The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-07-07
the CANDIDATE OF REAL Reform.
whv we Support Tiiden and Prefer the
Democratic Platform.
Rom the Nation.
Az repards Mr.. Tilden himself. when the |


F,op, The Nation.
As regards MIR. Tilden himself, when the
questions before the country are the reform Of
the Administration, OF the currency. and OF the
system Of taxation, and the restoration Of the
supremacy Of the law over all Officers OF the
Government, there would, N he we're not the
nominee Of the Democratic party. and had not
been one OF its leaders since 1890, be In our
minds little difficulty in deciding that he Is the
m n for the Presidency. OF his ability to fight
the prevailing forms OF corruption Of bis cour-
HRe and determination In doing IL, even when
the offenders nre men Of his own political faith,
he has given an excellent example In the Gov
ernorsnip OF New York. That he Ia fully master
OF the currency question, and is consummate
man Of business. and lawyer of NJ ordinary
talent, and especially Of that sort OF talent
which shows itself best in dealing with the
knotty and Intricate problems Of affairs. sre
u .nes we'll known to all who are at all familiar
with his character or career.
The belief which has widely prevailed that he
would, In any political place Of great power OF
profit, be surrounded bv the worst element OF
the Democratic party, seems to have been sum
ciently refuted by the fact that this element 10
nowhere strong az In his own state, and that
there, nevertheless, he has not hesitated to en-
gage IN bitter warfare with II, and to incur ITS
unreaentinR hostility. Its adherence will prob
ably never he go valuable to him again bs II
would have been at st. Louis, ana there, never
tbeiess, II was arrayed against him. In short,
concedinR that a man may work for the Presi-
dental nomination for himself, nothing can
well be more honorable than the means by
which Mr.. Tlden has secured u. He has been,
In the position which he Nils, the resoIute pur
suer Of the Rims by which the knaves OF both
parties nave made fortunes out of the canals;
he has been the firm supporter of hard money
In the teeth OF the innauonist views OF large
proportion Of the Democratic party; and he has
sought neither favor nor Accommodate from
the New York faction which has brought so
much dlscredit -on the party. Finally, he has
brought the party to speak out boldly, even II
obscurely. IN Its platform in favor OF specie pay
ments and OF civll-service reform, and to nomi-
nate its abiest and least candidate.
| These are not services to himself or TO his party
simply; they are sevices to the whole country.
| Whether Mr.. Tilden be elected or not. we are
| indebted TO him for having raised politics to
higher level. and for baying wiped out, M far
II can be wiped out by mere utterance, the
national reproach that party containing nearly
half the voters was avowedly gwen over to OBJ
struction or mischief and occupied itself solely
with lamentins the irretrieyable and proposing
the i,npracticable.
As regards the platform, we feel bound to say
that 1t seems TO us greatly superior to that
drawn no at Ciocinnat In fact, to us, who be-
lieye that the great curses OF the politics OF the
day cant and insincsrity, and Its great needs
| honesty and directness in speech aud action. IL
Is difficult to avoid placing the Democratic Con-
vention. Judged by its speech and action, on a
higher moral plane altogether than the Repub-
| can. We say this while recognizing fully
the higher average OF character Of the latter,
| and w M xI I'D. hat fha nj
being prepared by a small knot OF men and
adopted without or with but little discussion.
cannot he surely taken 20 express even the av-
erage opinion of any convention. But IL must
be admitted that the small knot which prepared
the platform at st. Louis had apparently more
| sharply defined convictions about public ques-
tons, and deeper appreciation OF the needs Of
the hour than the small knot which prepared
the platform at Cincinnati.
We. for our part. consider the Democratic
declaration IN favor OF civil service reform,
while as full as that OF the Republicans, more
creditaDle. as made by party which is out of
ONCE, and which has not, like the Repuu lcan
party, made one such declaration already, and
then, with the means Of carrying IL into execu-
| ton in Its hands, not only fslsined Il, but
through lie leading men ridiculed IL. As O.
CARDS the demand In the st. Louis platform for
the repeal of the Resumption act, we think IL
cannot be too severely condemned, even when
coupled with a promise 10 return to specie pay
ments by some other process; but this d. uiand,
Objectionable as IL Is, has nevertheless an on
| est ring about IL compared with the deliber ate
evasion by the Cincinnati Convention of any
mention of the act at ALL when It was known to
be the object Of much attack, and was put on
the statute book by the Republican party itself.
20, also, we will say frankly that, in these days
| Of deceit and terRversation, we think an out
spoken anti-Mon golian plank, such az the Dem
| ocrats have produced, is a better evidence OF
generally sound moral condition than the
evssive utterance by which the Republican
party. with It's devotion to equal rights, has
sought TO produce the impression. while prom
Using nothing, that II thought Mongolan immi-
grafton injurious to the State, and would do
| something to stop II.
And, unless platforms are TO be accented as
unmeaDing bits OF verbiage, to which we trust
| the people will never agree, we must contrast,
| to the heavy disadvantage OF the Repu bicans,
their endorsement OF the present scandslous
| Administration OF Gen. Grant with the indict-
ment Of It presented by the Democrats. What
| ever be the character or antecedents OF the
Democrats, and however unlikely they NAV be
TO do better themselves. what they say Of Gen.
Grants Administration is true, OF the language
which honest men ought to use while what the
Republicans say Of II ia false, and lays ANYBODY
who says IT, however pure or respectable, open
TO just and grave suspicion. In short. II 10 not
unfair TO hold that any party which openly ap-
proves OF that Administration Is unit at this
crisis TO rule the country.
Republicans for Tiiden and Reform.