The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1876-08-17

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ignored, or slurred overland under a YER
biage, as meretricions as its purpose is Ma
chlavelian, the changes are rung in every
paragraph upon the one word Reform"
with the manifest design so to magnify one
virtue as to make the adoption of the plat
form an antecedent to his necessary nOmina-
ton. 1t is perhaps the first instance in
the history of the Democratic Party, of the
construction of a Presidential platform of
the candidate, for the candidate, and by
the candidate; for it was generally given
out at st. Louis that Samuel J. Tilden
himself, with the assistance of Mr. Manton
Marble late of the New York World, was
responsible for its production.
TILDEN's OWN PLATFORM
That platform, gentlemen, bears the evi-
dence of its authorship by an astute lawyer,
good special pleader, or rather one who
is skilful in giving undue prominence to a
single point upon which he expects to win
his case but connot say can see in it
any traces of the work of so accomplished
a master of English composition as Manton
Marble. 1t has nothing of the sound or
substance of the old-time utterances of the
national conventions of the Democratic
party. 1t is, as | will presently show, a
cover and sham, gotten up in view of the
single purpose of Mr.. Tideu's nomination,
by himself
Yet all the qualities of distinguished
men (like Seymour, Allen, Thurman,
Hendricks and Bayard) are subordinated,
slurred over, ignored and held for naught
to magnify into the sole qualification for
leadership of the American Democracy in
this Presidential contest the success of a
man whose shrewdness and pertinacity as
, lawyer enabled him to thwart set of
plunderers of the State Treasury Of New
York; man who
OWES ALL HIS NOTORIETY TO THE ADVER-
TISTNG AGENCY.
of the New York metropolitan press, and
who has proven himself onl ly a successful
manipulation of political conventions.
Why should the Democratic party turn
from its trusted and tried leaders, and COM
nit its destinies to such hands? Why
upon this fair mountain leave to feed
To battcn this moor?'
But gentlemen, [ have yet to come to
| THE TURE INWARDNESS
of this platform, and the covert purpose
that threatens danger to the Democratic
party and diaster to the country.
| have said that under the clamor of a
false issue the ''reform'' cry was pushed by
the management of the Tilden men to effect
his nomination.
1t was necessary to their purpose that
this false issue should be prominently pre-
sented, and urged to prevent the union of
the Ohio delegation upon Judge Thurman,
which was the sole, imminent and real dan
ger in the way of Tilden's nomination.
The minority report was signed by Gen
eral Ewing, of Ohio; d. W. Voorhees,, of
Indiana John c. Brown, of Tennessee ;
Malcolm Hay, of Pennsylvania H. II.
Trimble, of Iowa; John j. Davis, of West
Virginia T. L. Davis, of Kansas and c.
H. Hardin, of Missouri, representing more
than a million Democratic voters in those
States
The voices of the representatives of these
million Democratic voters were stified in
that Convention by the claquers Of Samuel
j. Tilden-but the voices of those voters
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next November !
With the high sounding, bad rhetoric
of this platform, on the subject Of Reform,
no Democrat who is not fastidious about
his English, will be disposed to find much
fault.
Unfortunately for the country, there is
an universally admitted need in the direc-
tion-that need has arisen, however, not
because there is any congenital moral diff
ference between Democrats and Republi-
cans, but only because the corrupt men of
that party (and there are plenty such in
alb have
HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO STEAL,
which has hitherto for sixteen years, at
least in the federal administration, been
denied to ours.
1t is always proper that corruption In
high places should be rebuked-but it is 6
cheap sort of virtue that contents itself
with crying reform, whilst it leaves in full
operation those evil causes, which by pro
noting extravaganza, luxury and idleness
supplies constant temptation to vice.
The Republican party is as loud in its
professions of reform as the Democratic
, and in this virtuous paroxysm of promises
it may be only too difficult for a patien
and long suffering people to decide, which
is the real DR.. Jacob-or perhaps, after tho
, election is over, may only be in the lamen
table condition Of the fox in the fable, tha
drove the gorged swarm from his sides
only to be tormented with a new one more
yoracious than their predecessors.
MANIFEST INSINCERIT1.
This Resumption law then repeals al
laws limiting the aggregate amount of Ma
tional Bank circulation, and all laws re
stricting the number of these banks. |
authorizes the establishment of any number
of National Banks that may be necessar,
to supply the amount of greenbaek circula
ton it proposes to retire, and this proces