St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-07-23


the times of aIti-slavery agitation. That
movement was successful and he believed
this would be. He said: 81 have severed
all allegiance for the time being to the party
to which have belonged since its birth. /
have burned my ships behind me. If, at
the end of ten years, find myself the hum
blest member OF the new party, shall ac-
cept it as the inevitable, and think boiling is
good thing sometimes" The speaker de-
clared that the weakest part of the enemy
was Blaine, and the strongest force of his
own army was Cleveland.
AS the committee on resolutions was not
ready to report a recess for an hour was
taken.
When the conference reassembled the sec
rotary made a statement in regard to letters
received by the New York committee from
citizens in various states from 'sMaine to
California
Mr.. Quimby, Of New Jersey, said to save
the Republican party Blaine must be beaten,
and that for every Democrat in New Jersey
who would vote for Blaine there were five
Republicans who would vote for Cleveland.
Clafton, of Illinois, said there was very
strong Cleveland element among the Repub-
cans in the west.
President Seelve, OF Amherst, said he was
not prepared to join the Democrats, but was
in favor OF having separate candidate. He
also made plea for temperance principles.
The committee on permanent organiza-
ton recommended that national committee
should be appointed, and the chair ap-
pointed the following:
From New York-Carl Schurz, Theodore
Bacon John II. Cowing, Charles B. Miller,
r. ?. Boxer, Geo. W. Folsom, Nathan Allen
Deering.
From Observation-Disclosures. 81. Forbes,
Joseph Tucker, Joseph H. Walter, Samuel
Winslow Warren.
From Connecticut-S. e. Baldwin, o. P.
Armstrong and II. w. Farnam.
From New Jersey--Daniel Drake Smith,
Simon Huntington and W. G. Peckham.
From PennSylvania-F. B. Qeeves, Stew
art Wood and Joseph Parish.
Chairman Goldman and Mr.. Clafin, of
Illinois, were added to the committee.
Carl Schurz, in behalf of the committee on
resolutions, said there was no intention to
make platform for new party, but only an
appeal for pure government
Geo. VIM. Curtis read the address which is
as follows:
THE PLATFORM.
The paramount issue of the presidential
election of this year, is moral rather than po-
litical. 1t concerns the national honor and
character and honesty of administration
rather than the general policies of the gov
eminent upon which the platforms of the two
parties do not essentially differ. No position
taken by one platform is seriously traversed
by the other. Both evidently contemplate a
general agreement of public opinion upon
subjects which have been long II contro-
Versy, and indicate an unwillingness to de-
| clare upon other and cardinal questions,
views which in the present condition of
opinion might seriously disturb the parties
within themselves. Parties, indeed, now
cohere merely by habit and tradition, and
since the great issues which have divided
| them have been largely settled, the
most vital political activity has
beeen the endeavor of good citizens, in both
parties, to adjust them to living issues, and
| to make them effective agencies of political
progress and reform. The necessity of this
cause has long been apparent, for in time
of profouned peace, at home and abroad, the
most threatening national peril is the insid-
ious political Corruption, the necessary and
demoralizing spirit and tendency resulting
from what is well descibed by senator Hoar
of Massachusetts, as 'sthe shameless doctrine
that the true way by which power, should be
gained in a republic, is to bride the people
with Offices created for their service, and the
true end for which it should be used, when
gained is promotion of selfish ambition and
the qualification of personal revenge" But
this doctrine, naturally, has produced re-
suits which are still more alarming
This corrupt spirit and tendency have so
/ dow hot
| power not only to crafty ambition and re-
venge, but to promote private gain. They
decide appeals to the public conscience by
the bold assertion that all public men are
equally guilty, declare that success in obtain
ing eminent position disposcs of every i'm
putation and suspicion of wrong doing, aud
despising all political measures to reform the
system of official patronage which fosters
dishonest policies, makes great party nom
! inally responsible for prolonged and mon
strous fraud, who for great and beneflcient
ends has habitually supported the party, to
regard the success of the party at the cleo
ton, without regard to the character
of those whom it selects as its
executive agents, to be the supreme national
necessity A tendency more fatal to the
public welfare cannot be conceived, and
when, by public indifference or misunder-
standing, this corrupt spirit is able to de-
mand that the country shall approve it ac-
cording to It's honor in its gift, every patri-
otto citizen must perceive that no duty could
be more pressing, vital and imperative than
that of battling and defeating the demand.
If the Republican convention had presented
a candidate whose character and career were
the pledge of resolute contest with the ten
denotes that We have described if they had
foretold a stern dealing with political corrup-
! ton, and q vigorous correction of the
vast abuses which long and undis-
turbed tenure of power by airy
party is sure to breed; if the success of the
candidate had promised mfiexible honesty of
| administration, publication of government
and elevation of the party standard, every
Republican voter would have gladly supported
the nominations, but these are precisely the
anticipations which the nomination forbids.
1t offers candidate who is an unfit leader,
shown by his own words and his acknowl-
edged acts, which are of official record, to be
unworthy of respects and confidence, who has
traded upon his official trust for his pecuniary
gain, representative of men, methods and
conduct which the public conscience con-
dennis and which illustrate the very evils
which honest men would reform. Such
nomination does not promise in
the executive chair inflexible official integrity
cool and wise judgment. sole regard for
public welfare aid an uushrinking determine
ton TO promote reform in the civil serviceand
ceaslessly to pursue and punish pnblic rob-
bers of every kind and degree. Independ-
ent voters have generally supported Repub-
lican nominations, as more surely promis-
ing than those OF the Democratic party. In
dependents, however, cannot support NOM
ination which is the elimination Of ten
! dency that they would correct.
Republicans cannot hope that under such
leadership as we have mentioned, the abuses
| of the past can be corrected or the marty re-