Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-09-11
Take the War Path.

which they seek to evade any discussion
of the issues raised by the public charac-
ter of their nominees and the influences
which would be bound to control them
if elected. The protest against Grants
denomination was largely based on the
scandalous administrative abuses which
marked his former eight years in the
presidency, while the utter lack of all
mention of Hayes at Chicago proved that
Schurz was right when he characterized
him in the famous Fifth avenue confer
ence as one who, "however favorably
judged by his nearest friends, is not
known to possess those qualities of mind
and character which the stern task of
genuine reform requires" Mr.. Hayes,
if he has made less scandalous admin
istration than Grant. has proved utterly
unequal to ''the stern task of genuine re-
form" and he leaves his party in not
much better odor than when it exhaled
the fresh stencil of the Credit Mobilier,
the Pacific railroad swindles, the land
subsidies, the sale of post traderships, the
Black Friday scandals, the carpet-bag
misrule, the custom house frauds, the
SanbOrn contracts, the naval supply
swindles, the Freedmen's Bureau bank
rottenness, the whisky ring frauds. the
Emma mine steal, the Indian ring and
postal frauds, the Pacific mail bribery
and hundred others which have dis
gusted the decent men of its party long
ago.
| Its sins of omission have been rs mani
fold as those of commission, and even
SO distinguished member of it as
Horace White, who is withal a student
and of philosophic mind, is impelled to
pronounce this funeral Grafton over the
Republican party, in an article in the
International Rerie,c, supporting Gar
| field:
Since the close of the civil war and the
abolition of slavery, its acts of statesman
ship have been few and meagrc, and its
offences against good government many
and exasperating. Even in the matter of
reconstruction, if VIC may credit that re-
markablc book the "FOors Errand" it
has Sroped and stumbled, to the detriment
Of the blacks whom it sought to befricnd
and the decentralization of the whites whom
it hoped to convert. The treaty Of Wash
ington, rs regards the Alabama claims,
has heen turned into 4 warning rather than
an example by the unseemly wranglc over
the net proceeds; and Republican states
manship has been incapable up to this time
Of either paying the money to the right
| Il -, I, - 1>o,
Britain, or turning it over to the courts
pocketing it. Resumption of specie pay
ments was, after the lapse of fourteen
years. brought about by natural causes,
rather than by legislative or administra-
tive acts: to offset which We have the sill
| yer bill, containing the germ of enough
mischief to unsettle resumption and con-
stituting standing menace to all business
interests. The reduction of the national
debt bears the nearest likeness to states
manship of anything in our public annals
since the abandonment of our army bul
this rds clearly the result Of Orerfouing re-
sources uhich could not be 0ther,cise disposed
Of. Our tariff legislation is probably the
most awkward and unjust that the wit OF
man has ever devised, and is only prevent.
ed from being ruinous by the abundance
of the national wealth. The cirI serrice i,
organized upon strict principles Of prtrdteer
ing, and erery effort to reform this branrl
Of government has been roted doun ,c:M .jser,
Iythe Republicans in Congress.
\ great many people, formerly coop
Grating with the Republican party il
1872, knew and confessed the sl.ames ant
crimes which under Grant. according tt
Senator Hoar's speech in the Belknal
trial, had made it our national disgrace
that the only product of Americas in
. stitutions in which she surpassed al
other nations, "beyond question was hel
corruption" They hung on their party
despite these things. Many of them qui
it in 1876, while others still adhered il
the hope that Hayes would effect better
things. Under him rs before, the civi
service is organized upon strict princi
pies of privateering;' and, altogether
intelligent men must admit that the Re
publican party is more corrupt than an!
political organization ever yet known il
our history. If any of them think Gar
: fields election would reform it within
the party lines it is only because the,
have not closely studied his public caree
and his political character. These Dem
ocratic papers and Democratic speaker
; should press upon their attention TN
sparingly. They are under no obligation
to defend their party. The Democrac.
, fight far out beyond the trenche
and the breastworks. The honesty o
:. Democratic legislators, the economy o
Democratic congressman, their liberalit.
to the soldier, their rejection of all plum
dering claims, and their expulsion of tn
lobby, have proved that the country
safe in their hands. What is needed i
the vigorous excoriation of those VIII
took the Credit Mobilier stock and ex
. hibited what Harper's Weekly called tn
"moral pusillanimity" to lie eabout it :
; to show up what the Philadelphia
Eteaing Telegraph called the "sneak
ing crew of bribe-takers and liars :
to impale Garfield for what the Ney
York Independent called the "givin;
way of the moral foundations" in "sell
ing his influence as a legislator" to
notorious jobber - to exhibit wha
> the Cincinnati Commercial said was hi
clear and unmistakable guilt to shov
up his Infamous part in the elector;,
campaign by which the Indi:lnapoli