The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-07-06
THE WORK AT ST. LOUIS.

Our country has cause to congratulate
itself upon the wise, prudent and patri-
otic action of the Democratic party
through its convention in st. Louis last
week. Not only is the platform of prin-
ciples enunciated by it statesman-like
and to be admired IN its every feature,
but it has given to us ticket superior
to the platform, yet perfectly consistent
with its every plank. The nominees are
men of positive characters, without spot
or blsmish. They represent the nobility
of human nature, and present to the
country centennial candidates as grand
in dignity, as lofty in purpose, and as
spotless in the purity of their public and
private lives as any ticket that has ever
asked for the sufrages of the American
Republic. Thorough reformers in both
word and deed, their past services to the
Republic have been the services of de-
voted patriots, rendering them in ability
of craftsmanship and devotion to princi-
pie, the peers of any men the Nation
has ever produced. To attempt to recite
in this article their deeds, or even their
virtues, is not necessary, for they are not
negative unknowns, whose fame depends
upon the trumpetings of political leaders.
Each of the great men, Tilden and Hen
dricks, are known for their virtues
throughout this land, and each has prov
en- himself stronger than his party in
his respective State. Their candidacy
means candidacy of the lofty sentiment
of free institutions, ruled over by purity
of character and power of intellect; it
means return to the dignity of Ameri-
can institutions and a rescue of them
from the disgrace and subversion which
has threatened them; it means restora-
tion of the theory of the founders of the
Republic, that Office is public trust, and
its holder is public servant, in oppo-
sition to the Republican practice that
officers are masters of the people, whose
interest they can despise for private or
political gain; it means a restoration of
rigid economy, of official accountability,
of local State government and of thor
ough pacifcation, concord and harmony
throughout the Union.
Between, Tildea and Hendricks upon
the one hand, and Hayes and Wheeler
upon the other, there is the most marked
contrast. The former are positive charac-
ters, while the latter are negatives; the
former are reformers, while the best that
can be said of the latter is that they are
unknowns; the former have national
regulations for integrity and ability,
which makes them statesmen, while the
latter are only local politicians. The
former have been nominated for what
they have done, while the latter have
been nominated because they have done
nothing. The former represent the party
of reform and constitutional government,
while the latter are exponents of the
party which endorses the Grants, the
Blaines, the Schencks, the Belknaps, ct
id omne genus, and is the party Of public
plumber and corruption. The election of
the former insures reform in every de-
partment, while the latter guarantees
continuance of the evils of the past and
present.
In the two platforms the difference is
no less marked. The platform of the
Democrats arraigns corruption, and enun-
ciates clearly every principle of the party.
1t panders to no sect, and does not seek
through ambiguity to mistify or catch
the, floating vote. On the other hand, the
Republican platform is one grand and
incomprehensible combination of incon-
sistency and justification. 1t declares
for reform, but endorses the present cor
rupt administration. 1t declares against
sectional hostility, but endeayors to resur-
rect the ghost of the Southern Confed-
eracy to sway the passions of the North
ern and Western voters. 1t declares
against public grants to corporations, but
nominates the champions of the Credit
AobiAers. It founders over the inn
portant question of the finances, over the
woman's suffrage and the Chinese immi-
grafton questions, and, too timorous to
act upon them, resorts to vague ambigui-
ties capable of double interpretations to
catch votes upon both sides. 1t is an
admission of the weakness of the party,
and is powerful proclamation of politi-
cal duplicity.
Platforms, however, are nothing. As
has been forcibly remarked by the great
Thomas II. Benton, they are made for
the temporary uses of party, and are not
expected generally to last longer than to
the next election. They are made of
political clap-trap and rubish, their
planks being often of green or even rot
ten timber; and if we can judge any
thing of the future from the past and
present, we.would say that the great
majority of the plank in the Republican
platform is as rotten as the party which
made it, and that no party can succeed
before the country upon such an enunci-
alton of principles, except by putting
the best of men forward as its nominees.
This the Republican party has failed to
do, and we confidently predict that their
decayed structure will not be able to
stand the test of November, but will
crumble in disgrace forever. On the
otbor hond tho Democrats have an ex-