American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1880-07-24
General Gariieid's Letter Accepting the
Republican Nomination.

MENTOR, o., July IL.
General Garfield has forwarded to
Senator Hoar, of Massachusetts, the
following letter of acceptance of the
nomination rendered him by the Re-
publican National Convention:
MENTOR o., July L. 1850.
DEAR SIR: On the evening of the Sth OF
june last had the honor to receive from
you, In the presence of the Committee oil
which YOU were Chairman the official an
nouneement that the Republican National
Convention at Chicago had that day nom;-
mated me as their candidate for President of
the United states l accept the nomination
with gratitude for the confidence it i'm plies,
and with deep sense of the responsible
ties it imposes. cordially indorse the prin-
ciples set forth in the platform adopted by
the Convention. On nearly all the subjects
OF Which it treats my opinions rec
ord among the published proceedings of Con-
| gresS. venture, howevrr, to make special
mention of some of the principal topics
which are likely to become subject of dis
cussion, without reviewing the controversies
which have leen settled during the last
twenty years, and with no purpose or wish 10
| revive the passions of the late war.
| STATE SUPREMACY.
| 1t should be said that, While the Repub-
licans fully recognize and will strenuOusIy
defend all the rights retained by the people,
and all the rights reserved to the States, they
regret the pernicious doctrine of State
| supremacy, which SO long crippled the func-
tions of the National Government, and at
one time brought the Union very near to
destruction. They insist that the United
States is Nation, with ample powers of
| representation; that its Constitution and
the laws made in pursuance thereof fare
the supreme law of the land;'' that the right
| OF the Nation to determine the method by
| when its Legislature shall be created can
not be SURRENDERED without abdicating one
| OF the fundamental powers of government;
that the National laws relating to the cleo
ton of Representatives in Congress shall
neither be violated nor evaded; that every
eiector shall be permitted freely, and without
intimidation, to cast his lawful vote 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 we'll being, in which all
have common interest SUci efforts will
soonest restore to perfect peace those who
were iate.y in arms against each other, for
Justice and goodwill will outlast passion.
But it is certain that the wounds of the war
cannot be completely healed, and the spirit
OF brotherhood cannot pcrvadc the whole
country, until every citizen-rich or poor,
white or black-is in the free and
equal endowment of every civil and political
night guaranteed by the Constitution and the
laws. Wherever the enjoyment of these
rights is not assured discomfort will prevail
immigration will cease, and the social and
industrial forces will continue to be dis
turbed by the migration of the faborers
and the consequent minution of prosperity.
The National Government should exercise
to these evils, for all the people and all the
States members of one body and no
member can suffer without injury to all The
most serious evils which nov Affect the South
arise from the fact that there is no. such
freedom and liberation of political opinion
and action that the minority party can exer-
else an effective and wholesome restraint
upon the party in power. Without such
straint a party rule becomes tyrannical and
corru2t. The prosperity which is made pos
sible in the South by its great advantages of
coil dfIfrr h..
every voter can freely and safely support any
party he pleases.
EDUCATION.
Next in importance to freedom and Justice
lie popular education, without which neither
Justice nor freedom can be permanently MAIN
tanned. Its interests intrusted to the
States and to the voluntary action of the peo-
pie. Whatever help the Nation can Justly
afford should be generously given to aid the
States in supporting common schools; but it
would be unJust to our feop.e and dangerous
to our institutions To apply any portion of the
revenues 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.
NATIONAL FINANCES
On the subject OF National finances my
views have been SO frequently and SO fully
expressed that little IL needed in the way of
now so well secured, and the rate of annual
interest has been SO reduced by rcfundipg,
that rlgid economy in expenditures and the
to the payment of the principal of the debt
VIII gradually but certainly Tree the people |
from its burdens and close with honor the
financial chapter of the war. At the same |
time the Government provide for all its
ordinary expenditures and discharge its sa-
cred obligations to the soldiers of the Union |
who fell in its defense The resump-
ton OF specie payments which the |
hepuollcan party SO courageously and |
successfully accomplished has removed from
n
long and seriously disturbed the credit of the |
Government and the business of the country. |
Our payer currency is now as National the |
nag ana resumption has not only made it |
everywhere equal to coin, but has brought |
into use our store of gold and silver. The |
circulating medium is now more abundant |
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 eI-
pcriments.
OUR CUSTOMS LAWS.
In reference to our customs laws, a policy
should be pursued which will bring revenue
to the Treasury and will enable the labor and
capital employed in our great industries to
compete falIly in our own markets with the
labor and capital of foreign producers. We
lie fslate for the people of the United States,
not Tor the whole world, and it is our glory
that the American laLorer is more Intelligent
and better paid than his foreign competitor,
Our country cannot be independent un ess it,
people, w til their abundant natural resources
pos sess the requisite skill at any time to
clothe, arm and equip themselves for war; and
IN time OF peace to produce all the necessary
implements of labor 1t was the manifest in
tention of the founders of the Government to
provide for the common defense, not by
standing armies alone, but by raising among
the people greater army of artisans. whose
intelligence and skill should powerfully con-
tribute to the safety and glory of the Nation.
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.
fortunately for the interests of commerce,
there is no longer anv formidable opposition
10 approximations for the i'm Jrovement of our
harbors and great navigable rivers, provided
That the expenditures for that purpose are
strictly limited to works of Nat onal impor-
lance The Mississippi River, with its great
is of such vital i'm portance to SO
many millions of people that the safety of its
nav CATION requires exceptional cons!d-
Grafton. In order to secure to the Nation
the control OF all its waters, President Jeifer-
son negotiated the purchase of vast terri
the Pacific Ocean. The wisdom of Congress
should be invoked to devise some plan by
which that great river shall cease to be a
terror to those who dwell upon its banks and
by winch It's shipping may safely carry the
products of % 600 coo of people.
The interests of agriculture, which is the
basis of all our material prosperity and in
which seventwelfths of our population are
as well as the interests of manu-
lectures and commerce, demand that the
facilities for cheap transportation shall be
increased by the of all our great water
courses.
NIMIGRATION.
The materia! interests of this country the
traditions OF its settlement. and the senti-
ments of our people have led the Govern
ment to offer the widest hospitality to emf
grants who seek our shores for new and
happier homes, willing to share the burdens