National Republican., 1877-03-09
Theory and Practice.

II was good thing for the Republican
party to do to promise before the election and
duIirg the camns'gn that the Government
should be conducted hereafter, in the event of
the porty's success, upon the principles of
genuire reform; that the States of the South
should no longer be held under Fe ieral bay
orets, but should be permitted to govern
themselves, and that the civil eervlce should
To administered uron the bssls Of honesty,
efficiency and economy, instead of beicg pros
t'tutcd to partisan purposes and uLsi for
Iewardng personal adherents or political
favorites. No one objected TO Il; everybody
praised 1t. From the Republican lseiers
who are now suspected of q dispc ''tion to
antagonize PRECEDENT HAYES on ocs or both
OF these qrcstiors there was not q word OF
dissent from these propc ,it'oDs In the whole
courGe Of the canvass, though every ono OF
them was on the stump a1vc catiry the elcc.
tion of the candidates who, It was promised,
would put these tho orles Of reform In prss..ce.
Most Of them either believe or pretended to
believe that such reforms were demanded,
and that President HAYES would carry them
into execution. There Is not one Of them but
knows that in the temper of the psople toward
dates would have been simply impossible had
not President HAYES deslared his opinions
upon these two subjects In his letter of accept
auce, and the people accepted the declaration
ss honest and sincere. The theory was good
enough for tho campaign, but the p.s:.ics by
the Administration meets with strenuous Op.
position.
President HAYES has neither done anything
nor indicated purpoeo to do anything that Is
not In entire harmony with the letter and
spirit Of his carefully considered utterances
upon accepting the nomination. Some prom
nent politicians have been disappointed. In
public they lift their eyebrows aud shtlg their
shoulders at what has been done already, and
talk sig aifcantly about waiting until the policy
OF the President Is more fully developed be-
fore expressing an opin'on of 1t, whi'e In
private 1t is said they indulge In criticism
and complaint and expressions of profound
disappointment and disgust. They have too
long separated theory from practice; the habit
| OF considering performance as having no re-
lations whatever with promise In the conduct
OF poiitios has become so much a second
nature that they were not prepared for
this Ohio mans plain common ssnse and
homely honesty. He has taken with him into
the certainty and the possession Of his office
the memory Of what he said as a candidate,
recognizing as the only change in his clrcum.
stances his ability now to do what he before
agreed. To the mind of the ordinary pollti
clan, political success enables the candidate
not to fulfill his promises, but forget them
Gov. HAYES was brought into the political
prominence which gave him the nomination
Tor the Presidency by the great fight he mait
In Oho as the representative Of tho politica
idea that promises, whether made by individ
uals, parties or governments, on bank -note'
or treasury. notes, In political platforms O.
letters Of acceptance, are of some binding
force upon the maker, and that fulallment ID
the first great duty. He did not seek tn
nomination; he showed no anxiety as to tie
election. Having been named for the place
he stated modestly, but very distinctly, wha
would be his policy II elected. Having bee
! elected, he reiterstcs his opinions, Proaseis +