The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1884-07-24
A Reply to President Eliot.


LETTER FROM HON. EDWARD MCPHERSON.
To THE EDITOR OF THE BosToN JOURNAL:
President Eliot makes in his anti-Blaine and
Logan speech of the 29th ult., an attack upon
the history and purposes of the Republican
party. This attack combines much of mac
curate statement and unsound judgment rs to
justify reply.
His prime fault with the Republican platform
Is that Ii is not ''clear and unambiptloIls," He
maintains that, in the essential respects Of d.
rectness and frankness, the platform trities wiz
the voters. But he himself proves this to be a
| complaint without reason The platform treats
mainly OF eight great topics: The proper theory
for the imposition Of tariff duties; the proper
standard for gold and silver; the regulation of
Interstate commerce; the proper limitations
upon educational and labor legislation; the re-
form Of the civil service; the public land ques-
ton; the protection of the ballot and the true
tneOry OF the government. On each topic the
platform makes no uncertain deliverance. Pres
luent Eliot evidently understands Its declara-
tons and its purposes. for he vents upon it, In
gross, the fierce denuncaton that it is ''Immor
al in the highest sense Not content with this
he descends to particulars. All the while dis
putting the party's frankness, he pillories Its
civil service plank as 1.-THE most immoral plank
Of the PLATFORM Decryng the party for its
evasions, he contemptuously characterZes its
demand for the enforcement of the Eight
hour law. since he regards that law as
"monstrous humbug." Arraigning the party
for duplicity, he finds its plain declaration
against the importation Of contract labor vio-
lation of sound principle from which he takes
an appeal to the people, Charging it with
cowardice on the Silver Coinage question. be
overlooks the proposition of the platform to
permanently settle an international standard of
gold and silver coinage by agreement of all the
commercial nations. EXcitedly tenouncing the
platform for silence about the .'enormous sur
plus" in the Treasury, he thereb confe.>es
ignorance of the fact that both in the fourth
and fifth paragraphs of the platform 1t meets
this issue. first by denuncaton of the inactlon
OF the present Democratic House of Represeu-
tatives, which alone can initiate such leg.Ia-
latlon; and secondly, by pledge of action when
Republicans shall control that body. And gen
orally complaining that the platform "savs
good many wrong things to trap the voters
about tariff legislation," he proceeds to argue
only in favor of the gradual removal of such
lmposts as prevent American industry from
entering into competition with the rest of the
Word-a proposition to which no Projections
lists will object. unless thereby greater injury
be inflicted upon other branches of American
labor.
This analysis covers the whole of President
Eliot's allusions to the policy indicated in the
platform. Pray. where is its want of clear
ness: Aud in what is It's "ambiguity:"
President Eliot answers this complaint while
making it.
But this general rashness of statement is not
the most offensive part of President Eliot's
speech. The specific charge which he makes
respecting Mr.. RIaine,s atiitu1n on CiviI Sar-
vice is even more omen to criticism ounta
the sentence As renorted in The .JourniiI of
June 80.
"When men like Blaine and Logan, whose
whole lives show they do not haI,avs III, riana
themselves on n platform With the I('ivil Sar-
vlceI principle. they commit an act of gross
immortality and do a GREAT mischief ia the mh.
lie mind"
This purOorts to he statement of q f.rt Yat
f,..,
that as early as the snrna Of 1Sso Mir RItine
committed himself to n reform in fhn CiviI Snr-
vice. as is testified hy Tnitnd statrs senator
Mitchell Of Pepnsvlyania then Chairm,n of
the Civil Service Reform Commitrrn If the
Senate and as nuhlirIv >tatad Nv Mr. Cnrtis In
Harnpr's Weeklv of Ssntamhar ~ 1Ss5 l.;
which Mr.. RInine was rreditpi win bu,,;nu
outlined in his campaien in Maine a nI,n NV
which security and moderate tenure ronld he
obtained for all rersons in nnblir rmplnvmept
Furthermore il i. well known 10 thns. orr,linar.
ily informed in bubble affairs that Mr. RIainr'.
previous views on This snbjprt We're matrrinIlv
modified by the otfrp- -hunfino nreSsura vhirL
marked and rloudrd the hrief months of l;Yr
teld's administration President Eiint r.n !,
this mailer he Snarpd tho ,,ronnr nan.nro
which attaches TO nm incorrect rnI,re.entatinn
only by peadino an ionoranra iyhirh IN "a
teacher of others as TO their uubIi duties ia in
consistent with instruction
President Eliot i sa,IIv dissatisfied not only
with the present nsnrrfs II nniiiir,I Ifa hn,t
with MI we have had far twenty yaar. In I.
spirit of flippant criticism he proceeds with an
air of authority. 10 >uy thnf There WIS a fimr
when every youuu man knew how ba rnIId
houorably serve hi, rount,y hut we have nnt
felt that to be- SO since the cIo,t of lhr
war" and thot we ..hovn nov b,1 fnr
mauv wears that political action which il
a high fducation full of moral prinrinIt " II il
fitting that snch men ,honId H.. rrI,nnfl, nnI
publicly rhaIlpnurI Surn M var n,,,t Go,'sti.
tuition has been relieved of thp t,int nf slavery
our laws of the stain of caste. and A real RI
public created NOT only have slaves bnsu
freed and made citizens. but they have been
made sbarers in political noyyer-a revolution
of prodigious import. Which called forth ali lhr