The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1876-07-14
Vhe Gully Areas,
ROCK ISLAND, .......... ILLINOIS.
From the So. Louis Republican
Gov Tavas's T,aftaY


Gov Hayes's letter.
That staunch Republican paper, the
Boston transcript, declared few days ago
that Gov. Hayes's letter of acceptance
would decide whether he or Samuel j.
Tildcn would be elected president of the
United States" Well, after three weeks
of incubation the letter has been produced,
and it is just such a one as will satisfy no.
body except those who would have been
satisned had it been an extract from last
year almanac La other words, no earn
est and intelligent Republican who. fully
realizing the domoralizing and destructive
effects of Grantism, had hoped to hear
brave and manly words from the candi-
date of his party, can fnd single grain of
solid comfort or encouragement IN it. The
letter was undoubtedly written by Gov
Hayes himself. for it is prominently
Hayesy from beginning to end. Soft,
smoot hand easy,lt might answer very well
as poultice for a pimple on the body
polite, but it will have no more effect up
on the fierce cancer which is eating the
political life Of the nation than so much
milk and water. No one would suspect,
from reading this document, that we are
approaching the termination of the worst
administration the country has ever known
that we have had seven years and four
months of a rule so disgraceful and dirty
that no true American can contemplate II
without blush and q curse; that a Re
publican president and Republican party
are directly and solely responsible for
it, Had Gov. Hayes been enjoying a Rir
Van Wrinkle slumber he could not have
ignored more completely and utterly the
main, the only issue Of the present cam
paign. He seems to believe with Johr
Logan, that ANY man who talks about re-
form has no business in the Republican
party" for he uses the word reform bu
| twice, and thenin connection with certain
special abuses, and not with any reiernce t
| the great mass of wrongs which Republican
ism has piled upon the government. This
remarkable retence is due to the fact which
he proclaims at the outset: The resolu
tons Of the convention are in accord will
my views, and | hereby concur in thu
principles they announce" Here is reso
luton number seventeen:
1.-THE national administration merits commend
alton for its honorable work in the management o
| domestic and foreign affairs, and Presden
Grant deserves the continued and artv gratitude
| OF the American people Tor MS patriotism and hi
| immense services IN war and IN peace"
Al old divine once remarked that there
were "a good many Christians who tried L
serve God with out dIspleasing the Devil.
Gov. Hayes's politics evidently are of thi
sort He wastes great deal of ink il
simplifying and commenting upon the evil
service reform plank in the Cincinnati
platform, but he says nothing which can
by any possibility, hurt the feelings @
alarm the soul of the most tender!and tim
i'd official scoundrel in the land. He con
dennis "a system which grew up NOR
than forty years ago" but has nothing
whatever 70 say concerning the latest an,
worst manifestations of the evil of tina
system-as they grew up under tn
patronage and protection Of the part
which nominated him. He is in favor 0
''the speedy, thorough, and unsparin
prosecution and punishment Of all publ
officers who betray official trusts, but b
does not breathe even TIE faintest whispe
against an administration which permitte
the whiskey ring u flourish unchecked Ut
der it's very nose: nor does he venture eve
the mildest criticism of a president VII
embarrassed Bristow, helped Babcock, an
| hiChtO Out 4 dt Sdl 4 Ills dNibi:llStl anu
and this president has been unequiyocan
indorsed by the national Republican cor
vention, and the Endorsement "accords wit
ny views therefore Hayes lips are he,
metically sealed on the only subject upo
which anybody cared to hear him SPEAK
He was nominated because he was pC
itical dummy, and dummier DUNN
than he is cannot be imagined.
Those portions Of the letter that hay
any significance whatever are simply a r
hash of borrowed material The ideas
regard to civil service reform differ in |
important particular from those put fort
by Grant four years ago, accepted by
national Republican cow ,nti0n, an
regulated by the president and party in
mediatly after the election winch gave Il
party a new lease of power. !heideas
regard to southern reconstruction are
boiled-down compound Of Blaine and Mo
ton speeches. The ideas in regard to Il
currency are culled from the hard moft
. literature of both parties. The glitterir
generaities are Hayes own, and partial
D Of the chronic weakness Of their autho
. In short, the letter is q thoroughly cha
r acteristic performance; perfectly amiab
and perfectly pithess and meaningless
1t will not win a vote to the Republic;
ticket that would,not have beensthere in al
event, and it will drive into the Democrat
ranks every voter, whatever his polite
affiliations may be, who believes that |
thorough reform, and reform alone, can IL
country be saved from impending ruin.