Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-07-01
are so doubtful that public expectation will be kept

are so doubtful that public expectation will be kept
on the qui rire throughout. 1t is safe to say that
we are entering on one of the most interesting,
vigorously contested and doubtful Presidential
contests that have ever taken place since the or
ganization Of the government.
The Presidential election will be decided by the
electoral votes of the Empire State, and Governor
Tiden will have hard battle to fight here against
powerful and formidable advcrsaries. If he wins
in this State he wins everything; if he loses this
State he loses all. With his own party divided
and his republican adversares thoroughly united,
with the whole influence of the federal patronage
exerted against him, and the discouraging effect
of probable republican victories in the October
States, he enters upon an unequal contest, and
nothing but his remarkable ability as political
strategist can give him the victory against such
odds.
From the Boston Advertiser
The democratic platform is wonderful affair
The party which invented the spolls system, which
invariably distributes offices for reward Of politi
cal services when it has control of a municipal OF
State government, announces that reform is the
immediate duty of the hour. The party that i:
responsible for Tweed and for nnumerable Other
public rascals dcnounces corruption. The party
that never anywhere reduced appropriations
when it held the purse strings and was to spend
the money displays virtuous Indignation over re,
publican extravaganza. The party that has fur
nished e-tenths of the assailants of the public
credit and that has been itself the only obstruc-
ton to resumption of specie payment, grows flu
rious over the failure of the republican party tC
pay off the paper money debt And SO on to the
end of the chapter. There IS hardly resolution
in the whole list that does not put itself in drec
conflict with the past record of the party, and moi
few Of these are not even self consistent.
From the Boston Journal.
Bat his tower Of strength in party point o.
view has been that he is the only democrat who
has made the least claims to the name of Reform
err" As the campaign goes on these claims viii
be fully sifted. Mr.. Tilden's various railroad
speculations, by which he is said to have amasset
. fortune never estimated at less than three mil
lions, will be investigated and some of them lait
open to the light.
The unraveling of his reform pretensions from
his associations with Tammany rule in New Yorl
and the infamous democratic election frauds o
1861 will also become an interesting topic Of pub
lie inquiry. That q reformer should have tint
hearty support of such men as Billy Fowler, Ben
Wood and John Morrisey is certainly curiou
phenomenon in politics to which justice is sure tt
be d0ne-and that, too, without injustice to thu
real merits and worth of Mr.. Tildens record il
the work of reform.
We dwell upon this subject now because it viii
be seen that the st. Louis platform puts it in tn,
forefront of the campaign. The word reform
is hsrped upon with q persistency and din al
through the resolutions which reminds one of tn,
old ayng that barking dogs never bite. A fai
specimen of its value is seen in the bitter com
plants of how much the republican party ha
done to hinder resumption followed by the de
mand that the resumption act-the chief step tax
by either party toward the restoration of specie
payments-be repealed as to the time set! These
reformers At st. Louis also prescribe in few
minutes changes in the tariff which their breth
rem in Congress have consumed seven months
without daring to propose. They would also re
form the United States into closed doors agans
the admission OF any more peaple "not of the par
ent stock "-whatever that may mean. AS to civil
service reform and the bestowment Of Office with
out regard to politics. we are called upon to mattel
the platform as well as we can with the wholesale
democratic gorgiDg of the House offices at thu
earliest moment the opportunity allowed. How
ever we shall have time to discuss all these mat
tiers. For the present we simply say the republi
cans will cheerfulIy accept the issue of Glider
and Reform"