Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-07-30
General Arthur's Letter Accepting the
Nomination for the Vice. Presidency.

Following is the letter OF acceptance
Of General Arthur;
DEAR sR. I accept tho position asslqued ma
| BY the great party whose action you announce.
principles declared BY the Conyenton, but re- rss
J cent usage permits mo TO add some express
| sion of my own views.
! . EJECTIoNs.
The right and duty TO secure honesty and
| order In popular elections Is a matter so vital
| that Il must stand IN the front. The auth or
| ity Of the National Government to prcserve
| from fraud and force elections at which its
| own officers are chosen is chief point on
! which the two parties are plainly and Intensely
| opposed. Acts OF Congress for ten years have
| in New York and elsewhere done much to
curb the violence and wrong to which the bal
/ lot and count have been again aud again
! subjected, sometimes despoilinE great cities,
sometimes sitting the voice OF whole state,
| often placing not only in Congress, but on
| the Bench and in Legislatures numbers OF
men never chosen by the people. The DEM
| ocrattc party, since gaining possession Of the
| two Houses Of Congress, has made these
laws the object Of bitter, ceaseless assault,
and despite all resistance has hedged them
| with restrictions ounningly oontrived TO baf-
| jority boldly attempted to extOrt from tho
| Executive his approval Of various enactments
| destructive of these election laws by tevoIu-
tionary threats that constitutional exercise Of
| the veto power would be punished by with
holding appropriations necessary TO carry on
! the Government and these threats were actu-
| ally carried out by refusing needed appropra-
| tiOns and by forcing am extra session Of Con-
gress lasting for months and resulting in
concessions TO this usurping demand which
are likely in many States, TO subject the
majority to the lawles8 will OF n minority
Ominous signs OF public disapproval alone
subdued this arrogant power into a sullen sur
! render for the time being Of a part of It's de-
mands. The Republican party has strongly
approved the stern refusal of its representa-
tives to suffer the overthrow of statutes be-
! lieyed to be salutary and Just. It has always
insisted, and now insists, that the Government
Of the United States OF America Is empowered
and in duty bOmu0 TO nffnnfmnlIV a0f "a
elections denoted by the Constitution az ma
tional. More than this, the Republican party
holds as the cardinal point In It's creed that the
Government should by every means known to
the Constitution protect all American citizens
everywhere in the full enjoyment of their
civil and political rights, As great part of
its work Of reconstruction, the Republican
party gave the ballot to the emancipated
slave as his right and defense. A large in
crease In the number Of members of Congress
and of the Electoral College from former
BlaVe-hOldlng States was the immediate result,
The history Of recent years abounds in evil
dence thRt in many ways ana in many places,
especially where their number has been great
enough to endanger Democratic control, the
very men by whose elevation to citizenship
| fected have been debarred and robbed
of their voice and their vote. 1t is
stitution in so many words denies or abrldges
the exercise of their political rights, but
| bodies employed TO bar their way are no less
ehectual. IL is suggestive and startling
thought that the increased power derived
from the acknowledgements OF a race now
denied It's share in governing the ooun-
the overthrow of the Government, is now
the sole reliance to defeat the party
which represented the sovereignty and
nationality of the American people in
the greatest crisis Of our history Re
publloRns cherish none of the resentments
which may have animated them during the
actual conflict of arms, They long for n fui
and real reconciliation between the sections
which were needlessly and lamentably at
strife. They sincerely offer the hand of good
will, but they ask in return pledge of good
faith, They deeply feel that the party whose
career is so illustrious in great aud patriotic
achievements will not fulfill its destiny until
peace and prosperity are established I'm all the
and, nor until liberty of thought, conscience
and action, and equality Of opportunity, shall
not be merely cold formalitics of the statute,
but living birthrlghts which the humble may
confidently claim, and the powerful dare not
deny.
THE CIVIL SERVICE.
