The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1880-08-18

Acceptance Of Hon. W. u. Englisis.
GENTLEMEN:-I have now the honor
to reply to your letter of the 18th inst,
informing me that was unanimously
nominated for the Office of Nice-Presi-
dent of the United States by the late
Democratic National Convention which
assembled ut Cincinnati.
AS fOreshadOwed i'm the verbal re-
marks made by me at the time of the
delivery OF your letter, ! have now to-
say that | accept the high trust with
LealiZing sense of its responsibility, and
am profoundly grateful for the honor
conferred. | accept the nomination
upon the platform of principles adopted
by the Convention, which | cordially
approve, and accept it quite ~ much
because of my faith in the wisdom and
patriotism of the great statesman and
soldier nominated on the same ticket
for President of the United States. His
eminent services to his country; his fl
deity to the Constitution, the Union
and the laws; his clear perception of the
correct principles of government as
taught by Jefferson; his scrupulOus care
to keep the military i'm strict subordina-
ton to tie civil authorities; his high re-
gard for civil liberty, personal rights
and the rights of property; his acknOwl-
edged ability i'm civil rs well rs military
affairs, and his pure and blameless life,
all point to him as Il man worthy of the
confidence of the people, not only as u
brave soldier, u great cOmlnander,a wise
statesman and pure patriot, but pru-
dent, palns-taking, practical man of UNI
questioned honesty. Trusted often with
important public duties, faithful to
every trust and i'm the full meridian of
ripe and vigorous manhood, he is, in my
Judgment, eminently fitted for the high
est Office on earth-the Presidency of
the United States. Not only is he the
right man for the place, but the time
has come when the best interests of the
country require that the party which
has mOnOpOliZed the Executive Depart
ment of the general government for the
last twenty years should be retired. The
continuance of that party in power
tour years longer would not be benefi-
cial to the public or in accordance with
the spirit of our republican institutions.
The laws of entail have not been favor
ell i'm our system of government. The
perpetuation of property or place in one
family or set of men has never been en-
couraged i'm this country, and the great
and good men who formed our republic
can government and its traditions,
wisely limited the term of Office and i'm
many ways showed their disapproval of
long leases of power. Twenty years of
continuous power is long enough, and has
already led To Irregularities and cOrrup-
tiOns which are not likely to be properly
exposed under the same party that per-
petuated them. Besides, it should not
bc forgotten that the last four years of
power held by that party Were procured
by discreditable means and held i'm de-
fiance of the wishes of majority of
the people. Ii was a grievous wrong to
every voter and to our system of self
government, which should never be for
gotten and forgiven. Many Of the men
now in Office were put there because of
corrupt partisan services in thus defeat
ing the fairly and legally expressed will
of the majority, and the hypocrisy of
the professions of that party in favor of
civil service reform was shown by plac-
ing such men i'm office and turning the
whole brood of Federal officehOlders
loose to influence the elections. The
money of the people, taken out of the
w liltSC lot ST.
vices often poorly performed, or not per-
formed at all, is being used i'm vast sums
with the knowledge and presumed sane
ton of the Administration To control
the elections, and even the members of
the Cabinet are travelling about the
country making partisan speeches, in
stead of being in their departments ut
Washington, discharging the public du-
ties for which they are paid by the peO-
pie. But with all their cleverness and
ability a discriminating public will no
doubt read, between the lines of their
speeches, that their paramount hope
and aim is to keep themselves or their
satellites four years longer in office.
That perpetuating the power of chronic
Federal Office-hOlders four years longer
will not benefit the millions of men and
women who hold no office, but earn
their daily bread by honest industry, is
what the same discerning public will
no doubt fully understand, as they will,
also, that it is because of their own in
Justry and economy, and Gods bounti-
full harvests, that the country is COM
paratively prosperous, and not because
of anything done by these Federal Office
holders. The country is comparatively
prosperous not because of them, but in
spite of them. This contest il, i'm fact,
between the people endeavoring to re-
gain the political power which rightful-
ly belongs tn them, and to restore the
pure, simple, economical, constitutional
government of our fathers on the one
side, and II hundred thousand Federal
Oflice-holders and their hackers, PAM
pered with place and power, and deter
mined To retain them at all hazards on
the other. Hence the constant assump-
ton of new and dangerous powers by
the general government under the rule
of the Republican party, the effort to
build up by what they call u strong gov
eminent, the interference with home
rule, and with the administration OF
just ice i'm the courts of the several
States, the interference with the elec-
lions through the medium of paid par
tisan Federal office-hOlders into and
keeping their party in power, and ear
ing more for that than fairness i'm the
electiOns-in lact, the constant encrOach-
ments which have been made by that
party upon the clearly reserved rights
of the people and the State will, if not
checked, subvert the liberties of the peO-
pie, and the government of limited pow
ers, created by the fathers, in IA great COLI
solidated central government, strong y
indeed, for evil and the overthrow Of
Republican institutions. The wise men
whothen formed our Constitution knew
the evils of IA strong government and
i the long continuance of political power
i'm the same hands. They knew there
was tendency i'm this direction in all
governments, and consequent danger t.
republican institutions from that cause
and took pains To guard against it. The
machinery of n strong centralized gen.
eral government can be used to perpet-
uate the same set of men i'm power from
term to term until it ceases to be a re-
public, or is such only i'm name; ant
the tendency of the party now in pOwel
in that direction, rs shown i'm various
ways-besides the willingness recently
manifested by large number of thai