The Red Cloud chief., 1884-05-09
NAyailabikty.0

"Availability."
The Republicans have an easy cam
paign before them il they are wise;
that is, if they trust themselves fear
lessly to the choice of a good man for
p resident, and do not let themselves be
led away by the foolish cry of ~''aysila-
! oility'-which IS usually apt to result
in the selection Of a second rate man.
| We a afford to take up q man whose
eapac:ty is undoubted. it he has o ven
eviden e by his public life that he can
be- tr sted. All the signs point to the
| certainty that we shall elect any good
man we put in nomination. We can
only be beaten by putting up a man who
has not the confidence of the country.
The usual talk about '.availability'
-as;d from the actual excellence of
the candidate began early. 1t did not
begin with the people. 1t began with
the politicians. and it is largely their
stock in trade. Their formula is: ooh,
he is a good man. he would make a
good President. but he can not carry
this or that State" When Il pol 'tician
saws this, he is really talking in the in
tere>t of somebody who wants TO get
rid Of a rival. This is peculiarly so in
this campaign. The chances are that
waen you see a politician or a newspa-
per trying to undermine q particular
candidate by attempting to show. not
that he would not make a safe and
competent President. but that he en-
not carry such 4 State, you may be sure
that he is in favor of n candidate who
wo Id not be the spontaneous first
choice of the party, but depends upon
some factit Gus advantage ASIDE from
his merit. Now. in this campaign.
if ever we could. we can afford to dis
regard the old availability cry and rest
upon merit.
For nothing is more certain, as the
field looks to-day, than that the only
possible ground of de eat to-day would
be in putting in nom. nation a mar who
is intrinsically unfit. The Independent
vote has to be reckoned with. 1t will
ask only one question, sup Osing, of
course. that n man of ability is put up.
Is he to be trusted to carry on the Gov
errment IN Il conservative manne on
he | mes of advance and re Orm now
laid down. that is a sys ematized civil
serv ce removed from the uct atiOrs
Of party gree0-a conservative financial
course. and a reduction of taxes and
revenue in accordance with the broad
interests of the country. We want no
experiments. we want no adventures;
we want our affairs to 90 on steadily
and quietly.
The Federal machine has become n
very bic One TO manage. 1t a not be
trusted to tyros. 1t needs S atesmen to
direct the finances, and it needs expert
ence 10 adjust the great interests of
commerce. agriculture and manufac-
lures. The Republican party for near
ly a quarter OF a century has controlled
these great interests. and under its rule
the country has taken a front rank in
the world. and become. beyond dispute,
the most prosperous nation on the
globe. We suppose that no candid man
will deny that it has to-day in its ranks
3. greater number Of capable statesmen
than its opponents. Democrats, Green
hackers. or whatever name the opposition
takes. This is shown by the tentative ey-
periments the Democrats have m'de in
any branch of the Government they have
temporarily controlled. In PLAN words,
they have made a mess of it every time.
They show no capacit TO handle the
great machine. No better ev dence of
tn $ is needed than such n tariff measure
as Morris, $ biil-a hor zontal redUc-
ton. made without the least insight in O
the complicated interests of the
try. 1t has besides. no unity OF pur-
pose Or principle and it develops ew
with an cOmprehensi e and
broad views. II is bothered to-day to
name a single diving candidate for
President. who is a fairly able and rep
resentative man, upon whom the party
can I'm te.
The Republican party, o. the contra
~. has plenty of goo timber for candi-
dates. 1t may be embarrassed VIII m
to select. but il can make no mistake if
it trus S itself to its instinct OF taking 4
man of universally acknowledged Il
pacity and integ ity. and does not
bother itself tn the false politicians
cry of "availab.lity.' Hartford
COuront.