The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1880-09-11

4 HNkfS, ClltltL III lolul VI IttPt llIlltl
into constitutional government-so
necessary for tho purpose of pre-
serving purity of administration
and for resisting the tendency Of
all governments toward the
DEsroTfc usEioF POWER.
is ever to- be applicdin this coun.
try, ought it not to bo enforced
now? Having thought out these
/ questions for myselfwith a careful
and, i trust, n candid desire to. as
certain my duty as a citizen; hav-
4 ing put aside, as far!as possible to
human niinfirmity, allihope orswish
even for political preferment which
might swerve my Judgment, 1 have
como here to meet you, fellow-citi;
zons, face to face, to givelyou3 the
results ofthatt thought and deliber.
alton on my part, so!that those
with whom1 1have been accustomed
to actin political matters shall un:.
derstand and appreciate. tsome Of
the reasons, at least, ,whichinduce
meito give my voice and vote to.
avail what they. may in favor ola
change in the party, policy tEat has
governed the United States for the
ilast'four years. That my words
may have all.the,wcight they can
or ought to have, let mo promise by
sayingithatI i am not and shall not
bea candidate or aspirant for any
office, elective or appointive, at this
election, or under Tho incoming ad-
ministration, so that my vote will
be the free offering of my patriotic
duty, when it shall bc given to my
comradc-in-arms in the war for the
preservation Of the Union, the tried
and royal soldier and patriotic
chieftain, General Hancock. In SO
doing I shall neither deduct from
nor add one jot or little to that
declaration of principles which has
been my guide in political life
equal rights, equal powers, equal
burdens, equal privileges and equal
protection 10 all men BY law under
the government. The realization
q these is true Democratic gov
ernment. They are true Rcpubli-
canism. Wittoutitheir fullillment
this Republicanrgo cannot
be preserved, and without them it
would be worthprescrying.
Tho General said thatlic had
carefullysexamined the platforms
of4both parties, and found that
framed at Cincinnati the cabcttor.
NcitherZofzthenl Ewentaquitosfar
enoughlin specific declarations Of
The right of every man 10 vote in
the election OF his rulers and TO be
represented in his government
simply because lie is a man; but
even in this respect the platform of
the Cincinnati Convention was the
more specific. To show that party
platforms, after all, did not 60 for
much, he cited Mr.. Hayes fililure
to effect n reform of the civil SER
vice, and his abandonment of..the
negroes at'the South, when "our'
platform in 1876 demanded and
promised civil service reform and
The protection of the eolored man
by the whole power Of the federal
government. In this connection
General Butler said:
Yet one of the very first acts Of
his administration-nay, the very
consideration for which he was
counted in,was that he would abm,-
don, MS he did abandon, all care
and protection of the colored man
us both he and his party had there
toforc understood their duty; and
Mr.. Hayes has lately told us, in
his speech ut Yale college, that his
policy in that regard was deter.
mined not by tho platform and
principles Of his party, under
which lie was elected, but by the
instructions lie received from Mr..
Woolscy, n highly reputable school.
teacher Of that institution. Would
it not have been better to have
elected Mr.. Woolscy President in
stead of Mr.. Hayes, and so had tho
policy of the country at first hands,
fresh from the mint, and not dis
titled through the alembic of Mr..
Hayes bargains and fears?
Let us carefully distinguish be-
tween what is done by great politi-
cal parties and tho action of indi-
viduals of these parties; and l fail
to sec in any law, constitutional or
legislative, any action Of any por-
ton of tho Democratic .partyin any
State, North or South, which dis
eliminates against the rights Of all
mon to vote, except, perhaps, in n
single State, where taxation is made
n prerequisite qualification of the
voters. ..E
General Butlcr did not think
that n Republican of Massachu-
setts, where, within twelve months,
it has been proven before a Con-
grossional Committee Of invcstiga-
ton that a convention Of some Of
our manufacturers and business
mon was had by a federal officer to
devise ways and means for ''civil.
lied hulldozing," BY which voters