The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-07-20
GOV. KOERNER FOR TILDEN
AN APPEAL TO REPUBLICANS.


Hon. Gustav Koerner Of illinois makes
the following rallying call to disafected
Republicans and Liberals in late mum.
ber of the Stern des WeStenS of Belle
vile:
The moment has come for the Liberal
Republicans to take decided stand upon
the presidential election:
We take it for granted that they, direct
ly or indirectly, had given in their ad-
heson to the movement which culmin-
ated in the socalled New York conference
under the auspices of Carl Schurz, Geo.
William Curtis, William Cullen Bryant.
Chas. Francis Adams, Jr., and other
highly respected gentlemen. The letter
of invitation, sent to great number of
prominent men who were credited with
a sufficient sense ofindependence to free
themselves, if necessary, from the bonds
of partyism, laid particular streets upon
the fact that an unlimited party spirit
by means of comparative minority, who
make business of politics, would in the
impending elections paralyze the patriotic
impulses of the people. In order to pre-
vent the people from again being left
only choice between two evils, and in
order to cause the election of men to the
highest offices of the republic whose
character and abilities can cope with the
crisis, and who will be an honor to the
American name, the signers of the call
invited those whom they addressed to
a conference in New York. About the
same time Mr.. Curtis spoke in the Re-
publican convention of New York the
following words: This time the man
must be our platform !" Words that
were received on all sides, and especially
by the Independent press, with the loud
est applause so much the more so, as
years ago the opinion had already taken
a firm root that party platforms are only
made to be forgotten and as toy polite
al children.
In the brilliant address issued by this
conference, return to specie payment,
redemption of our national pledges, re-
cognition of the constitutional situation
as the amendments make it, return peace
and Union by candid reconciliation, are
recognized as matters of importance, it
is true, but they are regarded as not Of
the first importance. We read in this
address: "Our discussion and struggles
about other great questions andprinciples
will appear like mockery and farce if
we permit our public concerns to drift
into that ruinous anarchy which which
corruption must necessarily bring in its
train, because it destroys the confidence
of the people in their self government,
the greatest calamity that can befall
republic. 1t is simple question of life
or death. A corrupt monarch may last
by the rule of force; corrupt republic
cannot endure"
After this idea has been considerably
enlarged upon, we read further: "In
view ofthe grave circumstances tpresent
surrounding us we declare the country
cannot now afford to have any man cleo
ted to the presidency whose very name
is not conclusive evidence of the most
uncompromising determination of the
American people to make this pure gov
ernment once more.
The address then continues to point
out that no candidate is worthy of the
presidency of whom it is only SUPPOSED
that he will take corruption by the throat,
and then comes this celebrated passage:
This is no time for so called availa.
bility springing from distinction gained
on fields of action foreign to the duties of
the government, nor for that far more
dangerous sort of availability which con-
sists in this, that the candidate be neither
so bad as to repel good citizens, nor so
good as to discourage the bad ones"
Now come the following almost pro-
phetic words. Passive virtue, in the
highest place, has too often been known
to permit the growth ofactive vice below.
The man to be entrusted with the presi7
dency this year must have deserved not
only the confidence of honest men, but
also the fear and hatred of the thieves
Every American citizen who has the
future of the public and the national hon
or sincerely at heart, should solemnly
declare that the country must now have
a president whose name is already
watchword of reform, whose capacity
and courage for the work are matters of
record rather than of promise, who will
restore the simplicity, independence and
recttude of the early administrations,
and whose life will be guaranty of his
fidelity and fitness"
Afterwards the conference issued a
kind of programme to those who had not
been in attendance, for their signatures,
the last passage Of which reads as fol-
lows: ..h ...
1--WE declare in accordance. the
views of the conference that no candidate
for the presidency ought to be made
whose name alone is not an unquestloned
pledge that it is the Interchangeable will OF
the American people to restore this gov
ernment again to its purity, and that we |
will support no nomination that does not |
satisfy us that these reforms will be ac-
This programe has been signed by the |
most prominent Liberal Republicans Of
Illinois, and without doubt, of other |
states, and is in the hands of the officers |
of the conference.
When this address was issued the cry |
went up in the whole country, that means
Bristow or Tilden On the conference
itself Adams said. First Bristow, then
Tilden! and his words were received with
loud apr ause.
True to this programme and not &C
customed to change our course without
good reason. we hoist without the inten-