The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-07-29
THE POLITICAL SAINTS.


of eminent men Of both political parties,
whose only protessed purpose was to exert
such an influence on the great parties OF the
day as would compel them, in their nomina
ton of presidential candidates, to select such
men as would amount to pledge to the
country of ali honest purpose to reform exist
ing abuses in the administration of the gov
eminent. The conference, consisting OF over
hundred administrations, politicians
clergymen, college professors, &c, held seye'
raj meetings, and finally charged commit
tee with the duty of issuing an address to the
country setting forth their views and the con-
ditions that must be met by either of the
nominating conventions about to be held to
secure the support of the members of the con.
ference for their candidates. The address
was written by Carl Schurz, and insisted on
various conditions, among which were;
That the candidate nominated shall pos
sess those qualities of mind and character
which the stern task of genuine reform re.
quires.'
That he shall be a hard money man, In
favor of an early return to specie payments.
That he shall be in favor of free trade.
| That he shall be an earnest supporter Of
civil service reform.
The honest truth is, that with all their
high.sounding professions, these reiormers
were little better than political fuglers.
Those of them who were of republican ante.
cedents cared only to promote the nomina-
ton of Bristow at Cincinnati, and those OF
democratic antecedents, for the nomination
of Tilden at st. Louis, and in their resolu.
tions and address, (which were to be their
ultin.atum to the parties) they delineated just
such character in the candidate as would
ft both Tilden and Brlstow, and the implied
pledge on the part Of all, therefore, was, that If
Tilden and Bristow both were nominated,
the members we're at liberty to vote for
whichever they pleased, but II lIlden alone
or BrIstow alone should be nominated, then
all the members of the conference land
the entire association of political saints
of which they were the nacleus) should
vote for the one that was nominated,
Bristow having been defeated at Cincinnati
and Tilden nominated at St Louis, the repub.
lean wing of the SAINTS of course rested un'
der an implied pledge to support Tllden. This
was evidently not what they had calculated
upon, and they found themselves IN a de-.
cdedly awkward predicament. Schurz was
mad at the democrats and wouldn't support
Tilden anyhow, and 10 ease his conscience
he went TO work to lick Hayes into a proper
shape TO come up to the requirements OF his
address, by writing his letter of acceptance
for him and shaping i, to meet the exigen
cies of the case VIM. Cullen Bryant was in
an equally awkward predicament, having
control of republican newspaper which, by
supporting Tllden, would lose all its sub
scribers These two worthless, therefore, very
soon after the st. Louis convention, broke
loose from their shackles and came cut for
Hayes. OF course no democrat who had
taken part in the conference followed their
example, and number of republicans, with
higher notions of honor have also decided TO
stick to their pledge and support Tilden.
Among these notable case is that OF Mr..
Bird, OF Massachusetts, and now we have
another in Park Goodwin, for many years
past managing editor of the New York Ecea.
ing Post, but who refuses to be sold out with
that paper to Hayes and Grantism. Mr.
Goodwin publishes in the New York Tribune
of Saturday very strong letter, in which he
scores without mercy those members of the
conference who are now supporting Hayes
for violating their solemn pledges, and de-
monstrates that their clai;n Of having found
a reformer in Hayes is no better than hypo
critical pretense. Mr.. Hayes, he demonstrates
is neither the man of such qualities of mind
and character for the stern task of genuine
reform as the conference demanded, nor
does he meet their other requirements. He
is shown by his Ohio speeches last fall to be
Enthusiastically on the hard money question;
he is openly and hopelessly not free trader,
and his professions in favor of civil service
reform are mere dodge. what the confer.
ence demanded says Mr.. Goodwin, "was
the correction of the present mode of appoint
ing to Office, which has been one of the ioul
est spots on a thoroughly foul system. But
Mr.. Hayes manner of correcting it-that is,
by giving the present incumbents of Office an
indefinite tenure-would simply perpetaate
their hold of the trusts they have so many of
them abused. Its principles, admitting them
to be sound as principles, would, in their
practical operation, be an act of indemnity
for all the felons and rogues who now infest
and pollute the public offices"
On the other hand Mr., Goodwin finds in
Mr. Tilden, after an acquaintance of 40 years,
during which he has oftener stood opposed
to him politically than with him, the man
prominently whom the conference had in
view-"in all the relations of private lie pu-
rlty ITSELF" and in his public character
marked by such "unlon of theorctc insight