Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-03-29
Senator Howe's Arralgnment Of President
HAYES.

Hayes.
SHARP CRITICISM OF THE SOUTHERN POLICY.
1t has happened to me to be advertised,
quite beyond the pale of my own modest
seeking, as an opponent of the president 5
policy" To the doctors of the inqulsition
it seems no longer question oil moment
whether one be Republican or Demo
crat; the absorbing question IS. Does he
support the PRESIDENTS policy" or does
he not? Sir, have no wish TO conceal any
opinion of mine which the public was inter
ested to know; nevertheless, | have not
hitherto answered TO this accusation.
did not like to plead guilty" for hoped
| was innocent, and did not like to plead
mot guilty." ior feared | might be
guilty.
Nv own policy ~ very simple one and
may BIO briefly stated. Toward the States OF
the South my policy has been identical with
the policy have held toward the States OF
the North. demand only thar every legal
| " qualified elector in every State, South or
North, Democratic or Republican, black or
white, shall be permitted, undis;nrbed by
| force and unawed by fear, to vote at all
elections at the place prescribed by law and
nowhere else, Just once and no more than
once that every vote so east shall be
honestly counted. and that every lerson
chosen hy such votes to any Office shall be
| freely inductcd into it. That is my South
ern policy, and the whole of it, The very
head and front of my offending against the
South hath this extent. no more.
1t was that same sentiment which, as |
understand inspired the President, when in
IS ha IA {. ~ hat the
| South most needs is peace, and peace depends
upon the supremacy Of the law. There
can he TO enduring peace if the constitutions
al rights Of any portion OF the people are
habitually disrcgarded " OF course ! did
| not like to believe that the President would
abandon any part of this policy, 50 reasonable
in itself and explicitly proclaimed. both by
himselfand by the convention which placed
him in nomination.
Concerning the civil service, my policy is
not bit more complicated. ! would have
that service administered by the best men
attainable, and believe that 4 Republican
| President should as the Cincinnati ccnven-
ton declared. select Republicans for all
those places where harmony and yigDr OF
administration require its policy 10 be repre-
scented. | believe, as the President declared
in his inaugural address, that. once com
missioned, the officer should be ''secare in
his tenure as long as his personal character
remains untarnlshed and the performance OF
his duty satisfactory"
The President was elected by a party 80
per cent of which am confident, hold pre-
cisely these views, and don't propose to
abandon them, whoever may counsel to such
abandonment. Still, some things had hap
pened since his Inauguration not at all in
harmony with the policies have indicated.
He had selected for his cabinet one man who
was not Republican, but Democrat. Still
the individual was so well known to me, and
believed so implicitly in the moderation OF
his opinions, in the business of his sentiments
and the integrity of his character, that, if |
could not have advised his selection, | could
not and did not complain of it.