The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1880-07-22
Gen. Garfield'S Acceptance.

Gen. JAS \. Garfield has forwarded
Ex-senator Hoar, of Massachusetts, the
following letter of acceptance OF the
nomination rendered him by the Ma
tional Republican Convention:
MENTION, Ohio, July Is, 1850.
DEAR S1R:-On the evening of the 9Th Of June.
you, in the presence Of the committee, OF when
The official announcement that the
Republican National Convention at Chi
nad that day me s as ,ne1
the nomination with gratitude for the CONFIDENCE
itlmpes and with deep sense of the t tS r;n
ciples set forth in the plat form adopted by the
convention. On nearly all the subjects OF which
it treats, my opinions are on record among Inc
however to make special mention of some Of the
principal topics which are likely to become sub
iects Of discussion Without renewing the contr0-
verses which have been settled during the last
twenty years, and wit Il no purpose or wish to re-
new the passions of the late war, it should
be said that while republicans fully recog-
r li!1e anu reserved w's by the people, and
ali the rights reserved to the states. they re-
iect the 1"i1,icious doctrine Of state supremacy
which long crippled the functions Of the national
government and ut one time very brought
the union to destruction. They insist that the
United States is nation with ample powers OF
self presentations; that It's constitution and laws
maCcin pursuance thereof are the supreme law OF
the land: that the right Of the nation to deter
mine the method by which its legislature shall be
elected cannot be surrendered without ahdlcatlng
one of the fundamental powers Of the government:
that the national law relating t" the election OF
representatives in congress shall neither be rioAt-
ed nor eva,el that every eector shall he permit
ted freely and without Intimidation to cast his
lawful vote at such elections and have it honestly
counted and that the potency OF his vote shall not
be DESTROYED by the fraudulent vote Of any other
person. The best thought and energy Of our
people should he directed to those great questions
of national we'll being in which all have Il common
interest Such effort will soonest restore to perfect
peace those who were lately in arms against each
other for Justice and good will will out
last passion But it is certain that the
wounds Of the cannot be completely healed
and the spirit Of brotherhood cannot fully per-
wade the whole country until every citizen, rich or
poor white or black, is secure in the full and
equal enjoyment OF every civil and political right
guaranteed by the constitution and laws. " here
ever the enjoyment Of these ri gifts Is not assured
discomfort will prevail; immigration will cease and
the social and industrial forces will continue to be
disturbed by the migration Of laoorers and the
consequent dimnshnent OF prosperity. The ma
tonal government should exercise all its constitu
tonal authority to put an end to these evils, for
all the people and all the states members of
one body, and no member can suffer without in
Jury to all. The most terrible evils which now
atlict the south arise from the fact that there Is
not such freedom and liberation Of political
opinion and action that the minority party can
exercise an effective and wholesome restraint upon
the party in power. Without such restraint
party rule becomes tyrannical and corrupt. The
prosperity which is made possible in the south by
its great ava1 tages Of soil and climate will neveL
be realized until every voter freely and safely
support any party he peases.
Next in Importance to freedom and justice is
popular education without which neither freedom
nor justice can be permanently maintained. This is
intrusted to tine states and to the voluntary
ton Of the people, and whatever help the nation
can justly afford should be generously & ven to
aid the states i'll supporting common schools; but
it would he un just to our people and dangerous to
institutions to apply any portion Of the re-
Of the nation or the states to the support
Of sectarian schools. The separation Of the clmrch
and the state in everything relating to taxation,
should be absolute.
On the subject of Irrational finances my views have
been frequently and fully expressed that little Is
needed in the way Of additional statement. The pub
lie debt is now well secured and the rate OF an
nual interest has been reduced by refundng, that
rigid economy in expenditures, and the faithful
application of our surplus revenues to the pay
ment Of the principal debt will gradually but Ger
tainly free the people from its burdens, and close
with honor the final chapter of the war. At the
same time the government can provide tor its ordl-
nary expenditures and discharge its social obsa-
tions to the soldiers Of the union, and the widows
and orphans of those who fell in its defence. The
resumption Of specie payment which the republl.
can party so couragcously and successfully ac-
conn lished, has removed from the field Of
e many questions %s.nahoa 't 4ha
credit Of the government and the business Of the
country. Our paper currency is now rs national
as the flag and resumption has not only made it
everywhere equal to coin but has brought into use
our store of gold and silver. The circulating
medium is more abundant than ever before and
weneed only to maintain the equality Of all our
dollars to insure to labor and capital measure OF
value from the use Of which no one suffer
loss The great prosperity which the country
is now enjoying should not be endangered by any
violent changes or doubtful financial experiments
and in reference to our custom laws IL policy
should be pursued which will bring revenue to the
treasury and will enable the labor and capitol EN-
ployed i'll great industries to compete fairly
in our markets with the labor and capitol Of foreign
produce. We legslate for the people Of the United
that the American laborer is more
free, intelligent and better paid than
his foreign competitor. Our. country
not be independent unless its people
with their abundant natural recOurses possess
the requisite skill at any time to clothe, arm and
equip themselves for war; and in time OF peace to
produce all the necessary implements Of labor.
1t was the manifest intention of the founders f
the government to provide for the common de-
tense, not by standing armies alone, but by rails
ing among the people a greater army OF artisans
whose intelligence and skill should powerfully
contribute to the safety and glory of the nation.
Fortunately for the interests Of commerce there
is no longer any formidable opposition to appro-
priatons for the Improvement of our harbors and
great navigablc rivers; provided that the expen-
ditures for that purpose strictly limited to
works of national Importance. The Mississippi
river with its great tributaries, is Of such vital i'm
portancc to 50 many millions of people that the
safety of its navigation requires exceptional con-
sderation in order to secure to the nation the
troll of all it's waters President Jefferson nego-
tiated the purchase OF vast territory, extending
from the Gulf Of Mexico to the Pucifc Ocean.
The wisdom of congress should be invoked
to devise a plan by which that great river shall
l. t1,n.o vbo I>r,|l -,