Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1880-07-23
General Arthur's Letter Accepting the
Nomination for the Vice. Presidency.
NEW YORK, July 49,
Following is the letter OF acceptance
of General Arthur,


Following is the letter OF acceptance
of General Arthur:
DEAR SIR: accept the position assigned mo
hy the great party whose action you announce
rms acceptance implies an approval of the
| principles declared by the Convention, but re.
cent usage permits me to add some express
sion OF my own views.
The r,0ht and antE aEtEofIoSs; IT. scc,,ro hor.st and
order in popular elections is a matter so vita
that Il must stand in the front. The auth or
Ty Tty Oh the the National Government to preserve
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 and again
| subjected, sometimes despong great cities,
| sometimes sitting the voice of a 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
| ocratlc party, since gaining possession Of the
two Houses of Congress, has made these
laws the object of bitter oeaseless assault,
and despite all resistance has hedged them
! with restrictions cunningly contrived to baf-
he and paralyze them. This aggressive ma
| jority boldly attempted to extort from the
! Executive his approval of various enactments
! destructive of these election laws by revou-
! tlonary threats that a constitutional exercise of
! the veto power would be punished by with
! holding appropriations necessary to carry on
tne Government, and these threats were actu-
ally carried out by refusing needed appropria-
tions and by forcing an extra session Of Com
| gress lasting for months and resulting in
| concessions TO this usurping demand which
are likely, in many States, to subject the
majority to the lawless viii Of minority.
luminous signs of public disapproval alone
! subdued this arrogant power into a sulen sur
render for the time being of part of its de-
mands. The Republican party has strongly
| approved the stern refusal of its representa-
| tfves to suffer the overthrow of statutes be
| lieved TO be sautary and just. 1t has always
| insisted, and now insists, that the Government
| OF the United States Of America is empowered
and in duty bound to etfectually protect the
! elections denoted by the Constitution as ma
tona. More than this, the Republican party
holds as the cardinal point in its creed that the
| Government should by every means known to
| the Constitution protect all American citizens
! civil and political rights. As great part of
! It's work of reconstruction, the Republican
party gave the ballot to. the emancipated
slave as his right and defense. A large In
| crease in tho number of members of Congress
| and of the Electoral College from former
| slave-holding States was the Immediate result
! The history of recent years abounds in evil
! dence that in many ways and in many places,
| especially where their number has been great
enough to endanger Democratic control, the
! very men by whose elevation to citizenship
| this increase of representation was eff
! OF their voice and their vote. 1t is
! true that no State statute or Con-
! stitution in so many words denies or abrldges
! the exercise of their political rights, but
! bodies employed to bar their way are no less
enectual. 1t is a suggestive and startling
! thought that the increased power derived
| from the enfranchisemert Of a race now
| denied its share in governing the coun-
| try, welded by those who lately sought
| 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
| publcans cherish none of the resentments
| which may have animated them during the
actual conflict of arms, They long for a full
| and real reconciliation between the sections
| which were needlessly and lamentably at
! strife. They sincerely offer the hand of good
| will hfuf fhakF uglTf ,I,sls-
| faith. They deeply feel that the party whose
| career is so illustriOuS il great and patriotic
achievements will not fulfill its destiny until
| peace and prosperity are established in all the
/ and, nor until liberty of thought, conscience
| and action, and eluality o f opportunity, shall
not be merely cold formaiities of the statute
| but living birthrghts 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
| nee 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 acQuescence,
but opinion has been widely divided upon
the wisdom and practicability of various re-
tolmHtory schemes which have been sug-
geSted and OF certain proposed regulations
governing appointments to public Office
The efficiency of such regulations has been
distrusted mainly because they have seemed
TO eNalt mere educational and abstract tests
above general business capacity and even
! special fitness for the particular work in
hand. 1t seems TO me that the rules which
should be applied to the management of the
pubic service may be properly conformed in
the main to such as regulate the conduct of
succe 'stu private business. Original appoint
ments should be based upon ascertained ft-
ness: The tenure of office should be stable.
Positions of responsibility should, 40 far as
practicable, be iilled by the promotion of
worthy and efficient officers. The investiga-
uon OF all complaints and the punishment of
thorough. These views, which / have long
held, repeatedly declared, and uniformly APP
pied when called upon to act, lind 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 as
citizen or lose or impair any of his rights as
citizen, and that he should enjoy absolute
nberty to think anu speak, and act in political
matters according to his own will and com
science, provided only that he honorably, faith
fully and fully discharges all his official duties.
SPECIE PAYMENTS.
The resumption of specie-payments-oneo of
the fruits of the Republican policy-has
brought u return of abundant prosperity and
the settlement of many distracting questions.
The restoration 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 deel with such
financial problems as NAV hereafter demand
solution. Our paper currency is now as good
as gold and silver is performing its legitimate
function for the purpose of change. The
of these elements of the currency are simple
and clear. There must be no deteriorated
coin, no deprecated paper, and every dollar,
whetherot metal or paper, should stand the
test OF the world s fixed standard.
EDUCATION.
The value of popular education can hardly
be overstated. Although its interests must Of
necessity be chiefly confided TO the voluntary
effort and individual action of the several
the Constitution permits by the generous CO.
operation Of the National Government The
interests of whole country demand that the
advantages of our common-school system
should be brought within the reach of every
citizen, and that no revenues of the Nation or
the States should be devoted TO the support of
sectarian schools.
TARIFF AND INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.
such changes should be made in the present
tarin and system of taxation as will relieve
any oVerburdened 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
aeter, and 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 Presidential election, and
the Republican party, in soliciting "A contin-
uance of its ascendency, founded its hope of
its bissory not upon s promises, pnt upon
such rs TO strengthen the claims which il
then made TO the confidence and support of
the country. On the other hand considera-
tions more urgent than have ever before ex-
listed forbid the accession of its OPP
ponents to power. Their success, IL sue
cess attend them, must chiefly come from
the united support of that section which
sought the forciblo disruption of the Union,
our our past history, viii viii demand m ia acsendeney in
the councils of the party 10 whose triumph it
Will have made by far the largest contribution.
There is the graVest reason for the apprehen-
sion that exorbitant claims upon the public
Treasury, by no means limited to the hum
dreds OF millions already covered by bills in
years, would be successfully urged If the
Democratic party should succeed in supple
menting its present control OF the National
Legislature by electing the Executive also.
There is danger i'm intrusting the control of
the whole law-making power of the Govern
ment 10 a party which has in almost every
Southern State repudiated obligations quite
as sacred as those to which the faith of the
Nation now stands pledged.
1 "A haf Da-