Year: 1876

My DEAR SIR:-Your very kin, letter of the 10th has reached m

 and l quite concur with you.

 Deeply impressed by the gray

 ity of the issues involved in th

 approaching Presidential elcctiol

 believing that the honor of th

 country and the well being of tn people depend in no small dcgre

 upon the result, I feel compelle, to depart from the reserve tha

 has become habitual to me, ant express the earnest conviction that press upon me.

 Under a constitutional govern ment the formation of political parties is necessary censequcncs of the diversity of human minds and interests. Schtimcntalists in their closets may dream of al ideal Republic, all of whose citi zens are perfectly wise, virtuous and consequently unanimous, but such a dream can never be real ized on this earth, and we mustI recognize the fact that political parties are not only necessary but beneficial, acting as they dc as checks upon each other. EX perience has shown, in all consti Il tutional countries, that when anyI party possesses uninterrupted power for very long time, cs pecially when the minority is tool weak to interpose any eflicient| check upon the majority, the ten dency is that the leaders become careless and reckless, forget tlint| there is any power to which they are responsible, look upon office. as a personal possession and rc- ward, rather than public trust, and learn to regard their tenure as permanent. So, too, the lcgis- lative bodies become inclined to a system of extravaganza whicl, engenders corruption, facilitates the formation of rings, and finally destroys the prosperity of the people.

 The only sure remedy in such a case, is that the people shall, through the ballot, box, place the former opposition in power.

 That our country is now in the condition just described is proved by the universal and percInptory demand for complete reform by the people, without regard to par tY.

 Among Democrats there is no doubt as to the manner in which the change should be accomplish ed.

 With many Republicans the question is whether they can trust the professions of their par ty, or whether they must take the disagreeable step of breaking away from old political associa- tons, by leaving the party under whose administration all the evils of which they complaih have grown up, and act with the Dem ocrats, who, from the force of cir cumstances, must necessarily be reformers.

 l have the highest respect for the personal character and intel ligcnce of the Republican candi- date for the Presidency, and be- lieve him to be an upright gentle man. But it seems to me quite impossible that he can change the organization and policy of his party.

 The leaders who control and shape its policy would be the same after his election, as now, and it is idle to hope for any change in them or under thcin.

 It is now abundantly evident that had not Democratic House been elected in 1874, it would have been impossible to unearth the various instances of malad- ministration that have come to light, and it is equally clear thsE until the Government passes into the hands of the Democrats we shall never know the whole truth, whatever it may be; and we need to know the truth as to tEc past, that it may serve to guide us in the future.

 Believing, as l firmly do, that every consideration of honesty and sound statcsmanship, every true national and individual in tercst, demands the prompt in- auguration of n policy which shall, in the bricfest practical time, reduce our governmental expenses to the lowest point com mensurate with honor and elf cheney; regarding the reform of the civil service in it's broadost sense, and witk the enforcement upen office holders of the cunvic- ton that their only business is to perform their putlcs, and not to manipulate party politics, Gs an part of this reform; sat isfied that 1t must be accompanied by tlnancial measures steadily lircetcd towards tho resumption 't specie payments within the shortest possible period, can, iot for moment dou5t these all,