Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1876-05-19


The Reform Conference, already alluded
to, met Monday afternoon at the Fifth Ave-
nue. Hotel in New York. The delegates,
numbering 10, embraced some of the strong
est and most sincere men in the country, DR..
Leonard Bacon, w. G. Bryant, Theodore
Woolsey, Mark Hopkins, Parke Goodwin,
ex-GOv Bullock, Robert Collyer, DR.. Sam.
uel Osgood, Professor Seelye, Carl Schurz
and Charles Francis Adams, being present.
The mere mention Of such names as these
serves to show that the meeting was not
packed convention. They were, as a whole,
men of political conscience men, too, who
knew whereof they spake. There is no clap
trap about the word reform when they utter
it. We should like to present to our read
ers the full text of one or two of the speeches
made at this conference. A few extracts
however, must suffice
Said DR.. Osgood 81 am not willing to
believe that the president is weak or corrupt,
but he is not heightened enough for Presi.
dent OF the United States.' Among other
happy remarks DR.. Bacon observed:
To-day the issue is moral issue. Some.
times political questions come down TO the
hardpan Of right and wrong. To-day the
question is, shall the country pay its debts
The country is demoralized by falsehood aud
bad faith on the part Of the government it.
self. | do not say on the part OF the ad.
ministration. speak Of that abstract per.
sonalty which we sometimes call Uncle Sam
Uncle Sam has notes in circulation all over
the country, and every one of them is lie ;
every one Of them looks like international
fraud. lie is doing exactly what no honest
business man would do. But if the question
is the honest and fair question, Shall Uncle
Sam pay his debts and if he can't pay his
debts on presentation shall he ask for an
extension, as honest men do ?'-if that ques-
ton is submitted to the people of the coun.
try they will have chance to show whether
they are honest or not. believe the people
are honest Whenever you get political
question in the shape of a moral question
they will GO for right instead of wrong. for
honesty instead Of fraud"
Prof Seelye defined the needed man in
such sentences as these
take it, Mr.. Chairman, in the first place,
we want man in whose views the presi-
dency is not 50 much high dignity as it is
solemn trust, Iapplause aud who does not
seek the office, but is content to work and
wait until the office seeks him. TGreat
applause We want, Mr.. Chairman, a self
forgetting man, who could neither use this
high trust for his own reward nor suffer il to
be used for the reward of another. We
want far-sighted and courageous man,
whom neither a seli-wihed party could blind
nor self-seeking partisans control. ZAP
| plause. We want an honest man, against
whose purity there could not be even sus.
picion breathed or if it were breathed, so
powerful in his purity that he would need no
defense, [Great applause.
Earnest speeches were made by others.
Upon the second day the president, Theo-
dore WoOlsey, called the meeting to order,
aud an executive committee was appointed
with Carl Schurz as chairman. Charles
Francis Adams (the whole name to be givon)
pronounced Brstow his FIRST and Tiden his
second choice. An address to the American
people was read, the conclusion of which was
as follows
We therefore appeal to all good citizens
who find their own sentiments expressed in
this address, be they inside or outside Of
party lines to organize in their respective
districts and communicate with the executive
committee appointed at this meeting, so that
efficient cooperation may become possible.
Let no effort be spared in bringing the inau-
ence of patriotic public opinion to bear
upon those who in the customary way are
soon to nominate the party candidates, and
then, in any event, let US be ready to do
what the best interests Of the republic de.
mand. Our generation has to open the Sec
ond century of our national life as the ia
theirs opened the first. Theirs was the work
of independence; our is the work of refor.
nation. The ono is as vital now as the other
was then. Now as then every true Ameri.
can must have the courage to do his duty.
Many think that, because politics is q
game, these men of culture and political in
experience have no business to object to the
way in which affairs are managed. Perhaps
they have not. The carping spirit with
| oh L.