Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-05-17

pass away. There is another cause
which Is not traDsitcTy, but PROMISES to
become permanent, Ii is that system
which has made the offices of the gov
/ eminent the mere sport Of party vieto-
~; the system which distributes the
places Of trust and responsibility as the
reward Of party service, and the bounty
| Of favoritiem; the system which appeals
to the mean impulses OF seltishDess and
! greed SO the controlling motive Of polit-
| teal action; the system which degrsdes
| the civil service 10 the level Of a mere
| party agency, and treating the officer az
| the hired servant OF the party and tax
! ing him for party support stimulates
| C, rruption and places it under party
! protection; the system which, being the
| organic alton Of parties under the control
Of their most selfshly interested, and
| therefore most active clement, the place
holders and the place-hunters, thus
! tending to organize standing army OF
political mercenaries to be paid out Of
the treasury of the government, who,
| by organized action endesvor to
Puhiugale the will of the people to their
ends through the construction of tyrsn-
ical party shirks. Every student of our
political history knows that since the
ton has steadily grown from year to
yesr; and so long as this system lasts,
with ali its seGuctiOns and demOTaliZ-
ing tendencies, corruption will continue
to grow in extent and power, for patriot
ism, snd true merit will more and
more be crowded out Of political life
by urscrupulous selflshness. The war
hss only given q sudden stlmulou5 to
this tendency; but without the war it
would have grown up, and will not
cease to grow as long as the hot-bed OF
eruption, the spoils system, lasts. The
skill in corrupt practices acquired by
one generation OF spOilsmen will
only be improved upon by
the next, The result we know.
We have already resped go great hsr-
vest Of disaster and shame that We re-
peat, it has now become the first duty OF
the American people to Te-estsblish the
moral character Of the government by
thorough reform. What can we do to-
ward this end in the impending nation
al election? In this respect, felloW-citi-
zens, we consider it our duty to speak
very plainly. Never were the cause Of
good government and the honor of the
American nation more Immediately de-
pendent on the character, ability and
reputation Of the men to be selected for
the highest offices. In view OF the grave
circumstances at present surrounding US
we declare thst the country cannot now
afford to have any man elected to the
Presidency whose very name is not con-
elusive evidence Of the mCst uncompro-
missing determination of the American
people to make this pure government
once more. Our duty in this respect
is plain and imperative. 1t suf-
fers no trlfing or equivOcatiOn.
The worn out cisp.trap sffair Of prom
ises in party platforms will not satisfy it;
neither will The fine professions on the
part of candidates; not mere words are
needed, but acts; not mere platforms, but
men. We therefore declare, and call
upon all good citizens to join us, that at
the coming Presidential election we
shall support 10 candidate who in pub
lie position ever countenanced corrupt
practices or contaminatiors impeded
their exposure and punishment, or
opposed necessary measures Of reform; ;
We shall support no candidate who,
while possessing official influence and
power, has failed to use his Cp p2Ortunity
| in exposing and correcting the abuses
| coming within the reach Of his obserVa.
ton, tut for personal IeasOns or party
| ends, has permitted them to tester on,
| for such men may be counted on not to
crush corruption, but for the party's
| sake merely 10 conceal it more.
| We shall support no candidate, how
| ever conspicuous his position or bril-
liant his ability, in whom the impulses
of the party manager have shown them
selves predominant over those of the re-
| former; for he will be inclined to con-
| tinue that fundamental abuse, the en-
| ployment of the government service as
| q machinery for personal or party ends.
| We shall support no candidate who,
however fsvOrably judged by his nearest
friends, is not publicly known to possess
| those qualities Of mind and character
which'the stern task Of general Jeform
| requires; for the American people can
not now afford to rick the future OF the
republic in experiments, or merely sup
| posed virtue, or rumoIed ability, to be
trusted on the strength Of private recon-
mendation. In one word, at present no
candidate should be held entitled
to the support Of patriotic citi-
Zens, of whom the questions
may fairly be asked: Is he really the
man to carry through thorough-going
reform of the government? Can he
with certainty be depended upon to pos
sess the moral coursge and sturdy 1880
luton to grapple with the abuses which
have acquired the strength of estab-
lished custom, and to this end firmly to
resist the pressure even Of his party
friends? Whenever there is room for
such questions, and doubt as to the an.
swer, the candidate should be considered
unfit for this emergency. This is nc
time for so-called availability shrinking
from distinction gained on fields Of &C.
tion foreign to the duties OF government
nor FOR that far more dangerous sort O1
availability which constitutes this, thai
the candidate be neither so bad as TO re-
pei good citizens, nor go good as to dis
courage the bad ones. Passive virtue
in the highest places has too often beer
known to permit the growth OF active
vice below. The man to be intrusted witt
the Presidency this year must have
deserved not only the confidence o
honest men, but also the fea,
and hatred of the thieves. At
who manages to conciliate the thieves
cannot be the candidate. Every
American citizsn who has the future o
the public and the national honor sin
cerely at heart, should s0lemnly resolve
that the country must now have Presi
dent whose name is already q watch
word Of reform, whose capacity ant
courage for the work are matters of re
cord, rather than OF promise; who vii
restore the simplicity, Independence ant
/ rectitude OF the early administrations
and whose life will be guaranty Of hi
fidelity and fitness; man at the mer
, sound of whose name even the most dis
heartened will take new courage, an
all mankind will say that the AmeTi
cans are indeed in earnest to restore tn
, ancient purity Of their government
Fellow citizens, the undersigned III ad
: dressing you are not animated by tn
ambition to form or lead new p0litiea
! party. Most OF Us have long been, an
: still are, warmly attached to their part
associations; and it would be most graft
: flying to US to see, by party action, candi
dates put forward whose character ant
2 | record answer these requirements wbic
| the present circumstances render impel
t | stive. We earnestly hope and trust
2 will be go, and we shall gladly follow
: such lead aud make every effort il
t our power TO render it successful