The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1880-10-05
Tuesday, October 18th Is election
The American People are Always
Conservative.
ny. Herald, September slst.


The American w ople are always con-
servatiye. 1t is one OF their strong
points as a free people, managing their
own affairs, that they are aversc to tx
tretre methods and ,x!reme counsels. If
the republican leaders had determined Ia
carry on the canvass on the moderate
and patriotic policy which was implied
hy the nomination of Garfield they would
have rallied tp them before this not only
the best sentiment OF the North, but The
hest people Of the South. They might
have lost some Northern voles Of en-
treme men in their own party, but they
would have gained great many more
votes from the other side in all paris OF
the country, and they would have been
In q condition 10 make vigorous and
successful canvass in al lea. t four or FIVE
Of the Southern Sites.
But what happened2 Gen. Garf'ld
appa emily c0wed by the ihres ening
attitude OF the extremists in his party.
publicly abandoned the two positions
the maintenance OF which alone bad
made him conspicuous enough t. gain
the nomination. He had written in
1877. what every thoughtful voter in the
land, OF both pa' ties, felt to be profoudl
true, concerning the civil service:
To reform this service is one of the highest
snd most imperative duties Of statesmanship.
This reform cannot be accomplished without a
onmplete divorce between Congress and the
Executive in the matter of appointments.
But in his letter OF acceptance he re-
canted and wrote in precisely The oppo-
site strain: fE& kFfs
20 select wisely from our vast population
those who are best fitted for the many Offices to
be filed req iires acquaintance far beyond
the range of any one man. The Executive
should, therefore seek and receive the infor-
nation and assistance of those whose knowl-
edre Of the communities in which the duties
sre to be performed thus qualities them to aid in
making the wrsest choice.
He had said, concerning the sectional
rdisputes. in his place in Congress:
So far % / have studied tho current of public
thouxkt Of polite Il feeling in this country, no
tsclinx haa shown itself more s'r ngly thsnt 3
tendency of the public mind in the past few
months. The man who attempts to get up a
political excitement in this country on the old
sectional issue will find himself without , party
and without support The man who wants to
serve his country must put himself In the line
OF its leading thought. and that is the restora-
tioa Of business, trade, commerce, industry.
sound political economy, hard money and hon
est paymentof all obligations; and the man
who can add anything to the direction Of the
accomplishment Of any Of these purposes is a
public bcnefactors
But before tlfe canvass was sixty days
old be had abandoned also this truly ma
tionnl and pstriotic ground and commi'-
ted himself TO that miscbievtus sectional
appeal which has ever eince been made
by the organs and speakers of the party,
and which was put in its EXTREMIST form
the other dry in the speech OF Mr.
Corkling which the Evening Post criti-
ses. z
The Republican, are alarmed and un-
easy % The aspect OF their canvass She
sesult in Maine was surprise to them
because u revealed an unsupported dis
sfEec,ion in their own ranks The result
In Indiana and Ohio they believe to be
entirely uncertain. But they have them
selves to blame. The American people
are not fools or blind, when they see
political party, conservative in May.
wheel round to the ex,remest politics
70 September; when they see candidate
long committed in the most positive
manner to wise and national policies
suddenly and publicly abandon the con-
servative position which alone gave him
The popSiar confidence and good will,
and become the ally of the extremes
B 'urbonism Of his party. how can all
this fail to shake the confidence of the
voters and Gil them with suspicion and
disgust7
Thoughtful Republicans are asking
themselves, all over the country, what
the election fof Garfield would really
mean? They have seen him, at the bid
ding OF the extremists, abandon all bis
old and often announced principles; and
they are inclined to believe that il he is
to represent in the executive chair, not
the civil service reform and the national.
policy he formerly upheld, bit the pre-
else reverse of these things, it may be
as well, or better, to let him be defeated