Wilmington journal., 1876-08-11

ton. Thechoice of such body, pro
nounceA with such unusual unanimity,
and accompanied with SO generous an
expression of esteem and confidence
ought to outweigh all merely personal
desires and preferences of my own. 1t
is with this feeling, and | trust also
from deep sense of public daty, that
fnow accept the nomination, and shall
abide the Judgment of my country
men. }zSs ss*s z
It would have been impossible for
me to accept the nomination if could
not heartily endorse the platform of
| the Convention I am gratifed, there
fore, TO be able unequivocally to de-
clare that [ agree in the principles,
approve the policies, and sympathize
with the purposes enunciated IN the
platform.
| The institutionssof our country have
been sorely tried by the exigencies of
civil war, and, since the peace, by a
| selfish and corrupt management of
public affairs, which has Shamed us
| before civilized mankind. By unwise
| and partial legislation every industry
and interest of the people have been
made to suffer; and in the executive
| departments of the government, dis
honest, rapacity and venality have
| debauched the public service. Men
known to be Unworthy have been pro
| NOTED, while others have been de,
| graded for fidelity to- official duty
| Public office has been made the means
| of private profit, and the country has
| been offended TO see a class OF men
| who boast the friendship of.the sworn
| protectors of the State amassing for
tunes by defrnudin& the public treas
ury ana by cOrrnptIng the servants OF
the people. In sucr' crfaia OF the
history OF the~country rei"ic's that
the convention at ST. Louis has SO
nobly raised the standard Of re-
form. Nothing can he woil WI h
us or with our affairs until the
public conscience, shocked by the enor-
mons evils aud abuses which prevail,
shall nave demanded and compelled
an unsparing reformation of our Ma
tional Administration, 'sin it's head
and in it's members" In such a re
formation the removal of single
officer, even the President, is compara-
tivelya triffing matter, if the system
| which he represents, and which has
fostered him as he has fostered it, is
suffered to remain. The President
alone must not be made the scapegoat
for the enormities of the system which
infests the public service, and threat
ems the destl uction of our institutions.
In some respects l hold that the
present executive has beer the victim
rather than the author Of that vicious
! system. Congressional and party lead
ers have been stronger than the Presl-
dent. No one man could have created
amend it. It is thoroug Ily corrupt,
by the selection of government com
posed of elements entirely new, and
pledged to radical reform.
REFORMS NEEDED.
The first work of reform must evi-
IDENTIFY be the restoration OF the normal
operation of the Constitution of the
United States, with all it's amendments.
The necessities of war cannot be
pleaded in a time of peace; the right
of local self government as guaranteed
by the Constitution of the Union must
be everywhere restored, and the CEN
tralized (almost rerso laD imperialism
which has been practised must be
done away, or the first principles OF
the republic will be lost.
Our financial system of expedients
must be reformed. Gold and silver
are tho real standard of values, and our
national currency will not be n perfect
medium of exchange until it shall be
convertible at the pleasure of the
holders. AS L have heretofore said, no
one desires a return to specie pay
ments more earnestly than [ do; but
do not believe that it will or can be
reached i'll harmony with the interests
of the people by artificial measures for
the contraction of the currency, any
more than | believe that wealth or per
manent prosperity can be created by
| an imitation of the currency. The
laws of finance cannot be disregarded
with impunity. The financial policy
of the Government, if, indeed, it de
serves the name of POLICY at all, has
been in disregard of those laws, and
therefore has disturbed commercial
and business confidence, as well as
hind cred return to specie payments.
One feature of that policy was the re-
sumption clause of the Act of 1875,
which has embarrassed the country by
the anticipation of a compulsory re-
sumption for wi ich no preparation has
| been made, and withou5 any assurance
that it would be practicable The re-.
peal of that cIaTfse is necessary that
| the natural operation of financi al laws
may be restored, that the business of
| the country may be relieved from it's
disturbing and depressing influence,
| and that return to specie payments
may be facilitated by the substitution
of wiser and more prudent Legislation,
which shall mainly rely on judjcious
system of public economies and official
| retrenchments, and above all on the
promotion of prosperity in all the in
dustries of the people.
do not understand the repeal of
the resumption clause of the Act of
1876 to be backward step in our re-
turn to specie payments, but the re-
covery of false step; and although
the repeal may, for Tina, be proven
ted, yet the determination of the
Democratic party on this subject has
now been distinctly declared. There
should be no hinderances put in the
way of q return to specie payments.
''As such hinderance, says the plat
form of the st. Louis Convention, "we
denounce the resumption clause of the
Act of 1875, and demand it's repeal"
L thoroughly believe that by public
economy, by official retrenchments,
and by wise finance enabling us to ac-
cumulate the precious metals, resump-
tion at an early period ia possible,
without producing an ''artificial
scarcity of currency" or disturbing
public or commercial credit; and that
these reforms together with the restor-
alton of pure government, will restore
general confidence, encourage the use
full Investment of capital, furnish en-
ployment to labor, and relieve the
country from the paralysis of hard
times.''
OUR INDUSTRIES.
With the industries of the people
there have been frequent interferences.