Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-08-11
shall endeavor, with Gods help. to he an
eihcient instrument of their will.
SAMUEL j. TnDEN.
GOVERNOR HENDHICKs's LETTER.
His Financial Views-CiviI Service Re
form-Fuisomc Pun % TiIdcn.

=
Contention at st. Louis, as their candida
Tor the ofhce of Vice President of the Unite
states. 1t Is a nomination which ha
, neither expected nor desired, and VET | re-
Ognlze and appreciate the high honor don
me by the convention. The choice of sue
a body, pronounced with such unusus
unanlmity. and accompanied with :
generous an expression of esteem an
confidence, ought to outweigh a
merely personal desires and prefer
ences of my own. IL is with this feeling
l trust also from deep sense of publ
duty that now accept the nomination an
snail ABIDE the judgment of my country
men.
THE PLATFORM ENDORSED.
It would have been impossible for me Il
accept the nomination if | could not hear
MY endorse the platform Of the convention
am gratiied therefore, TO be able unequiv
ocally to declare that agree IN the prInei
pies, approve the policies and sympathizt
with the purposes enumerated IN thai
platform.
The institutions Of our country have
been sorely tried by tho eXigencies Of the
evil war and since the peace by the selfish
and corrupt management OF public affair.
which has shamed Us before civilized man
kind. BY unwise and partial legislation
| every Industry and interest of the people
nave been made to suffer, and in the execu-
tive departments OF the government dishon-
esiy, rapacIty and venalIty have dIsgraced
| the public service. Men known to be unw0r-
I thy have been promoted, whilst others have
been degraded for fidelity TO official duty
Public Offices have been made the means Of
private profit, and the country has been
offended 10 see the class of men who boast
tine friendship OF the sworn protectors of
the state amassing fortunes by deirauding
the public treasury and by c0rrupting the
servants OF the people In such /. crisis OF
the history OF the country rejoice that the
convention at It Louis has so uoby raised
THE STANDARD or REFORM.
Nothing can be well with u or with our
Affairs until the public conscience, shocked
by the enormous evils and abuses winch
prevail. shall have demanded and compelled
the unsparlnc reformation OF our national
administration. In It's head and it, mem
berS. IN such q reformation the removal
OF single officer. even the president. Is a
comparatively trliling matter { the system
which he represents and which has ia~ten-
Cd him as he has fastened it is suffered To re-
main Tie president alone must not be made
the scapcE1at Tor the caJrmiiie~ Of the ~y--
TEN which iniccts the public service and
threatens the destruction of our in-titu-
tons. In some respects | hold that the
present executive has been the victim rather
than the author Of that vicious system.
Congressional and party leaders have been
stronger than the President NJ one man
cocld have created it and the removal Of no
one man can mend it. Il Is thoroughly cor
rurt and must he swept rem1r~ele-~ly away
hy government composed oi an clement
entirely new and Pledged to radical reform
the coN,TIj lioN.
The first work Of rori-m must evidently
De the restoration of ihc normal operation
ci the constitution Ct the lui;cf S,ate-.
with all IT. amendments. The necessities Of
war can not be pleaded in time Of peace.
The right oi local -eli-goyCrnmcn; as guar
antccd by the constitution oi the union
must De everywhere restored and the cen
tralzct almost personal Imperialism which
has been Ir4ctlccd must be done away or
tAe first princip.c- OF the rcpuhi' W., be
lost.
CTR riSAScril SYSTEM
of cxpoi.en's mus, be reformed Gold ami
silver are tie real standard OF values, and
our national currency Will not be i perfect
vsrt,bls a. t5a ,'.,5.,r, -. ,i', -.
bav, berer,f,Ts .,id ~, ,,, -. y
tnrn I'D .se.is -, mcntz more earnestly
than 10. bat | do not believe Chat
10 wil ~ can tc reached IN
harmony Gih the interests ot
the people $ artificial measures fer the
contraction Of the currency. any more than
| believe THAI wealth or permanent prosper
Ity can he created ly the irhltion of the
currency. The laws of finance cannot he
di~rcgardcd with impunlty. The financial
policy at the Government. il. indeed. it de-
serve. the name of policy at all. has been
10 disregard %. thl-, laws. AMI there
lore has disturbed commercial and hlSines,
confidence as well a. hirdcred return to
specie payments. Onc feature of that policy /
ws~ the resumption clause of the act Of I
l-75. which has embarrassed the country /
hy the anticipation OF comp pu.~oIy rcsump- /
ton. for winch no preparation mas been /
made and without auy assurance that it /
would be practicable The repeal Of that
clause Is necessary that the natural opera
ton of financial laws mag b, restored. that /
the business of the country may b, relievod F..
from it, disturbing and depressing influence /.
and that the return To specie payments I
may be facilitated by the substitution of /
wiser and more prutent legislation. which ]
shall mainly rely on iudIciou- system I
of public economy and Official retronchment /
and above all on the promotion oi pro- /
spcriiy in all the industries ol the people I
/ do not under>tand the rcpeai OF ihc re- /
sumption CLAUSE Of the act of IS-5 to be q I
backward step IN our return to specie pay /
monts, hut the recovery OF a false step. and I
although the repeal may fo: time be pre- /
vented. We; the discrimination OF the demo- /
cratic party on this subject has now been /
distinctly declard. There should be no
hlndrance put in the way of return to .
specie paynents. As such 4 hintrancc |
slys the platform ofthe s.. Louis convention,
We denounce the resumption claus, of the .
act of l~75. and demand it, repeal 1 tho /
roughly heiicve that bv puhIc economy.
hv ofii nal retrenchmenis and by Wise finance. 4
enabling Us u accumulate the precious .
metals. re.umption at an carly period Is
possible. without producing radical scar I
city Of currency or DESTROYING public or
credit. and that these reforms.
together with the restoration of 4 pure
government, Will restore general confidence,
furnish employment IN Eb,r and relieve /
the countrv from the .sof hard time-
With the industries 81 tie ne,,,le there have
been freoucnt interiererces Oar rlaif,rm
truly saws that many industries have been
Impoverished To subsidize fcw. Oar com
merce has been de,raaed To An inferior po-
sition on the hirh seas. Manuf,ctures
have been demolished ana agriculture en-
barrassed. md the distress OF the industrial /
classes demands that these things shall be
reformed. The burdens Of the people mnst
also be lishtened hy a great change H. our I
system Of public cxpcnsc. The preaisate 4
expenditures which increased taxation /
from five dollars per capita in 1850 10 eigh-
teen dollars in $50 tells its own storv Of /
our need of fiscal reform Oar treaties /
with foreign powers should also be revised /
and amended. in 80 far As they leave citizens
of foreign birth IN any paTtirnlar less secure
in any country on earth than thev would /
oo !. my hau n.ch porn on on our own sol
through the agency of wealthy companies
imports Chinese bondsmen and establishes
species of slavery and interteres with the
just reward OF labor on our Pacific coast.