St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-10-12
Speech of George William Curtis in the
Conkling Convention.

Mr.. President.-As Republican, in
a Republican convention, offer reso-
luton of party commendation for the
Republican President of the United
States. The republican party, Mr..
President, has brought this administra-
tion into power, and the republican
party is responsible for the administra-
ton. The question for the country at
this moment is, ''Do you, does the re-
publican party, accept the RESPONSE
bility ?"
Now, Mr.. President, I was never
prouder that am at this moment to be
known as a republican. Believing, as
l do now and have always believed,
that the republican party is national
party and Union party and, know
ing that the peace of nations and the
integrity of nations is to be maintained
by mutual confidence and mutual re-
spect-yet; nevertheless, did not sup
pose that in my time should see
republican President, without, in my
judgment, the least shadow of sur
render of any republican principle, re-
ceived in the slave states of Georgia, of
Virginia, of Tennessee, with confidence
and respect; while the original anti
slavery republican state of Massachu-
setts cheers him when he comes and
cheers him again as he goes, and the
republicans of Maryland, who have
tried in their own persons the bitter
ordeal to which any republican in any
Southern state of this country has long
been exposed, echo back to Massachu-
setts the cordial approval and express
confidence and respect which Massa-
al, 70 nft thn
can heart of the Union.
We have, Mr.. President, in the plat
form which has been read to us, which
is so elaborate and so extended, many
points to which every honest republi-
can will agree we have, nevertheless,
it seems to me, failed to answer one
important question. Why, sir, / re-
member that one year ago in the re-
publican convention of New York,
while the election of President was
pending, this was the demand of the
republicans of New York. read you,
sir, the second clause of the resolutions
adopted at Saratoga in 1876:
We especially approve and emphasize
the declarations for reformed public
service, based upon honest fidelity and
capacity, and we accept the manly and
unequivocal declaration upon that sub
ject OF our Presidential candidate as the
platform of the republican party.
The President of the United States,
in obedience to the declarations of |
know not how many state conventions,
in obedience TO the declarations of two
or three national conventions of the
republican party, has declared that the
civil service of this country shall be re-
formed. The President has taken up
the war against the evils and abuses of
the civil service. The question is
whether, in the war which he has be-
gun; whether, every specific measure
carries with it our own preference or
not, we will support the President of
our choice.
The evil of which we complain has
been pointed out by the greatest states
men OF all the great parties of the cOun-
try. L cite to you Webster and Clay
on the one side, Calhoun and Benton |
cite to you on the other. One of the
great miscbiefs of the civil service as
we have seen it, one of the great mis-
chiefs, and especially, sir, in the state
of New York, is that interference with
the freedom of electors, against which
all the great statesmen lifted up their
voices.
There was story which Mr.. Lincoln
was very fond of telling himself, and
with your permission | will repeat it to
you. There was Senator of the United
States in the time of Mr.. Lincoln, whose
name | shall conceal utterly under the
name of the Hon. Jeremiah Jones. The
Hon. jeremiah Jones was mainly distin-
guished, so Mr.. Lincoln asserted, for
his industry in seeking places for his
friends in the hottest and most danger
Gus hours of the war. The Hon. Jere-
miah Jones waited upon Mr. Lincoln
and asked him to make sure to put this
man into that place and the other man
into that place, in order that certain
results which he had in view might be
carried out. The President was one
day asked by friend to give him a
brief account of what he did during the
day, and the President said to him,
with that sly twinkle in his eye which
we can all imagine: "Well, my friend,
l eat my breakfast, and then l go to
headquarters and hear the latest news
from the army and then eat my din
ner, and then go to headquarters and
hear the latest news from the army !;
and then l drink my tea, and go to
headquarters and hear the latest news
from the army and then go to my
chamber, and make ready for bed, and
| say my prayers, and L look under the
bed to see if Jerry is there, and if not,
thank God and bounce in"
We have at last, am glad to see it,
a President of the United States who,
in obedience to the clear command of
his party, proposed to drive Jerry out
from under the bed. [ am sure, for one,
that every man who cordially desires
the independence of the voters of this
country to be restored, will cordially
second the President in the efforts he
makes, whether those specific efforts do
or do not meet his individual approba-
ton. For my own part / recall what
we have said, what we said year ago
in our convention at Saratoga, and
see the President, for whom l cordially
supported, pursuing, in a way he deems
best, what we there declared duty.
know, sir, and l affirm what know,
that the President strikes at one of
these foul abuses of despotism which
challenges openly and directly more
than one man that sits in this conven-
ton aye, sir, my seat in this conven-
ton, owe to the early discovery of the
fact that there were efforts making,
supported by the power and patronage
which resides in the hands of the officers
ofithe United States, to defeat my cleo
tion as a delegate to this convention
because, and because only was be-
lieved to be firm supporter of the ad-
ministratiOn and its civil-service reform,
and therefore person who was likely
to disturb the harmony of our delibera-
tioDs because / was suOpOsed NOT tn