Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1876-08-19
WHOLE NO. 1913.

clause Of the act of 1875, and demand
its repeal. I thoroughly believe by
public economy, by official retrench-
ments and by wise finance enabling US
to accumulate precious metals, resump.
ton at an early day is possible without
producing artificial scarcity of the cur
rency or disturbing public or CONNER
cial credit, and that these reforms to-
gether with the restoration Of pure gov
ernment will restore general confidence,
encourage useful investments of capi-
tai, furnish employment to labor, and
relieve the country of the paralysis OF
hard times. With the industries of the
people there have been frequent inter-
ferences, many industries have been inn
poverished to subsidize few; our COM
merce has been degraded to an inferior
position in the high seas; manufactures
have been diminished; agriculture has
been embarrassed, and the distress Of
the industrial classes demand that the
laws shall be reformed. The burdens
of the people must also be lightened by
a great change in our system OF pub
lie expenses. ProAigate expenditures
which increase taxation from s. per
capita in 1860 to $18 in 1870 tells its
own story of our pressing need OF re-
form. Our treaties with foreign pow
ers should also he revised and amended
in so far as they leave citizens Of foreign
birth in any particular less secure in
any country on earth than they would
be if they had been born an our own
soil; and the iniquitous coolie system,
which through the agency Of wealthy
companies imports Chinese bondsmen
and establishes species of slavery and
enterferes with the just rewards OF la
bor on the Pacific Coast, should be ut
terly abolished. In the reform OF our
civil service, I most heartily endorse
that section in the platform which de-
clares that the civil service ought not to
be subject to change at every election
and that it ought not to be made o
brief reward of party zeal but it ought
to be the award for competency and
held for fidelity in public employ. 1
hope never again to zee civil and re.
morseless prescription for political
opinion which has disgraced the admin
istration for the last eight years. Bad
as civil service now is, a. all know, it
has some men of tried integrity and
proved ability. Such men only should
be retained in Office; but no man should
be retained on any consideration who
has prostituted his Office to the purpose
of partisan intimidation or compulsion.
or who has furnished money to cor
rupt elections. This is done and has
been done in almost every country. It
is q blight upon the morals of the coun.
try and ought to be reformed. In reg
pect to our common schools have only
this to say, that in.my Judgment the
man or party that would involve our
schools in political or sectarian contro.
versy is nm enemy to the sehools-the
man or party having charge OF schools
must be no sectarian nor partisan, and
there must be neither division or mis-
appropriations of the funds for their
support. Likewise I regard the men
who would advise or foster sectional
animosities and antagonisms among his
countrymen as dangerous enemy to
his country. All people must be made
to feel and to know that once more the
established purpose and policy under
which all citizens, of every condition,
race and color, will be secure in the er.
,ioyment of whatever rights the const;.
tuition and laws declare or recognize,
and in the controversies that may arise
the government is not partisan, but,
within its constitutional authority, the
Just and powerful guardian of all. Strife
between races and sections will cease az
soon as the power for evil is taken
away from the party who made political
gain of acts of violence and blood-shed,
and the constitutional authority is
placed in the hands Of those whose
political welfare requires that peace and
good order shall be preserved. Every
Where, it will be seen, gentlemen. that
I am in entire accord with the platform
of the convention by which I have been
nominated as candidate for office Of
Vice President of the United States.
Permit me, in conclusion, to express
my satisfaction at being associated with
the candidate for Presidency, who 10
first among his equals % the represen-
tative of the spirit or of achievements Of
reform. In his official career ~ exc
cutive Of the great State Of New York,
he has in q comparatively short record
reformed the public service and no
duced the public burden 90 - 10 have
earned at once the gratitude Of hia State
and the admiration Of the countzy.
The people know him to be thoroughly
in earnest. He has shown himself to
be possessed of powers which Ct him in
an eminent degree for the great work
of reform of which the country now
needs, and If he shall be chosen BY the
the people to the high Office Of Presi-
dent, l believe that the day Of his
Inauguration will be the beginning Of
new era of peace. purity and prosperity
in all departments Of our government.
am, gentlemen. your obedient SER
want, ~
THOMAS A. HENDRICKS.
To the Hon. j.. A. Clernand. chair
man, and others OF the committee.
WAR HoRsxs.-In the st. Louis Con-
vsntion there we're four delegates who
have attended every Democratic Ma
tional Convention since 1874. They
were Hendrick B. Wright, Of Pennsyl-
vania, who presided at the Baltimore
Convention which nominated Polk and