Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-07-19
POLITICAL.
TiIden as the Reform Candidate.
Chicago Times

lIiden as tne heIOrm candidate.
Chicago Timos.l
Judge Cation, in his ratification
speech at Ottawa, struck the key
note of this campaign in his remark
that the Republican party had
openly rejected its only yreform can
didate, Bristow, while the Demo
cratic party had as obviously taken
the opposite course. Having its
choice between reform and medioc-
rity, the Republican party at Gin
cinnati voluntarily chose medioc-
rity. 1t nominated Hayes and
Wheeler, as the early sheriffs in
England returned John Doe and
Richard Roe as nominal bail upon
all their writs, since it did not mat
ter who was returned so long as the
return was regular in form. Were
it not that Illinois had enjoyed the
Presidency for twenty years, the
nominee might as well have been
Governor Beveridge as Governor
Hayes. There are five hundred
ex-Governors, two thousand ex-
Congressman, and upward Of three
thousand brigadiers, as well fitted
for the Presidency IN everything,
except the possession Of a beautiful
and fascinating wife, as Governor
Rutherford B. Hayes, or Hayes B.
Rutherford, whichever his name
may be, of Ohio. There is barely
enough of this ticket to address a
letter to; but not enough to ratify.
It would require a revival of idiocy
to bring the publicmind to its con-
temptation. 1t corresponds to the
mathematician's definition of a
point, something which has neither
Dimensions nor density, but posi-
ton only. AS nature abhors a vac
uum, SO does the popular mind de-
test the utter vacuity and mex
pressiveness Of the shibboleth
Hayes and Wheeler" No songs
can be sung about them. No
speeches can be made in behalf of
them. Not even an anecdote any
where exists of either of them.
They are too vapid and inane.
Fremont was the "Rocky Noun
tain Pathfinder" Lincoln was
Honest Old Abe, the Rail-split-
ter" Andrew Johnson was the
Heroic Southern Unionist," and
Grant was "The Man on Horse
back" and "The Great Rebellion
Crusher," but who the devil is
Hayes OF Wheeler, says the average
profane Republican. "Let me see.
what did Hayes do?" inquiries the
bewildered Republican orator, who
is called upon to "ratify" Hayes.
He was obscure in the army, OBJ
scure at the bar, obscure in Con.
gress, obscure as a Governor, and
} in the convention he was "the dark
horse" whose obscurity won hin
the nomination. One asserts that
, he voted for the salary-grab, anC
, , then denies it. One, that he is {
Methodist; another, that he is {
Presbyterian and then, perhaps
, that he is an ascidian; and another
that he is a protoplasm. One de
scription serves as well as anothe.
lin the dark. No outlines are es
sential when the subject Of a pic
ture is a niger in. dark celia
= looking for a black cat. AS sol
: dier, what were his de eds of hero
ism? What battles, sieges, for
tunes has past? AS a lawyer, witt
what causas celebres has he beel
identified? AS @ statesman, +
what measure has he impaired S
much as the momentum Of u lea
driven by the wind. 1t is as if TIL
!. Republican convention had nomi
mated, "For the Presidency, Memo
: For the Vice Presidency, Mill!
Hayes is a cipher. His value de
. pends on what you put in front o
! him. Just now he is prelaced by
Republican nomination for tn
Presidency. Therefore, "'rah fc
cipher"
In this state of things the SC
called "enthusiasm " of Republica
y newspapers (for the party has nc
u yet spoken) has degenerated int