, 1876-04-22
The Presidential Canvass.

Enron RSTATgsMAN.-Iour paper has been
selected as one of those lsboring Tor chango
in the administration OF the Government, 70
which this appeal should be sent. 1t Is hoped
that YOU will at least publish the subJoined
letter, even If YOU cannot give 1t your fuu
editorial spurovaI. 1t is absolutely essential
to the well-beinr Of the whole country and ss-
peeSalgyoftLs S1,aS. that the Government should
be honestly and houorably administered ~ the
interest Of The uAas people. and not ioI tne oehs,
fit Of corrupt cliquss and rings lt Is oeieVeu
that this result can be secured, at TINS time'
only by the success of the democratic party,
in the oom,ig PytsidtGi contest 30 vital Is 'ni7
issue to the South, tba. all sectional and To-
cal questions are deemed insignificant by US,
campared with the one great question, nat
is necessary to secure suceee1
We have no candidate TO urge. All we ASK
is that the party shall not waste Its strength
in any direction, but shall put IN nomination
the strongest man, whoever he may be. Ii
appesrs 10 us. of the South, absolutely essen-
tiai to success that the State of New York
shall be carried and we think Mr.. Iilden
the cn!y man .clo can certainly carry that 0tdte
| II this be true. he should receive The noml-
nation. II we are mistaken, and MIR. I'll
den can not carry it, we are equally ready TO
.uuport anv man who raD. However this
NAV be. Mr.. Blair's letters is thought TO pre-
sent, in such forcible light, certain consider
a,ions of vital importance to all interested
| in the defeat of The Administration party
| that 1t Is r.prented in this form, at the cost
of an association of Southern gentlemen, and
sent TO you for publication, i'll the hope that
some good result may follow.
HON. MONTGOMERY BLAIR's LETTER on THE
PRESIDENCY.
WASHINGTON, March 18th. lS76
DEAR SIR: | have your letter requesting
for publication the views expressed by me IN
recent conversations with respect to the
pending Presidential contest The sum OF
them was that we ought to continue the con.
test as we began in 1872, when we agreed 10
forego all other issues save that Of reform IN
the administration OF the Government The
adversary then struggled and still strives, with
the help Of the Hon. Ben. Hill, TO keep alive
the issues of the war for the purpose OF pro-
| longing abuses which, however great, go un-
checked while sectional strife holds the pub
| lie mind. We did not carry the elections IN
| 1872, because we We were not fully success
| ful in making the issue of reform. But
| We made such beginning that the victory
| of our adversaries has proved barren one.
| We 80 far succeeded that show OF lnvestl-
| cation had not been made. The Credit
MobiIier fraud, which, though well known
before to all public men, could not command
public attention, now absorbs it. Spoliation
WAS checked Jay Cook & Co., ho had
I h.. 70 he
elections, could not be reimbursed hy Con-
gressionai Endorsement Of the Northern
Pacific Railroad bonds, and therefore failed
The so-ealled investigating committees, or
ganized not TO convict, were experts in finding
out how not 10 do il, and tbs Departments
help them assiduously but the Independent
Press did the work so effeetually that
large democratic majority was returned TO
the House of Representatives.. Unfortunate
Iy this tide Of success, which assured the re-
formers of the Government, this year has
been arrested and turned back by the iutru-
sion into the canvass, last fall, Of another is
sue, Of which the radicals have eagerly and
successfully aysiled themselves. And their
effort is TO hold on TO that issue, and make
the Presidential election tnrn on the question
of resumption, upon which they have won,
instead of upon the question Of reform, upon
which they have lost the day. Ii they sue
ceed in this, the result will invariably be un-
fortunate for us. Oar friends having been
beaten on this issue, last fall, in the States
where anti-resumption was strongest, our
vote in New York, even without which sue
cess for us would be hopeless having been
affected by the attitude of our friends ID
those States, no rational mind can fail to see
that such an Issue would defeat US.
1t is plain, from this brief statement of the
situation, that our SUCCESS depends upon orr
ability TO reinstare the issue Of reform as the
issue OF the canvass; and it is equally plain
that this is not TO be done by resolution, tut
by such action as will not only proclaim 1t,
but of itself verify ii as the issne TO all men.
The nomination Of Tilden will, of itself,
force this issue, and make the election turn
upon II. The friends of other candidates OBJ
ject to the nomination of a citizen of New
York and claim the nomination f0r the West.
But jackson was not selected because he was
a citizen of Tennessee, or jefferson because
he was citizen of Virginia, or Grant because
he WAS for short time III Illinois Selection
ON such ground has no political significance,
upon which candidate ought TO be selected,
VIZ, as the representative of the idea sought
10 be advanced My preference for Tildon is
only because his nomination.. would OF itself
force On the issue of reform, which is our sure
card in the pending oanvass. / do MT doubt
that the other gentlemen spoken Of would
prove vigorous reformers, and have no per-
sonal preference for TIlden over any one of
them, but neither OF them is so identified with
reform" in The publie mind as Tilden. They
have either not had the opportunity, or have
not availed themselves Of il, to manifest the
resolute purpose he bas shown to purge the
State of fraud and jobbing. They have not
Joined hands with political advsrsaries 10 over
throw and arraign and convict as criminals
the master spirits of their own party whilst |
they seemed to be impregnably intrenched in
the control of It's organization, and have not |
by such conduct been lifted into power by the |
support of large bodies of political opponents,
even sgains: republican whose integrity was |
not questioned, but who had not manifested |
the same zeal in the cause of reform. Nor |
have they, after reaching power, 50 signallz- |
ed their administration by unsparIDg war On |
jObbery.
by this course IIldsn has made himself, |
more than any other man Of cur day, the !
representative man of the idea to which the |
democratic party so empha,ically pledged it. |
self in 1872, and his nomination would be |
accepted, not only by the liberal republicans, |
n ho then ao'ed with US, but by thousands |
who then held back, as sure guarantee that |
the pledge would be faithfully redeemed |
and bis war record and his financial views |
would effectuslly prevent diversion by false
issues.
The active enmity which Tilden has pro-
voked, in his own party, serves 10 attest his
fitness for the occasion. No man ever drove !
more men ont Of the democratic party than
jackson but no man ever recruited it 80 |
rapidly from tho true men in the ranks of bis
opponents at the same time. And his vital |
ba l.