Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-08-01

convention. Just how strongly may
be discovered by the following letter
written to S. T. Glover, of st. Louis,
August 18th, 1878:
"I never aspired 10 the presidency on
account of myself l never sought lis
doubtful hOnors and certain iabnrs aud
responsibilities merely for the position.
Nv own wish was TO promote, II L
could. the good of the country, and to
yebuke the spirit of revotutiop refer
ring 10 the constitutional mendments
which had Invaded every sacred pTe~
cinct of liberty. When, therefore, yon
pronounced the statements in question
false you did exactly right. Principles,
and not men, is the motto for The rug
ged crisis in which we ale now
struggling. Had / been made the
presidential nominee 1 should have
considered it tr ibute, not TO me, bu1
to the principles which | had pro
claimed and practiced. But shall !
cease to revere those principles because
by mutual political friends, another
hos been appointed to put them into
erecutiOn? Never! Never! Never y
Now he says:
"The principles enumerated by tht
| convention are those I have cherished
in the past and shall endeavOr tn main
tain in the future The 18th, 14;h anC
18th amendments to the constitution
of the United Statee, embodying tn:
results of the war for the Union are in
violable."
Then the reconstruction act
were unconstitutional, revolution
airy and void" Now the 18th, 14tl
and 18th amendments are ''invio
liable"
! In 1868 the second chief planl
of the platform was a demand fo
the practical Reputation of tn
national debt, by providing for tn
payment Of the bonds in irr
deemable greenback. Gen. Hancoc
endorsed that plank, and now b
endorses the 1880 platform, whic
practically repudiateS the platforr
of 1868.
His platitudes concerning ''fre
ballot" have astrange, weird soun(
when heard with the Davenport in
vestigation accompaniment which
yet ringing through the countr.
although the Wallace Nc Donal
committees tore their fingers frol
the keyboard as soon as they di
covered the character of the mus
pro duced. The 10000 frauduler
naturalization papers and tt
southern tissue-ballot systeI
sharply define the handsom
generals ideas of "free ballot,
and add fresh weight to them.
When he talks Of public ofit
being a 'trust and not bounty
he gives beautifully ingenious a
gument against his own electio
He lodges the civil service reforr
although his party have been usin
the cry for years. He PRACTICAL
acknowledges that he will make L
efforts to reform the civil service b
saying, "the basis of substantial
practical civil service reform mu
be established by the people, etc
His little ''gush" about "friendsh
r and no animosity" sounds like
: bourbon stump speech made for CT
e culation in the north, and what
: says of the public credit might
n taken from sFeech made by Jol
r Savage. After a column of terrib
i weak "bosh" which ought to MAJ
d Tennessee legislator ashamed
s himself it he should write an
d thing half so small, he clos
d with a dazzling array of promise
y which he will carry out if electe
e We propose to show sometime SO
: the glazing inconsistency of Ge
e Hancock, but for the present "
- let it pass. Compare this child
document with that mastery effc
n of Gen. Garfield, and decide W
a is the better qualified for the gres