American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1880-08-21
Don't Want to Compare Candidates.

1t has been generally supposed hith-
erto that the Presidency of the United
States was a position of some impOr-
lance, but any one who reads the cur
rent Republican definitions of its func-
tions and scope and believes them will
have to revise his estimates. 1t is a
very significant fact that the Republic
ans avoid a comparison of candidates.
From their handling of the subject the
inference is that the President is little
more than a tigure-head to represent
the acts and wishes of others. This
may be true of the man in the White
House to-day, but he in no sense rep
resents the executive idea. He is
President by accident, and both parties
have been patiently waiting for his Nm
welcome incumbency to expire by linn
itation. He cannot be accepted as a
proper type. A stronc,, efficient and
positive man is needed in the Prcsiden-
tial chair, if anywhere, in the Govern
ment of this country. We cannot per-
nit the Republicans to cover up the
personality of their candidate by any
such pretense as this, that the records
of parties are everything and the rec
Ords of men nothing. We are willing
to abide by the records of parties as far
as they go, but this is but a portion of
the responsibility of parties in Presi-
dental campaign. The records of can
didates must accompany them, and
whichever side attempts an evasion of
the whole responsibility gives the peo-
pie just ground for suspicion that il
does not deserve their support.
When forced upon a defensive posi-
ton, the Republicans resort to theiI
usual line of safe generalities. They
"point with PRIDE to the civil record
of their candidate. Their reserve OF
detail is weak, and when driven back
upon it their fight is brief. When they
attempt to use Garfield's speeches for
artillery, they find them treacherous at
the breech and liable to kill more at
that end than at the muzzle. The fact
is, Garfield's civil record is contradic-
ton of itself. Its corner stones are
placed upon both sides of every qucs-
tion, and he has built it so broad that it
is very weak in the middle. Gariield's
reputation as statesman is due wholly
to the fact that he is an unctuous and
forcible speaker, and not to any contri-
buttons that he has ever made to the
science of government, or to the sum OF
National progress. He is man
ground of public notice by hi3
v
policy that drew Republican lightning
to him at Chicago, when it was darting
about in desperate search for a CON
du ;tor. He has the politician faculty,
strongly developed, of always placing
himself in suggestive light. The
United States would have been just as
well off, and just as far advanced, had
James A. Garfield never been born.
But who can say the same of Winfield
Scott Hancock? But for him the great
struggle of the Nation would have
been greatly prolonged. and much
more doubtful. And when the war
was ended, he first showed respect for
The Constitution, and love of that
peace which makes the Nation pros
porous and happy. This seems to us a
fair test. There can hardly be two
opinions as to which of the candidates
we could have best spared in the past,
and for the most part we must judge
he future by the past, - Boston Post.