The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-07-22
Letter OF General Garfield Accepting
the Nomination for the Presidency.

PUBLICAN ~ dllOudl SOhNChAAOh-
MENTOR, o., July Z, 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 of
which you were Chairman, the official an
nouucement that the Republican National
Convention az Chicago had that day nOmI-
mated ME as their candidate for President of
the United States. / accept the nomination
with gratitude Tor the confidence it implies,
and with a 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 are on rec
ord among the published proceedings Of Con-
gress. venture, however, 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 been settled during the last
twenty years, and with no purpose or wish TO
revive the passions Of the late war.
STATE SUPREMACY.
1t should be said that, while the Repub-
Hcans fully recognize and will strenuOusly
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-
tons of the National Government, and at
one time brought the Union very near to
destruction. They insist that the United
States is a Nation, with ample powers Of
self-preservation; that its Constitution and
the laws made in pursuance thereof "are
the supreme law of the land" that the right
Of the Nation to determine the method by
which its Legislature shall be created can
not be surrenderel 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
electOr 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 well-being, in which all
have a common interest Sucn efforts will
soonest restore to perfect peace those who
were lately 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 pervade the whole
country, until every citiZen-rich or poor,
white or black-is secure in the free and
equal enjoyment of every civil and political
right 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 labOrerS
and the consequent intuition Of prosperity.
The National Government should exercise
all its Constitutional authority to put an end
to these evils, for all the people and all the
States are members of one body, and no
member can suffer without injury to all The
most serious evils which now atilict 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 re-
straint party rule becomes tyrannical and
corrupt. The prosperity which is made pos
sible in the South by its great advantages of
soil and climate will never be realized until
every voter can freely and safely support any
party he pleases.
EDUCATION
Next in Importance to freedom and justice
is popular educa ion, without which neither
justice nor freedom can be permanently main
tanned. Its interests are 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 people and dangerous
to our institutions to apply any portion of the
revenues of the Nation or of he 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 is needed in the way of
additions! statement. The public debt is
now so well secured and the rate of annual
interest has been so reduced by refunding,
that rigid economy in expenditures and the
faithful application of our surplus revenues
to the payment of the principal of the debt
will gradually but certainly free the people
from its burdens and close with honor the
financial chapter Of the war. At the same
time the Government can provide for all its
ordinary expenditures and discharge its sa-
cred obligations to the soldiers Of the Union
and to the widows and orphans of those
who fell in its defense. The resump-
ton of specie payments which the
Republican party so courageOusly and
successfully accomplished has removed from
the field of controversy many questions that
long and seriously disturbed the credit of the
Government aud the business of the country.
Our par er currency is now as National as the
flag, and 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
than ever before, and We need only to
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 ex-
periments.
OUR CUSTOMS LAWS.
In reference to our customs laws, 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 fairly in our own markets with the
labor and capital Of foreign producers. We
lie islate for the people of the United States,
not for the whole world, and it is our glory
that the American labOrer is more intelligent
and better paid than his foreign competitor,
Our country cannot beindependent un ess it, |
people with their abundant natural resources
possess 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 any formidable opposition |
to appropriations for the I'M rOvemeut of our /
harbors AMI great navigable rivers, provided /
that the expenditures for that purpose are |
strictly limited to works of Nat Onal impor- /
lance. The Mississ ppi River, with its great /
tributaries, is of such vital Importance TO so .
many millions OF people that the safety of its /
nav CATION requires exceptional cOnsid- /
Grafton. In order to secure to the Nation .
the control of all its waters, President Jeifer- /
son negotiated the purchase of a vast terri /
tory extending from the Gulf of Mexico to /
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 VINO dwell upon its banks, and |
by which its shipping may safely carry the /
products of y 6O00O0 of people. /
The interests OF agriculture, which is the |
basis OF all our material prosperity, and in .
which seven-twelfths Of our population are
engaged, as well as the interests ofmanu-
features and commerce, demand that the
facilities for cheap transportation shall be .
increased by the use OF all our great water
courses.
IMMIGRATION.