Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1880-07-27

whose career Is so INDUSTRIOUS IN great and
patriotic achievements will not fulfill its
destiny until peace and prosperity are es-
tablished in all the land, nor until liberty
of thought, conscience and action and
equality Of opportunity shall not be mere
y cold formalities of statutes, but living
birth-rights, which the humble may con-
fidenuy claim and the powerful dare not
deny.
The resolution referring to the public
service seems to be deserving Of approval.
Surely no man should be the incumbent
of an office the duties of which he is for
any cause unfit to perform, who is lack
ing in ability, in fidelity or integrity.
which proper administration of such Of
Fl e demands. This sentiment would
doubtless meet with general acquieseence,
bat opinion has been widely divided upon
the wisdom and practicabli'y Of various
rtformoto y schemes which have been
suggested and ofcertaia proposed rcgula-
tions governing appointments 20 pabIir
Office. The efficiency Of such regulations
have been d:strusted mainly because they
seemed to enact mere educational and
ABSTRACT tests above general business ca
pacity and even special fitness for the
particular work in hand. IL seems 10 me
tha, the rules which should be applied to
the management of the public service may
properly conform in the main to such as
regulate the conduct of successful private
business. Original appointments should
be based on ascertained fitness, the tenure
OF office should be stable; positions of re-
sponsibility should so far as practicable
be filed by promotion Of worthy and eff
fcient officers; investigation Of all COM
plants and punishment of all official mis-
conduct should be prompt and thorough.
These views which | have long held, re.
peatedly declared and uniformly applied
when called upon to act, find embodied
in the resolutions which, Of course, | ap.
prove. Twill add that by the acceptance
of public office, whether high or low, one
does not in my judgment escape any OF
his responsibilities as citizen nor lose or
impair any of citizens rights; that he
Should enjoy absolute liberty to think and
speak and act in political matters accord
ing to his own will and conscience pro-
vided only that he honorably. faithfully
and fully discharges all his official duties,
Resumption of specie payments, one of
the fruits of the Republican party, has
brought return of abundant prosperity
and the settlement of many distracting
questions. The restoration of sound
money, large reduction of our public debt
and of the burden of interest, and the
high advancement of public credit all at
test the ability and courage of the Re-
publican party to deal with such finan-
cial problems as may hereafter demand
solution. Our paper currency is now as
good as gold and silver in performing its
legitimate functions for the purposes of
change The principles which should
govern the relations of these elements OF
the currency are simple and clear. There
must be no deteriorated coin, no depreci-
ated paper, and every dollar, whether of
metal or paper, should stand the test Of
the worlds fixed standard.
The value of popular education can
hardly be oyerstated. Although its in
terests of necessity must be confined to
voluntary effort and the individual action
of the several States, they should be en-
couraged, so far as the constitution per-
mits, by generous cooperation OF the ma
tional government The interests Of the
who'd country demand that the advan-
tages of our common school system should
lie brought within the reach Of every
citizen, and that no revenue of the nation
or of the State should be devoted to the
support OF sectarian schools.
Such changes should be made in the
present tariff and system of taxation as
will relieve any overburdened industry or
class, and enable our manufacturers and
artisans to compete successfully with
those of other lands.
The government should aid works of
internal improvement national in their
character, and should promote the de-
velopment Of our water courses and har-
bors wherever the general interests OF
Congress require it.
Four years ago, as now, the nation
stood at the threshold of Presidential
election, and the Republican party found
ed its hope of success, not upon its
promises, but upon its history. Its sub
sequent course has been such as to
strengthen the claims which it then made
to the confidence and support of the
country. On the other hand, considera-
tons more urgent than have ever before
existed forbid the elevation of their OPP
ponents to power. Their success, ifsuc-
cess attend them, must chiefly come from
the united support of that section which
sought the forcible disruption of the
Union, and which, according to all teach
ing of our past history, will demand
ascendency in the councils Of the party to
whose triumph it viii have made by far
the largest contribution. There is the
gravest reason for apprehension that ex-
orbitant claims on the public treasury, by
no means limited to the hundreds OF mil
lions already covered by bills introduced
in Congress within the past four years,
would be successfully urged if the Demo-
cratic party should succeed in supplement
ing its present control Of the national
legislature by electing the executive also.
There is danger in intrusting the control
. of the~whole law making power of the