The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-08-09

His Views on Leading Questions-Opinions
of Strong and Thoughtful Mind.
In answer to the announcement of his nomina-
tion as candidate for Congress from the first
district, Gen. A. p. Hovey has written the fol
| lowing letter:
Mt. VERNON Ind, Aug g.
| To James B. Gamble. William A. Oliphant. John
Zimmerman, Alfred Myler, Gurran A. De Bruler.
d. De Forest and Frederick P. Leonard, Committee
Gentemen-I have the honor to acknowledge
| the receipt of your communication of the 10th
ult., informing me that the Republicans of the
| First congressional district of Indiana, on the
| Goth of July 1886, selected and nominated me
as their candidate for Representative for Con-
gress of the United States, and inclosing copies
OF the resolutions passed by said convention.
accept the nomination and approve the resolu-
tions.
1t may not be improper to state my views
more at large upon some of the subjects referred
to in the resolutions.
do not agree in full with the theory of civil
service proclaimed by the President and far less
with the action of the administration in ignoring
and trampling that service under foot am OPP
posed to quasi life tenures Of Office, save those
provided for in the Constitution, and believe
that every person holding an Office, whether
Democrat or Republican, should have the right
to enjoy the same for the full term for which he
may have been commissioned until he forfeits
it by some illegal act, and do not believe that
either religious or political opinions can consti-
cal parties to Mexicanize our government,
and fight for Office and place only, is too degrad
ing to be entertained by any man who loves his
country Let "the spells go to the victor" but
do not claim the Offices until they are legally
cant. The immediate surrender of all the Offices
of the government TO a successful party is the
bride offered by demagogues, and can only lead
to fatal results Let the examples of the South
American republics be "a warning. AS long
our parties divide for the sake of political prin-
cpes the Republic is safe, but when the contest
is for Office only, we are making wide departure
from free institutions and the practice Of our
fathers.
The President has placed himself in oppos-
ton to Democratic House of Representatives
and a Republican Senate, and sneeringly vetoed
pension bills passed by large majorities of both
technical and-trivial pretense. Widows and
orphans must suffer to permit the great head of
the Nation TO ventilate his wit and override the
legislative branch of our government. He has
already vetoed more bills than all the Presidents
from Washington down. Now let us look at
some of these vetoes from an equitable stand
point:
A soldier has volunteered to defend his coun
try and taken the oath prescribed by the articles
Of war. He must serve for the period of his
enlistment Desertion before the expiration of
the term is disgrace, to which may be added
the punishment of death. He is compelled to
serve though the government should pay him
nothing, and his family should be in want and
restitution at home As matter of fact. in the
which were only worth about thirty
five cents to the dollar, when he was
entitled to have that dollar paid
in gold. If such a contract had been made with
private person no court of law would refuse to
give judgment for the loss sustained, by the
payment made in deprecated currency, but now
the President narrowly scans every little pension
bill with technical telescope, and refuses to the
widow and the orphan few dollars per month,
that should in all honesty have been paid to the
/
to such craftsmanship This country. depends
upon the volunteers for its protection and de-
fense and every law passed in their favor should
be most literally construed.
There is one class of men that. in my iudg
ment, have been most shamefully treated-the
men who fought. conquered, and acquired ter
ritory as large as an empire. They have brought
millions into the treasury OF the United States
and they are yet unrecognized and many of them
poor-I mean the heroes vino marched from tbs
Rio Grande to the halls of the Montezumas.
The man who never served knows nothing of the
privations and sufferings of the common soldier.
/ cannot concur in the efforts made by the adj
minstration to demonetize silver. How could
such an act be done without injustice and loss
to the holder of the silver? The government
has received for each dollar 100 cents in value.
Would it be Just upon the part of the United
States TO pass any law that would lessen that
value, unless the government should redeem
such deprecated coin in gold, dollar for dollarl
No such justice has yet been suggested or
dreamed OF by this administration Wall street,
with her bankers and brokers, would grow richer
and fatter, whilst the laboring man would find
his silver dollar cut down to about seventy five
cents! There can be no disturbance of the cur.
rency by the government, either in greenbacks,
silver gold, that will not result In loss to the
classes who are not brokers, bankers or million
aires. The greatest loss would naturally fall
upon the laboring class, who receive large part
of their wages in silver.
The great question of the hour and the age,
which is now just beginning to show its disc
above the political horizon. is the question of
labor. The adjustment between capital and
labor will require all the wisdom. forbearance
and patriotism of our wIsest and best men.
This question is surrounded with great diff
culties and will be found of easy solution
The rapidity with which millions are now
accumulated, the tendency of favoring and
fostering great monopolies, the greed of gain
and the widespread intelligence AMONGST the
working classes, present phases and problems of
life unknown TO any former period in the his
tory of the world Members of Congress will
have much to do in the solution of these grand
problems, and they should be men who are
familiar with every condition of life, and in
morality and honesty beyond the reach of the
millionaire. We should pause when we remem-
Der how tho Roman purple was once sold for
corn. Does not history repeat itself and is
there no danger now2 I've must not forget that
we cannot hope to find political panacea in any
thing not founded on the principles of right be- |
tween man and man.
1t is the duty of every elector to choose the |
best men, whoever they may be, to aid in the ad |
5ustment of this important question, which rises
above all party and party names Of the past. An