The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1876-08-05
He Accepts the Nom.
inatiOn.
And Heartily and Fully Indorsea the
Platform.
And Pays Glowing Tribute to Gov
Tilden as the Great Reformer
of the Age.
Tilden and Hendricks Fully Agree Upor
all the Issues of the Day.

cation IN winch you nave lOTudlly uOtlHeu
me of my nomination by the National
Democratic convention, at st. Louis, as
their candidate for the Office OF Vice
President of the United States. Its noml- |
nation | had neither expected nor desired,
and yet | recognize and appreciate the high
honor done me by the convention. The
choice of such body, and pronounced with
such unusual unanlmity, and accompanied
with so generous an expression of esteem
and confidence ought to outweigh all
merely personal desires and preferences of
my own. 1t is with this feeling, and | trust
also from a deep sense of public duty, that
| now accept the nomination and shall
abide by the judgment Of my countrymen
1t would have been impossible for me to
accept the nomination II L could not
heartily endorse the platform Of the con-
vention. am gratifed, therefore, TO be
able, unequivocally, to declare that agree
in the principles, approve the policies, and
sympathiZe with the purposes enunclated
in that platform.
The institutions Of our country have
been sorely tried by the exigencies of civil
war and since peace, by the selfish and
corrupt management of public affairs which
has shamed US before civilized mankind.
10y uDMlSS duu pdA lldi lCEISldItOu CNCly III
dustry and interest of the people have
been made to suffer, and in the executive
department of the government, dishonesty,
rapacity and venahty, have debauched the
public service. Men known to be I'm
worthy have been promoted, whilst others
have been degraded for fidelity to
official duty. Public offices have been
: made the means of private profit, and the
, country has been offended to see a class
men who boast the friendship of the
sworn protector of the state, amassiDg for
tunes by defrauding the public treasury
and corrupting the servants of the people.
In such a crises of the history of the
country | rejoice that the convention at St,
5 Louis has so nobly raised the standard of
Y reform Nothing can be well with US or
A with our affairs until the public conscience,
shocked by the enormous evils and
G abuses which prevail, shall have demanded
S and compelled an unsparing reformation
Of our national administration In its head
!. and in its members. In such a reforma-
= ton, the removal Of single officer, even
Il the president, is comparatively
trihing matter. The system which he re.
a presents and which has fostered him as he
:, has fostered it, is suffered to remain. The
iurist alone must not be made the scape
goat for the enormities of the system which
infects the public service and threatens thu
u destruction of our institutions In SOM
respects | hold that the present executive
has been the victim rather than the autho
of that vicious system. Congressional
IF aud party leaders have been stronger thai
the president. No one man could hav
Il created it, and the removal Of no one ma
a can amend it. 1t is thoroughly corrup
&c and must be swept remOrseessly away b
, the selection of government composed c
elements entirely new and pledged to rad
. cal reform, The first work of reform
e. must evidently be the restoration of tn
US normal operation Of the constitution of tn
u. United States with all its amendments
The necessities of war can not be pleSde
. in time Of peace. The right of local sell
Ok government as guaranteed by the consti
b. tuition, and the centralized, almost pei
or sonal, Imperialism which has been pra(
ticed, must be done away with or the frs
principles of the republic will be lost.
Our financial system Of expedient
e. must be reformed. Gold and silver ar
or real standards of values, and our nations
49, currency will net be perfect medium
u exchange until it shall be convertible ,
rs the pleasure of the holder As | hay
or heretofore said, no one desires a retur
re to specie payments more earnestly tba
~. | do; but | don't believe it will or can |
: reached IN harmony With the interests
ID the people, by artificial measures for IL
re contraction Of the currency, any more tia
or | believe wealth or permanent pro
h perity can be created by an initiation of tt
| currency.
he The laws of finance cannot be disr
lg, garded with IMMUNITY. The financial pc
IA icy of the government, if indeed it d
r. serves the name of policy at all, has BET
- in disregard with these laws, and thereto
has disturbed commercial and husine
ice confidence, as well as hindered the retu
it to specie payments One feature of th
r policy was the resumption clause of Il
: act of 1875, which has embarrassed Il
ne country By the anticipation Of a compl
bic sorry resumption for which no preparati
he has been made, and without any assuran
that it would be practicable. The iept
of that clause is necessary that the r
he tional operation of financial laws may
GO restored, that the business of the count
may be relieved from its disturbing al
depressing influence, and that the retu
ks. to specie payment may be facilitated
md the substitution of wiser and more pl
=, dent legislation which shall mainly rely
~ a judicious system of public economies a
ete official retrenchmeut, and, above all,
be the promotion of prosperity in all the
we dustries Of the people. ! don't und
, , stand the repeal of the resumption clau
:, " of the act of 1875 to be backward st
uie in our return to specie payments, but
OF recovery of false step, and although t
and repeal may for time be prevented,
,oo determination Of the Democratic party
the subject has been distinctly declar
. IL that there should be 10 hindrauces
gly In the way 0i return to specie paymen
''As such hindrance, saws the plato
II of the st. Louis convention, we denou
the resumption clause of the act Of IS
Any and demanded its repeal.
| thoroughly believe that by pull
len economy, official retreDchment, aud
as wise finance, enabling US to accumul
- the precious metals, resumption at an e
=" ly period is possible without produc
an artificial scarcity OF currency or distu
at ing the public or commercial credit, &
we that these reforms. together with the !
W. toration of pure government. will rest
general confidence, encourage usefal
DAY vestments of capital, furnish employm
non to labor, and release the country from
of paralysis OF hard times.
,oro With the industries of the 7
-oi pie there have been frequent
ows references. Our platform truly S
ct a that many industries have been
hall ppverished TO su bsidize few. Our CO
oct merce has been degraded to
ters manufactures have been diminished. a
g. hoe 10 III