The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-08-04

public service, merits the lasting graft.
tude of his country and his party" 1t
did all it could do in the way of per-
sonal Justice, all that was left it to do un,,
der the circumstances. Nh. Tilden dld
not desire the nomination in 1880. Hi
nearest friends neither desired it nor
sought it, They did not propose to be
driven from the field, but in their own
time and way to retire from 1t with dig
nifty and honor, and this they did. Look
ing back over this period have but one
regret do regret that when, on
the h of March 1877, Hayes was sworn
into an office to which he was not elect
ed, the Democratic party did not en- naSSe
resolve that it would know nothing,
see nothing until it had righted this
q eat wrong, and restored the stolen SOY.
ereignty of the people, by the nomlna.
ton and inauguration of it's rightfully
elected candidates, and l would have
had it put these up every four years, ii
need be, to the end CT the century or as
long as they might live, until they
should be seated in TIE places from
which, by fraud and violence, they had
been excluded. This belongs, however,
to the plaintive chapter of the might
have.been. For us, and for good or i'll,
that chapter is closed l would not re-
open it. l shall not even enter upon a
consideration of the disastrous Campaigo
of 1880; nor defend Eor eXtol my own
part therein; nor even to ask what lost
US Indiana, or inquire who is tariff and
why he is for revenue only, / think |
have shown by reference to the cam
paigns of 1854, 1868, 1872 and 1876.
whence have come our losses and re-
verses. If there is any moral to be de-
rived from the story of these ii is this;
That not the personality OF candidates,
but the representative character of par
ties sways and controls the majDrities Of
this great land Of ours. No mans per.
sonaity is big enough, either good
enough or bad enough to spread itself
over he vast expanse of population oC
Cupying the great territory embraced in
the United States, to compass by the
8 eer force of his well doing or i'll doing
the result of the Presidential election
Hancock, who has been described as the
superb" and who is truly a man of the
most captivating personal qualities and
presence, came very near doing it in
spite of the condition to which mislead.
ing had brought his party and the infe.
rior counsels by which he was surround.
ed But even he was not enough; and
though an hundred reasons may be ad.
vanCed to explain his defeat, there will
remain but one to history, and the sci
enCe of political warfare: That his nom.
ination was sentimental purely; that it
represented nothing tangible or current;
that it was the resort of a Convention
which was seeking, not strength, but
avoidance; and that, from the first, reli
anCe was placed upon men rather than
measures.
TOUGH OLD PARTY IN SPITE OF FATE
But enough of the past, enough of dis
asters and disappointments, enough of
self.inspeCtion and self.critiCism. The
Democratic party survives, After its at
tempt to take its own life in 1860, and
the errorsa and follies of the succeeding
twenty years-errors and fOll.es which
all of us can see now plainly enough
this party Of the constitution and the
people is still with us. look at it with
amaz9ment, not unmingled with eXulta.
tion; for there have beer times when it
has seemed to me to be about to be gone
forever. Perhaps its very homeliness,
the primitive and simple character of its
construction, has saved l.. AS the char.
lot, overcrowded and top heavy, goes
owe the preCipice, whilst the numbering
carry-all, Careening from side to side and
creaking in every part, rightens, and
finally reaches the summit Of the moun.
tain. so may this old wagon of ours . sss
the Republican coach and-four, and, re.
covering its lost ground gain the top of
our hill of state. | was never in better
shape for making the journey. 1t has
unlOaded slavery and secession. II has
unload d false theories of finance. II is
clean and decent. 1t needs only a pair
Of thoroughbreds and driver to 90 right
along towards it's destination; in other
words, it needs to be attached to moral
forces and organized ideas, which will
themselves produce their leader in their
own good time, in order that it may re
sumo its place as the representative of
that genuine system Of reform which can
only come by change of Larties in the
general government.
l believe this sincerely, and, believing
it, l do not trouble myself over.muCh
bout present or possible personalities.
1 supported Mr.. Tilden because he
was the representative of an idea-or,
rather, a set of ideas-which consider.
ed necessary to the public good, and
therefore indispensable conditions to
Democratic success. I care not who the
man may be in 1884, 80 he stands in
similar position before the country, him
will / support, regardless of likes or dis
likes. We pass from the era of senti-
mental politics into an interim of per.
sonal politics. We shall, l hope, pass
from this into the open field of political
discussion, in which there shall be O. fair,
free fight for opinions, and over which
not the bloody shirt of the sectionalist,
nor the shibboleth of any popular favor
ite, but the star lowered flag of the re.
,Llin ond tbo Trniop abo1l uJovn