The resolution referring TO the public serv-
Ice seems to me deserving of approval. Sure-
ly no man should be the incumbent Of an Of
flee the duties Of which he is for acause unfit
TO perform, who Is lacking in ability, fidelity
or integrity which a proper administration OF
such office demands. This sentiment would
doubtless meet with general acquioscence,
but opinion has been widely divided upon
the wisdom and practcnbility of various re-
formatory schemes which have been sug-
governing appointments TO public Office.
The efficiency of such regulations has been
to eXalt mere educational and abstract tests
above general business capacity and even
special fitness for the particular work in
hand. IL seems to me that the rules which
should be applied to the management of the
public service may be properly cOnlormed in
the main to such us regulate the conduct OF
Bucce e1sful private business. Original appoint
menta should be based upon ascertained fit-
ness. The tenure Of office should be stable.
Positions Of responsibility should, so far as
practicable, be- tilled by the promotion OF
worthy and efficient officers. The inVestiga-
tion of all complaints and the punishment OF
all official misconduct should be prompt aud
thorough. These views, which L have long
held, repeatedly declared, and uniformly APP
piled when called upon TO act find embodied
IN the resolution, which of course approve.
will add that by the acceptance OF public
office, whether high or low, one does not, in my
Judgment, escape any of his responsibility rs
citizen or lose or impair any Of his rights as
a citizen, and that he snould enjoy absoluto
liberty 10 think, and speak, and act in political
matters according to his own will and con-
tully and fully discharges all his official dutles
SPECIE PAYMENTS.
. The resumption OF spece-pAyments-one of
the fruits OF the Republican pollcy-has
brought return of abundant prosperity and
the settlement of many dstracting questions
The restOrat of sound money! the large re.
ductiOn Of our public debt and the burden OF
interest, the high advancement OF the public
credit-all attest the ability and courage OF
the Republican party to depl with such
financial problems as may hereafter demand
solution. Our paper currency is now as good
as gold, ana silver Is performing its legitimate
function for the purpose of change. The
principles which should govern the relations
OF these elements of the currency are simple
and clear: There must be no deterloraJed
com, no deprecated paper, and every dollar,
whetherof metal or paper, should stand the
test of the worlds fixed standard.
EDUCATION.
The value of popular education can hardly
DO oNetstRted. Although its interests must of
necessity be chiefly Confded 70 tho voluntary
effort aud individual action of the several
ktutgg, thRV ghOmld he ra1 IN fnr ag
the Constitution permits by the generous CO.
operation OF the National Government. The
interests of whole country demand that the
adYanl9ges OF our common-schoOl system
should be brought within the reach OF every
citizen, and that no revenues of the Nation or
Bectarlan schools
TATIFF AND INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.
such changes should be made in the present
tafih and system of taxation as will relieve
any overhurdened industry or class, and en-
able our manufacturers and artisans to com
pete successfully with those Of other lands
The Government should aid works of In
ternal Improvement, national In their char
acteN ana should promote the development Of
our water courses and harbOrs wherever the
general interests OF commerce require.
THE PARTY,
Four years ago, as now, the Nation stood
on the threshold of a Presidential election, and
the Republican party, in soliciting oontin-
uance of It's ascendenUy, founded its hone of
success, not upon its promises, but upon
It's history It's subsequent course has been
such rs to strengthen the claims which IL
then made to the confidence and support OF
the country. On the other hand, oonsldera-
tions more urgent than have ever before ex-
lBted forbid the accession of its Op-
ponents TO power. Their success, IL suc-
cess attend them, must chiefly come from
the united support OF that section which
sought the forctble disruption of the Union,
and which, according TO all the teachings OF
our past history, win demand aosendency i'm
the councils Of the party to whose triumph Il
Will nave made by fur the largest contribution.
Ihere Is the gravest reason for the apprehen-
sion that eNorbitant claims upon the public
treasury, by no means limited 10 the hun
dredH OF milllons already covered BY bills in
troduced IN Congress within the past four
years, would be successfully urged II the
Democratic party should succeed in supple-
naming LLa nnn.nmN