Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-08-06
GovERNoR's ISLAND,
New YORK CITy Julv % 1890

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, July 80, 1880.
GeRtkmen. have now the honor to re-
ply TO your letter Of the 18th inst, informing
Inc that l was unanimously nominated for the
Office of Vice President of the United States
by the late Democratic national convention,
which assembled at Cincinnati. As foreshad-
owed in the verbal remarks made by me at
the time of the delivery of your letter, l have
now to say that accept the high trust with
realizing sense of its responsibility, and am
profoundly grateful for the honor conferred.
l accept the nomination upon the platform of
principles adopted by the convention, which
l cordially approve and accept it as much
because of my faith in the wisdom and pat
riotism of the great statesman and soldier
nominated on the same ticket for President
of the United States His eminent services
to his country, his fidelity 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 in strict subordination to
the civil authorities, his high regard for civil
liberty, personal rights and rights of proper
ty, his acknowledged ability in civil as well as
military affairs, and his pure and blameless
life, all point to him as a man worthy of the
confidence of the people. Not only brave
soldier, great commander, wise statesman,
and pure patriot, but prudent, painstak-
ing, practical man of unquestionable honesty
trusted often with important public duties,
faithful to every trust, and in the full meri-
dian of ripe and vigorous manhood, he is, in
my Judgment, eminently fitted for the highest
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 monopoized the executive department of
the general government for the last 20 years
should be retired The continuance of that
party in power four years longer would not be
beneficial to the country or in accordance
with the spirit of our republican institutions.
Laws of entail have not been favored in our
system of government. The perpetuation of
property or place in one family, or set of
men, has never been encouraged in this coun-
try, and the great and good men who formed
our republican government and its traditions
wisely limited the tenure of office, and in
many ways showed their disapproval of long
leases of power. Twenty years of continu-
Gus power is long enough, and has already led
TO Irregularities and corruptions which are not
likely to be properly exposed under the same
party that perpetrated them; besides, it should
not be forgotten that the last four years of
power held by that party were procured by
discreditable means, and held in defiance of
the wishes of a majority of the people. 1t
was grievous wrong to every voter and to
our system of self-government, which should
never be forgotten or forgiven. Many of the
men now in office were put there because of
corrupt partisan services in thus defeating the
fairly and legally expressed will of the major
ity; and the hypocrisy of the professions of
that party in favor of civil service reform was
shown by placing such men in office and turn
ing the whole brood of federal ofice-holders
loose to influence the elections. The money
of the people, taken out of the public treasu-
ny by these men for services often poorly per
formed or not performed at all, is being used