St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-07-31
I. JOHNSBURY, VT, THURSDAY, JULY

republican fathers that political NOR
ality and purity of administration
are more perciOus than party, are more
constrained to oppose the republican
presidential nomination in the interest
of what they believe to be pure re-
publicanism, of the public welfare and
of the honor of the American name.
The republican nomination has for
the time superseded all other issues by
raising the question of official no lesty.
This question cannot be avoided
except upon the plea that the official
character of the candidates need not
be considered, and that in order to Sc
cure Il party president the members of
il party ought to vote for any candidate
who has been regularly nominated.
This is a plea beyond which party
madness cannot go. Acquiescence in it
would require the surrender of the
self-respect of every voter. There
could be no candidate so uLtit that this
plan would not de land his support,
and republican success jr2ified by an
argument which defies the public con-
science would be the overthrow of GSae
vital principle of the party and show
that the spirit and character which
created its great traditions are rapidly
perishing.
Upon the practical questions of tariff
and finance and other questions upon
which both parties are divided within
themselves we also are divided III
opinion. We shall vote therefore in
the choice of representatives and other
o ficers according to our individual
opinions of their political views, and
their personal character. Divided on
other questions, we are united i'll the
conviction that the foundation of office
and honor should be pure, and that the
highest office in the country should be
filled by man of absolutely unsus
pected integrity. AS there is no dis
tinctive issue upon the public policy
presented for the consideration of the
country, the character of the candidate
becomes of the highest Importance to
all citizens who do not hold that party
victory should be secured at any cost
While the republican nomination
presents a candidate whom we cannot
srpport, the democratic party presents
one whose name is the synonym of
political courage and honesty and of
administrative reform. He has dis
charged every official trust with sole
regard to the public welfare and with
just disregard of mere partisan and
personal advantage, which, with the
applause and confidence of both parties,
have raise / him from the chief eXecu-
tive administration of a great city to
that of Il great state. His unreserved,
intelligent and sincere support of re-
form in the civil service has firmly
established that reform in the state
and the cities of New York, and his
personal convictions, proved by his
official acts more decisive than any
possible platform declarations, are the
guaranty that in its spirit and in its
letter the reform would be enforced in
the national administration. His high
sense of duty, his absolute and unchal-
lenged official integrity, his intleXible
courage in resisting party pressure and
public Out-cry, his great experience in
the details of administration, and his
commanding executive ability and
independence are precisely the quail
ties which the political situation de
mands in the chief executive officer oi
| the government to resist corporate
monopoly, on the one hand, and dema-
gogue communism on the other, and III
home and abroad, without menace ol
fear, to protect every right of American
citizens and to respect every right OF
friendly states by making political
morality and private horesSy the basis
of constitutional admins ration.
He is IL democrat who is happily free
from all association with the fierce
party differences of the slavery con
test and whose financial views are il
harmony with those of the best men il
both parties and coming into public
prominence at time when Otficia
purity, courage and character are %
chief Importance, he presents the
qualities and promise which independ
ent voters desire, and which grear
body of republicans, believing thO1t
qualities to bc absolutely Indispensable
in the admins yratiOl of the govern
ment at this time, do not find in the
candidate of their own party. Sucl
independent voters do not propose t.
ally themselves inextI icably with an!
party. Such republicans do not pro
pose to abandon the republican part!
nor to merge themselves in any othe
party; but they do propose to aid ii
defeating republican nomination
which, not for reasons of eXpedienc!
only, but for high moral and patriots
considerations, with a due regard fO,
the republican name and for tn
American character, was unfit to b
made. They desire not to evade TIN
proper responsibility of American citi
zens 10y declining TO vote, and the.
desire also to make their votes n
effective as possible for honest ant
pure and wise administration. How
can such voters, who at this election
cannot conscientiously support tn
republican candidate, promote tn
objects which they desire to accomplish
more surely than by supporting tn
candidate who represents the qualities
the spirit and the purpose which the.
all agree in believing to be of CONTROL
ing importance in this electiOn9
No citizen can rightfully avoid TIL
issue or refuse TO cast his vote. Th
ballot is Il trust. Every voter is
trustee for good government bound t
answer to his private conscience for hi
public act. This conference, therefore
, assuming that republican and indie
! pendent voters who for any reaso
cannot sustain the republican nOmina
ton desire to take the course whic
, under the necessary conditions an
2 constitutional methods of a presidents
: election will most readily and slrel
J secure the result at which they ain
5 respectfully recommends to all sue
4 citizens to support the electors VIII
D will vote for Grover Cleveland,
order most effectually to enforce the
3 conviction that nothing could MOI
e deeply stain the American name an
= prove more disastrous to the publ
o welfare than the deliberate indifferenC
:, of the people of the United States
j increasing public corruption and