The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-09-23
INDEPENDENCE OF PARTY.
Why Prof. Sumner, of Yale College, Will
Vote for Tilden,
From the New Haven PalladIum.l


From the New Haven Palladium
l observe that most of the public discus
slons turn upon the antecedents, the acts, and
the characters of the one and the other party
Those considerations have no force at all for
my mind. l know my neighbors One OF
them is a republican by habit, and the other
& democrat by habit, and neither can define
his party name. When, therefore, read the
descriptions that party newspapers and party
orators give of the opposite party, l look
around me for the demons who seek the par
ty ruin, and l do not find them. l find
neighbors, some of whom are under one
banner and some under the other, but in their
general tone and will and intentions those of
one party are just as good and Just
as bad as those of the other Especially
when l remember that the social dis
trbutIon of the two parties in the northern
states Is exactly opposite what it is in the
southern states, it seems TO me that the ma
tional parties are very equally adjusted in
regard to the social intellectual, and moral
elements which they contain. Now, histo
rian or a foreigner, reading the accounts
which the parties give of each other, mus,
infer either that these accounts are all false
and that they simply constitute depraved
method of electionecrIng which obsCures the
issue and prevents the people from really u.s.
ing sound Judgment or else they are all true
in which case the people of the United States
are so unpatriotic, corrupt, disloyal, unjust,
murderoUs and venal that il makes little diff.
ference what is the result of any political
struggle
l regard the good sense, sound patriotism
and correct intention Of the masses of the
people in either party as substantially equal
regard the evil elements IN the parties as
heto MT Al 4 y,r, for,
of judgment to the. considerations which |
think genuine. find these in men. can.
not trust to party. can trust man. lean.
not hold party responsible. / can hold a
man responsible. cannot get an expression
of opinion which is single from a party.
can only get that from man. A party can.
not have character, or conscience, or reputa-
ton. 1t cannot repent, nor endure punish.
ment or disgrace. | know very well that we
are in the habit of predicating all these things
of parties, but should think our experience
had offered the fullest proof tina. we canno,
properly predicate any Of these things Of II
party, except in broad, halfmetaphorical
sense. under which all the sharpness and eff
cheney necessary to practical politics are
lost. The proof is, at any rate, satisfactory
TO me.
have no information other than what the
story | do not see how anyone can feel re.
spect for the caudidature of Gov. Hayes 1t
appears that Mr.. Cameron was pIqued be.
cause some members of his delegation vIolat
ed sacred political tradition and did not
throw the state vote AS unit, and he there.
fore refused 10 give the state vote as a unit for
their candidate at the decisive moment. The
senatorial aspirans could not see the prize
go 10 either one of their number, and greed
only that il should not 20 TO Blaine. These
two things combined gave it TO Hayes /, AT
the time, expressed lne opinion that this
course OF events, when one reflected that the
business in hand was the selection of chief
magistrate of the nation, was farce" | did
not then, and 90 not now, deny the possibility
that Hayes may be the man for the crisis.
cannot deny the possibility that, if you shake
up the name of 100000 voters in a box, You
may get the one out of the 5000 600 who is
best fitted for the presidency, but we are as.
sume3 TO be rational beings, making a selec.
uoa on rational grounds, and think We did
ourselves little credit on that occasion in that
point of view. Some of the gentlemen there
came ihOme rejoicing and trlumphing over
the party machine. They defeated the ma.
chine In its first Intention, but il doubled up.
ON them with well-known suppleness and &C
lIvIty. Mr.. Hayes seems to be the creature
of the machine, and to have No other public
claim TO the presidency. He must feel that
his selection is arbitrary, that he has every
Thing yet to do to justify public confidence,
that he is the recipient OF an honor He
cannot act with the assured independence OF
man who has advanced by wellearhed
steps, to whom the presidency comes a. the
highest trust at the end of a career, To whom
u is less an honor than a recognition and
concession
Mr.. Tilden's nomination was opposed by
all The worst elements si his party, ard was
supported BIZ as honest, pure, and intelligent
Ia, as ever led in any political convention
IN his country. They were many of them
suung men, representing the hope, faith, and
purpose Of the younger halt of this generation
which turned long ago with all my con
nj. nee tor the national future
The question of The currency. 20 me stands