Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-08-12
HENDRICKS.
Formal Acceptance of the Nomination
for the Vice Presidency Of
the Uuited States.

INDIANAPOLIS, July 24.-GENTLE-
MEN I have the honor to acknowl.
edge the receipt of your communica
ton, in which you have formally
notified 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. 1t is nomination which /
had neither expected nor desired, and
yet | recognize and appreciate the
honor done me by the convention.
The choice of such a body, and pro- /
nounced with such unusual unanimity,
and accompanied with so generous an
expression of esteem and confidence,
ought to outweigh all merely personal |
details and preferences of my own. 1t |
is with this feeling, and / trust also |
from deep sense Of public duty, that |
l now accept the nomination, and shall |
abide the judgment of my countrymen. |
1t would have been impossible for me
to accept the nomination if / could !
not heartily indorse the platform of
the convention. | am gratifed, there
fore, to be able unequivocally to de-
clare that | agree in the principles,
approve the policies and sympathize
with the purposes expressed In that
platform. The institutions of our
country have been sorely tried by the
exigencies of civil war, and since the
peace by selfish and corrupt man
agement of public affairs which has
shamed us before civilized mankind.
By unwise and partial legislation
every industry and interest of the
people has been made to suffer, and
the executive departments ofthe Gov
eminent, BY dishonesty, rapaeity, and
venality, have debauohed the public
service. Men known to be unworthy
have been promoted, whilst others
have been degraded for fidelity to Of
fetal duty. Public office has been
made the means of private profit, and
the country has been offended to see
class of men who boast the friend
ship of the sworn protectors of the
State amassing fortunes by defraud-
ing the public treasury and by cor
rupting the servants of the people.
THE STANDARD OF REFORM.
In such crisis of the history of the
country L rejoice that the convention
at st. Louis has so nobly raised the
standard of reform. Nothing can be
well with us or with our affairs until
the public conscience, shocked by the
enormous evils and abuses which pre-
vail, shall have commanded and COM
PEELED an unsparing reformation of
our national administration in its
head and in its members. In such a
reformation, the removal of single
| Of h.
atively triaing matter, if the system
which he represents, and which has
fostered him as he has fostered it, is
suffered to remain. The president
alone must not make the scape- goat
for the enormities of the system which
infects the public service and threat
ems the distinctions of our institu-
tons. In some respects l hold that
the present executive has been the
victim rather than the author of that
vicious system. Congressional and
party leaders have been stronger than
the president. No one man could
have created it, and the removal of
no one man can amend it. 1t is thor
oughly corrupt, and must be swept
remorselessly away by the selection of
government composed of elements
entirely new and pledged to radical
reform.
THE STANDARD OF THE CONSTITUTION.
The first work Of reform must evil
IDENTIFY be the restoration of the nor
NAL operation of the Constitution of
the United States, with all its amend
ments. The necessities of war can
not be pleaded in a time of peace.
The right of local self government,
as guaranteed by the Constitution
must be everywhere restored, and the
centralized, almost personal, imperi-
alism which has been practiced must
be done away, or the first principles
of the republic will be lost
FINANCIAL QUESTIONS.
Our financial system of expedients
must be reformed. Gold and silver
are the real standards of value, and
our national currency will not be
perfect medium of exchange until it
shall be convertible at the pleasure
of the holder. AS | have heretofore
| said, no one desires a return to specie
payments more earnestly than | do;
but do not believe that it will or can
be reached in harmony with the in
terests of the people by artificial meas
ures for the contraction of the cur
rency, any more than | believe that
wealth or permanent prosperity can
be created by an imitation of currency.
| The laws of finance can not be disre-
garded with impunity. The financial
policy of the Government, if indeed it
deserves the name of policy at all, has
been in disregard of those laws, and
therefore has disturbed commercial
and business confidence, as well as
hindered return to specie payments.
| One feature of that policy was the re-
sumption clause of the act of 1875,
which has embarrassed the country by
the anticipation of a compulsory re-
sumption for which no preparation
has been made, and without any assu-
rance that it would be practicable.
The repeal of that clause is necessary,
that the natural operation of financial
laws may be restored, that the bust
ness of the country may be relieved
from its disturbing and depressing in
| fuence, and that a return to specie
payments may be facilitated by the
substitution of wiser and more pru-
dent legislation and which shall main
ly rely on a judicious system of public
economy and official retrenchment,
and above all in the promotion of
prosperity in all the industries of the.
people.
I do not understand the repeal of
the resumption clause of the act of
1875 to be backward step in our re-
turn to specie payments, but the re-
covery of false step, and although
the repeal may for time be prevented,
yet the determination of the Demo
cratic party on this subject has now
been declared. There should be no
hindrances put in the way of a return
to specie payments. LAS such him
drance," says the platform of the st.
Louis convention, I'VE denounce the
resumption clause of the act of 1875,
and demand its repeal" / thoroughly
believe that by public economy, by of
fetal retrenchments, and by wise f.
nance, enabling us to accumulate the
precious metals, resumption at an early
period is possible, without producing
an artificial scarcity of currency or
disturbing public or commercial
credit, and that these reforms, togeth-
er with the restoration of pure govern
ment, will restore general confidence,
encourage the useful investment of
capital, furnish employment to labor,
and relieve the country from the par