The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-07-28
General Garaeld,sL Letter Of acceptance.

General 6arfield'sL Letter ofAcceptance.
General Garfield has forwarded from
his home at Mentor, Ohio, to Senator
Hoar, of Massachusetts, the following
letter Of acceptance of the nomination
rendered him by the Republican National
convention:
MENTOR, O., July IL;
DEAR SIR: On the evening OF the
eighth of June last I had the honor to
receive from you in the presence of the
committee Of which you were chair
man, the official announcement that the
Republican national convention at Chl-
cago had that day nominated me a their
| candidate for President OF the Unltea
States. I accept the nomination Win
gratitude for the confidence it lmplles'
and with a deep sense OF the response
bilities it imposes. I cordially lndorse
the principles set forth in the platform
adopted by the convention. On nearly
all the subjects of which 1t treats my
opinions are on record among the pub
lished proceedings of Congress: l ven
tire, however, to make special men
ton of some of the principal topics
which are likely to become subjects OF
discussion.
Without reviewing the controversies
which have been settled during the last
twenty wears, and with no purpose or
wish to revive the passions of the Late
war, it should be said that while the
Republicans fully Recognize and will
strenuously defend all the rights re-
tained by the people, and all the rights
reserved to the States, they reject the
nernicious doctrine OF State supremacy
which so long crippled the functions OF
the national 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 the 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 legislature
shall be created cannot be surrendered
without abdicating one OF the funda-
mental powers Of governments; that the
national laws relating to the election OF
representatives in Congress shall neither
be violated nor evaded; that every
elector shall be permitted freely and
without intimidation to cast his lawful
ballot at such election 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 thoughts and energies of our
people should be directed to those great
questions of national well-being in
which all have q common interest. Such
efforts will soonest restore perfect peace
to those who were lately In arms against
! each other, for justice snd goodwill
will outlast passion. But it is certain
that the wounds of the wal cannot be
| completely healed, and the spirit OF
brotherhood cannot fully pervade the
whole country until every citizen, rich
or poor, white or black, is secure in the
free and equal enjoyment of every civil
and political right guaranteed by the
Constitution and the laws. Wherever
the endowment of these rights is not as
sured discomfort will prevail, emigra-
ton will cease, and the social and in
dustrial forces will continue to be dis
turbed by the migration of laborers and
the consequent diminution OF prosperity.
The national government should eXer-
| else all its constitutional authority to
put an end to these evils; for all the
people and all the States are members
of one body, and no member can suffer
without injury to all. The most serious
evils which nov afhict the South arise
from the fact that there is not such
freedom and federation 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 t%yrannical and corrupt.
The prosperity which is made possible
in the South by its great advantages of
soil and climate will never be realized
until every voter can freely and safely
support any party he plesses.
POPULAR EDUCATION.
Next In Importance to freedom and
Justice is popular education, without
which neither freedom nor justice can
be permanently maintained. Its inter.
ests are intrusted to the States and to
the voluntary action of the people.
Whatever help the nation can justly at
ford should be generously given to aid
the States in supporting common
schools; but it would be unjust to our
people and dangerous to our institu-
tons to apply any portion of the rev.
enues of the nation, or of the States. to
the support OF sectarian schools. The
separation of the Church and the State
in everything relating to taxation should
be absolute.
THE NATIONAL FINANCES.
On the subject of national finances,
my views have been 81 frequently and
fully expressed that little is needed IN
the way OF additional statement. The
public debt is now so well secured and
the rate of annual interest has been so
reduced by refuuding, that rigid econ;
omy in expenditures and the faithful
application of our surplus revenues to
the payment of the principal of the
debt will gradually but certainly
free the people from its burdens.
and close with honor the financial
chapter of the war. At the same time
the government can provide for
all its ordinary expenditures, and dis
charge its sacred obligations to the
soldiers of the Union, and to the widows
and orphans of those who fell in its de
Tense. The resumption Of specie pay
ments, which the Republican party so
courageously and successfully accom-
plished, has removed from the field OF
controversy many questions that long
and seriously disturbed the credit of the
government and the business of the
country. Our paper currency is now as
national as the flag, and resumption h s
not only made it everywhere equal to
coin, but has brought into use Jul store
of gold and silver. The circulating
medium is more abundant than ever be
fore, and we need only to maintain the
equality of all our dollars to insure to
labor and capital a measure of value
from the use of which no one can suffer
loss. The great prosperity which the
country is now enjoying should not be
endangered by any violent changes or
doubtful financial experiments.
THE TARIFF.
In reference to our custom laws n
policy should be pursued which will
bring revenues to the treasury, and will
enable the labor and capital employed in
our great industries to compete fairly in
our own markets with the labor and clpi
tai of foreign producers. We legisiate fol
the people of the United States, and not
for the whole world, and it is our glur.
thut the American laborer is more in
telligent and better paid than his foreign
competitor. Our country cannot be III
dependent unless its people with their
abundant natural resources possess tn,
requisite skill at any time to c!othe. arm
and equip themselves for war, and in
time OF peace to produce all the neces.