The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-12-07

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that the real reason for electlng Hayes,
after all, was that If he did not, the CON
version Of the six per cent. bonds in
London would stop. This he knew was
true, because somebody in Washington
had read 1t in letter from some one in
London, and that he would advise an
uprising" of merchants and bankers.
Mr.. Chandler thereupon called upon the
merchants and bankers to uprise, abont
the public credit, and ask Mr.. Evarts for
aspeech it. This gentleman delivered
speech acco djngly, but said nothing in
it about the public credit, which made
the company again laugh, and they said
they supDo ed it was just as
well, and that they would get the SeCre'
tary of State to say how and when the
Republican party would resume specie
payments. The Secretary appeared ac-
Cordingly, and said that he could not say
exactly when it would resume, but it
would probably be in the nightJ they
would wake up and find resumption 60
ing; if they did not they might rely on
it they would never see him again. This
caused great merriment, and it was gen
orally agreed that noctural resumption
was capital idea and that Mr.. Morrill,
was financier. Here Mr.. Chandler and
Mr.. Jay Gould-whom we had observed
sitting with him in the pulpit all along
both began to look pale and unComfort-
able, and Mr.. Chandler, in answer to in
auiries as to what allied him, said good
news was coming in from every quarter"
that "the skies were frightening all
around" and that he felt that some
prompt measure should be taken to save
the party. On suggestion OF Egentng Post
and Tribune, it was resolved, under the
peculiar circumstances of the case, to
publish Hayes letter once more, and ad'
vocated his election on that, and this was
done for about week before the elec
ton. ..u, ...tUa Hn.
As we came away sorrowfub we asked
ourselves whether ii in July last we had
been invited to support Hayes on a plat
form composed exclusively of outrages,
claims, TiIden's income tax, Terre Haute
and Brady's Bank frauds, danger to pub
lie credit, and noCtural resumption, with
Chandler, Blaine, Morton and bob" In
gersoll as head preachers and managers,
we would have consented, and we found
we had no difficulty in saying decidedly,
no. We should never have any hesita-
ton about it. As matters stood we did
the best we could. We protested against
the course things were taking; we re-
minded Mr.. Hayes and his friends that
this was a reform campaign, and that
though he might doubtless mean well,
and was not going to commit himself to
the hands of bad men, he must not tax
too severe y the faith and patience of
that small body of independent voters
to whom, if elected, he would owe his
election. Dignity is very desirable
thing in candidate, and etiquette haslts
uses, but there are occasions when
dignity and etiquette have to be sacri'
feed for more important things, AMI 1t is
in knowing when to sacrifice them that
is shown. To the question why
did Mr.. Hayes allow Chandler and Blaine
the complete discretion they apparently
enjoyed in carrying on the canvass, the
answer usually made us has been that he
had too much dignity to interfere, and
that anyhow he could not at present at-
ord to offend these men. The result, we
think, shows that on this point he was
The thing hr could not afford
to do was to put his political fortunes in
their hands. The lesson of the election
is that the only way to convince the peo-
pie tnat you are to be reform President
is to begin by showing yourself to be a
reform candidate. a m
We do not knotU exactly what Mr.. Hayes
ought to have done, because we do not
know what he did do. But we think
that he might in some manner have
saved reformers from the intolerable
of having either to pretend
not to see Chandler at the head OF the
canvass, or to pretend that he was a
proper person 10 be there. The emil
nent man himself, we believe, made a
show of hesitating about holding both |
the Secretary of the Interior and the
Chairman of the National Committee,
and this hesitation gave Mr.. Hayes an |
of putting in a word that
might have decided him in the right |
way. The prominence assumed by |
Blaine added to the difficulty. In short,
without going any further, reformers
found themselves called upon, within a
month of the opening of the canvass, to |
include in their support OF the Republi-
can candidates appreciation of Chandler,
Morton, Blaine, Cameron, and all the
group, and general forgettulness Of the
past, and trust to Mr.. Hayes personal
frmness, of which he Iefrained from
making any exhibition, to protect them
against the consequences of their folly or
The only upright course
seemed to us to be to continue, in season
and out of season, to call attention to the
real causes and real aims of the reform
and at the same time give
Mr. Hayes as much support as it was
possible to give man whose political
in the main we're bad. If
be is now elected, we shall be delighted
TO see him carry out the programme laid
down in his letter, and in doing it he will
have our hearty support, But with re-
gard both to him and Mr.. Tilden we eshall
wait for performance before beginning
our praises. ~.