The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-08-17
Aohdral
General BrinkerhOff at Mansfield.

for supporting Tilden and Hendricks
Hon. M. D. Harter, President of the Club
called the meeting to order. His speech
was well received by the Liberals in this
section, and will do great good,
In conclusion, Mr.. Brinkerhoff said:
Thequestions of reform and civil SER
vice reform and many others are doubt
less important, but the tariff and subsidy
questions overshadow them all, and must
be settled FIRST in order to make the 9TH
ers possible of solution.
Upon the currency question the Demo-
cratic party, as whole, is thoroughly
sound. Here in Ohio and Indiana To-
cal madness has prevailed, but it was
only local, and, as power for evil, has
passed away forever.
The Democratic party in all its tradi-
tions is hard-money, while with the Re-
publicans the reverse has been the case.
The Republicans promise fair enough,
but they fail to perform. Eight years
ago, in National Convention, they promis
ed to return to sound financial basis,
and in the first act of Congress passed
under the Administration of President
Grant they declared in the last clause of
the first section as follows: "And the
United States solemnly pledges its faith,
to make provision at the earliest practi-
cal period for the resumption of the
United States notes in Coin."
Instead of fulfilling this pledge they
subsequently passed an act for further
imitation, and we have only been saved
from it by a righteous veto by President
Grant, Eight years have passed away
since these promises were made, and all
they have to show in the way of fulfill.
ment is another promise fixing the year
1879 as the time for final performance.
Such a aspromise, however, is utterly
worthless unless proper provisions be
made in advance for its proper fulfill
ment, and thus far not thing has been
done, and we have no assurance that
anything ever will be done under Repub-
lican auspices. Certainly, unless suitable
provision be made to carry out this prom
Use it were far better that it had never
been made, and the sooner it is recalled
the better.
The Democratic party, at the st. Louis
Convention, condemned this inaction,
and declared, as it ought to have declared
"We denounce the failure for all these
eleven years Of peace to make good the
promise of the legal tender notes, which
are changing value in the hands of the
people, and the non payment of which
is disgrace to the plighted faith of the
nation"
In this denunciation we heartily join,
So in the case of civil service re form
the Republican party at every Conven
ton hes promised to do better, but the
fact is it steadily grew worse. and during
the last four years, under Grant, it has
grown worse beyond endurance, and yet
in this year of grace, 1876, it gravely
comes to the front again, and Commends
itself to the country as party of reform
and as an evidence of its entire sincerity |
indorses the Administration of President
Grant. The most astonishing thing
which has followed this exhibition has
been the fact that the whole nation has
not broken out into hearty and deri-
sive laugh at the utter righteousness of
any claim by the Republican party as a
party of civil cervice reform.
Can we expect to "gather grapes from
thorns, or figs from thistles?"
The truth is, there is no hope of a radi-
ical reform in anything except through |
a clean sweep of The Republican party |
from all the avenues and citadels of pow
er. At any rate, there is nothing to be
lost by this method, for we certainly can
not very well do worse.
conclude, therefore, as 1 commenced
by giving my advice, as intend to give
my vote, for Samuel Tilden for the next
President of the United States.
do this because believe that Samuel
j. Tilden, represents the Jeffersonian
ideas of Government better than any
other man in public life. believe, if
elected, he will carry them into the prac-
tical administration of the Government,
with wisdom and pertinacity and un-
flinching integrity In short l believe
of all men at the present time, Samuel j.
Tilden is the man for the Presidential
office.
1t seems to me, fellow citizens, that the
time has come, for the people of the Uni
ted States TO turn away from the discus
sion of dead issues and devote themselves
to the solution of living questions The
war of the rebellion is now decade be-
hind us and for all political purposes it is
as far distant as the Revolution of CEN
tury ago. There is no more danger of a
restoration of slavery or of the Southern
Confederacy than there is of the domin-
alton of King George the Third. In my
Judgment there is no more danger from
the rebels of 1875, than there is from the
Tories of 1776. We are now the people
of one country. The cause of contention
has passedaway, and it is not in the pow.
er of mortal man to restore it. The
South could not restore slavery if it
would, and would not if it could.
As stated by Governor Tilden in his
message of 1875, "The questions settled
by the war can never be reopened. The
adoption of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth
and Fifteenth Amendments to the Fed
eral Constitution, closed one great era in
our politics. 1t marked the end forever
of the system of human slavery, and the
struggles that grew out of that system.
The amendments have been conclusive