose
name thank your convention for associa'ing
mine. receive and welcome ii as spontaneous
and deserved tribute to that admirable platform
OF principles wherein your convention 40 tersely,
20 lucidly, 60 forcibly set forth the convictions
which impelled, and the purposes which guided,
its COURSE platform which, casting behind it
the wreck and rubbish of worn.out conten tons
"oN sykohO 1CuueS CWooOics III III Euu lcW WUtus
the needs and aspirations Of to-day. Though
thousands stand ready to condemn your every
act hardly syllable OF criticism cavl has
been aimed at your platform, Of which the sub
stance may be fairly epito nized rs follows:
!. All political rights and franchises which
have been acquired through our late CONFUSION
ust and shall be guaranteed, maintained, en-
joyed, and respected evermor~.
9. All the political rights and franchises which
have been lost through that CONFUSION should
and must. be promptly restored and re-e.,ab.
Hshed, so that there shall be heneeior,h no pro-
scribed class and no disfranchsed caste within
the limits of our union. whose long.estrang ed
people shall re-unite and irA,ernize upon the
broad basis OF universal amnesty with impartial
suffrage
), That, TO our solemn constitutional obhga.
tion TO maintain the equal rights Of all citizens
our policy should aim 1T loc,! .elf.govern.n.nt
and not at Capitalization; that civil authority
should be supreme over the military: tina. the
writ Of habeas corpus should be ieaously upheld
as the safeguard Of personal freedom that the Ia.
dividual citizen should enjoy the larges. liberty
| consistent with public order, aud that there shall
be no subversion OF the internal policy Of the
several states and municipalities, but tina, each
shall be left free 70 enforce the rights and pro.
mote the well.beng Of its inhabitants bv such
means as the Judgment Of it- own people shall
p escrbe.
4. There shall be real and hot merely lin.
ulated reform IN the civil service Of the republic
70 which end it is indispen-at ,h,t the chief
dispenser of Its vast official patronage -h.ll be
shielded from the main temptation 20 use hi-
power seitshly, by rule ineXorably fJrbiGdug
and precluding his reelection.
D. That the raising Of revenue. whether by
tariff or otherwise, shall be recognized and treat.
ed as the peoples immediate business. to be
shaped md directed by them through their rep.
resentatives in congr-.-, whose action thereon
the president mus, neither override by his veto,
attempt to dictate, nor presume 20 punish by be-
slowing ONCE only on those who agree with him
or Withdrawing it from those who do not.
q That the pubic i,no must ee -,credly re-.
served for occupation aud scqui.i,len by culiiv..
tors, aud not '"ckl,-sl, squandered on the pro.
lectors OF Railroads, tor which our people have no
present need. and the premature construction of
which Is annually plunging Us into deeper and
deeper sbysses Of foreign Indebtedness.
Z. That the achievement of the grand pur.
poses Of universal beuefcspce is expected, and
sought AZ the hands Of al who approve them. n.
respective of party affiliations.
3. That the public faith must, at al hazards, be
maintained. and the national credit preserved.
.. That the patriotic devotedness aud ines,ma.
BILE services of fellow.citizens who AZ soldiers
or sailors, upheld the flag and maintained the
unity Of the republic, shall ever be gratefully re-
membsred and honorably requiled.
These propositions, SO ably and forcibly pre-.
seated in the platform Of your convention, have
slready fixed the attention aid commanded the
a.sent OF large majority Of our couutrymsn,
who joyf1lly adopt them, ~ do, Ms the basis Of
= true. benefioieut national reconstruction, of u
new departure from jeaousIcs, strifes. and hates
which have no longer adequate motive, or sven
plausible prete1t, into All atmosphere of peace,
fraternity, and mutual good will In vain do
the drill.sernesn,s Of dec, wing organizations
flourish menAoinvly their trunchcun.. and an.
grily insist th., the files shall b. closed and
straightened. In vain do the whippers.in of par.
ties, once vital b, iause roots in the vital needs
II the hour, protect ny mat strAy,ny and bulting
d-nouncs meu, nuwi-s their istrriors, ~ traitor,
and rrnegsde., aud threaten then, with inf,puy
and rule [ am confident til I the American
people have already made your cause their own,
fully resolved that their brave h-nrts and strong
arms shall bear IL IN ,o triumph In this faith,
md with the distinc, uuder-'. aiding that, il
elected, l should be president not ii party, but
of the whole people, l .ccspt your nomination,
in the cnnfident tru. tina, the masaes Of our
country insn, north aud south, are esvrr :" clasp
hands across the bloody chn-m va. h '".
long divided them, forge, ~. IT, =. h.w.
been e"emie. in the joyful g. IT,. c,u."..s Ia '"-.
are aud must henoefor,h ren.," brethren.
Yours vr teiully, HORACE GKEELY.
q" Hon. Carl Sohurx, President, Hon. Gee. W.
Julian. vice president, and Meu.r.. WIN. +. Nc.
Lem Jno. G. Davidson, J. II. Rhodes, .ecre.
,ariea Ut the national convention of liberal re-
publican. Of the United States.
|, SUCCEssrUL STRIKEs.-Strikes have been
quite rampant in New York tor the last few