Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1880-07-17
GARFIELD's LETTER.
He Accepts with Feelings of
Gratitude and Response
hiEifV

Gratitude and RESPONSE
bility.
THE CHICAGO PLATFORM ENDoRS
ED-vIEws OF THE REPUBLT
CAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
ON THE LEADING TOPICS or
THE COMING CAMPAIGN.
MENTOR, OHIO, July IL Gen
eral Garfield has forwarded tt
Senator Hoar, of Massachusetts
the following letter of acceptance
of the nomination rendered him
by the Republican National Con.
vention:
MENTOR, ONO, July 10.
Dear Sir--On the evening OF the
9Th of June last / had the honor
to receive from you, in presence
of the committee of which you
were chairman, the announce.
ment that the Republican Nation
al Convention at Chicago had that
day nominated me for their can
didate for president OF the United
States. l accept the nomination
with gratitude for the confidence
it applies, and with deep sense
of the responsibilities it imposes.
/ cordially endorse the princi-
pies set forth in the platform
adopted by the convention. On
nearly all the subjects Of which il
treats my opinions are on record
among published proceedings OF
Congress. / venture herein to
make special mention OF some of
the principal topics which are like
~ TO become subjects of discussion,
without renewing the controver-
sizes which have been settled dur
ing the past twenty years. and
with no purpose or wish to revive
the passions of the late war. 1t
sh ould be said that while Republi-
cans fully recognize and will
strenously defend all the rights
maintained by the people and all
the rights reserved to the states,
they reject the pernicious doctrine
of state supremacy, which 50 long
crippled the functions OF the nat
ional government and at one time
brought the Union very near to
destruction. They insist that the
United States Is a nation, with
ample power of self-preservation !;
that its constitution, and laws
made in pursuance thereof. are the
supreme law of the land; that the
right of the nation to determine
the method by which its own Leg
islature shall be created cannot be
surrendered without abdicating
one of the fundamental powers of
the government; that the nation
al laws relating to the election of
representatives in Congress shall
neither be violated nor evaded {;
that every elector shall be permit
ted, freely and without intimida-
ton, to cast his lawful ballot at
such election and have 1t honestly
counted, and that the potency of
his vote shall not be destroyed by
the fraudulent vote of any other
person. The best thoughts and
energies of our people should be
directed to those great questions
of national well.being In which all
have a common interest. Such eff
fects will soonest restore perfect
peace to those who were lately In
arms against each other, for JUS
tice and good will outlast passion;
but 1t Is certain that the wounds
of the war cannot be completely
healed, and the spirit of brother
hood cannot fully pervade the
whole country until every citizen,
rich or poor, white or black, Is Sc
cure in the free and equal enjoy
ment of every civil and political
right garanteed by the constitu-
ton and the laws.
Wherever the enjoyment of this
right is not assured discountent
will prevail. Immigration will
cease, and, the social and industrial
force will continue to be dis
turbed by the migration of labor
ers and the consequent diminu-
ton of prosperity. The national
government should exercise all its
constitutional authority 10 put an
end to these evils, for all the peo-
pie and all the states are members
OF one body, and no member can
suffer without injury 10 all. The
most serious evils which now az
fiict the South arise from the fact
that there Is not such freedom and
liberation of opinion and action
that the minority party can exer-.
else an effective and wholesome
restraint upon the party In pow
or. Without such restraint party
rule becomes tyrannical and cor
rupt. The prosperity which is
made possible in the South, by its
great advantages of soil and cli-'
mate, will never be realized until
every voter can freely and safely
support any party he pleases.
Nayf An Inn nrFto moe. IN frAa1nysa