Year: 1876

fathers fought to win.


From the London Standard.


We have received a telegraphic
summary of the letters of acceptance
written by Mr. Tilden and Mr.. Hen
bricks, the Democratic nominees for
the Presidency and Vice Presidency.
They touch no point that is not men
toned in the st. Louis platform !;
nor do they depart in any essential
point from the doctrines therein laid
! down. We do not learn, however,
that they have accepted the most
novel and important of those doc
1 'rines the doctrine of Free Trade.
1t may be they thought it imprudent
to commit themselves on this sub
! ject, knowing that the dividing lines
between free traders and protection
1 lists had never exactly conceded with
the great party division between Re-
publicans and Democrats, and think
ing perhaps that the platform had
already committed them as publicly
as was desirable, The chief subject
of anxiety and difficulty is of course
the currency question; and on this
point neither candidate is so plain
spoken and distinct as we might
wish Mr.. Tilden says that specie
payments must lie resumed; and
charges the Republicans with having
endeavored to steal the credit of re-
sumption by fixing a time for it.
without mourning the unpopularity
of preparative measures such as
alone can render the fulfllment OF
their promises possible. We believe
that this reproach is just enough. 1t
is obvious that nothing can be done
towards the resumption of Specie
Payments until either an amount ot
gold sufficient to redeem the whole
or a large part of the greenback cur
rency has been amassed, or until the
the greenback currency has been
contracted to such All extent as to
bring paper dollars to par in gold.
< The second important point
relates to the treatment of the South.
< Mr.. Tilden premises the
South relief from misgovernment
and the protection of the rights of
both races, There is more hope for
both parties in the government of the
Conservatives. who are anxious to
maintain peace in the interests of
the whites, than in that of the Re-
publicans, whose object is to use the
negro, through race collisions. as q
means of forwarding their factious
purposes. And we believe that the
temper shown in South Carolina is
| but the last outbreak of a feeling
natural enough, but gradually dis
appearing. Good government in the
South is only possible under a Dem
ocratic Administration. x
The third point is civil service re-
form, which Mr.. Tilden declares to
be impossible unless the President
be made ineligible for a second term.
We greatly fear that this is true !;
that SO long as the President is dur
ing his first four years of Office con-
stantly canvassing for a second pc
riod Of power he will be compelled
to consider the interests of his party
rather than those OF the country.
But in no case can Mr..
Tilden's term, if he should be elect
ed, be period of ease or comfort,
while his defeat would mean the
continuance for four years of the
scandals recently revealed, and pro-
badly in the end an agitation SO
fierce as to carry in haste some vio-
lent and unconsidered reform, which
treacherous politicians might easily
turn to purposes either of reaction
or of simple perve-sion. AT present
the hope of sober. statesmanlike.
Gradual publication of the country
from the stain of tyranny in the
South, of inconvertible paper money
and official corruption throughout
the Union, rests on the success OF
Mr.. Tilden. And, therefore, all
other considerations apart, we sin
cerely wish that he may be elected.