Year: 1870

John Quincy Adams Letter Acceptinr


the Democratic GubernRtOriaI Nom.


The following is the letter of John
Quincy Adams, accepting the Democratic
nomination for Governor of Massachusetts,: :


Quincy, Oct Is, 1870.


Hon. james NJ Keith, President of the


Convention:


DEAR SIR: Presuming that my declared
desire to withdraw from the candidasy
would have insured the dismissal of my
name from the minds of the Convention at
Fltchburg the nomination announced by
you IN your favor of this date, which |
have the homo % acknowledge, was some
what unexpected by me. Differing in
that respect from my eloquent competitor,
l have for three years past wished to be
Governor of Massachusetts very much,
but having failed to discover the reciprocity
OF sentiment among majority of my fell
low-citizens, which is so desirable in such
cases, thought it would be wise for the
Democracy 10 select q more attractive
| candidate. But the convention having
apparently detected q value in my servi-
ces which had escaped my observation, it
would be arrogating an absurd importance
TO my individual preferences to persist in
an obstinate and ungraceful refusal of so
small sacrifice to body of citizens from
whom | have accepted such fattering ia
vors. !, therefore cordially undertake the
duty imposed. The only real claim of the
republican party, of late, to public conf
dence, Is by parade of trophies With
out head, or system, or principles, it is
held together only by the life of decay
corruption. Its system of taxation is the
most burdensome and the least democratic
IN the world; its currency is the robbery
| OF the poor, while its vaunted reduction
OF the debts has only been accomplished
by cruel taxation, which doubles the
burden by taking two dollars from the
people for each dollar paid to the public
creditor. This scheme of imposts is delb-
erately and and craftily organized in the
interests of associated capital alone, and
is as certainly, if not as palpably, viola
ton OF every principle of equal democrat
lc government as was the cOgnote policy
OF the same party, by which two hundred
millions Of acres Of the peoples home
stead lands have been given away to rail-
road corporations. This cunningly devised
! scheme will this year take five or six hun
dred millions of dollars from the people,
| and pay 1t over to the capitalists who own
mines and mills and furnaces and salt





bors, as certainly as if the tax was levied
and the bounty avovedly. paid. Under
the same system our ocean shipping is
broken up and oul shipyards are closed,
and the farming land of New England no
longer fetches the cost of the buildings
upon 1t. And that its conspicuous merit
IN atfording protection to the American
workman from the pauper labor of Europe
may be apparent to the meanest capacity,
almost the only article which it admits
duty free is an unlimited supply of cheap
Chinese, imported in lots to suit capitalists.
The Democracy, on the contrary, accep-
ting the past, and frankly recurring TO the
principles of Jefferson, hold out the hand
to all who long for reform, and press for
ward to redeem the future. TO that end
they call on all men who are for a moder-
ate and equal tariff, conceived i'll no inter-
est less universal than that of the whole
people, and all who know that deprecia-
ted currency IS curse to every one-but
utter perdition to the poor-and on those
men who see how corruption is sappinp
the foundations of the government. to
maintain by their voice the truly Demo-
cratic measures of hard money, a revenue
tariff and radical reduction and reform
IN the civil service. In State affuirs the
success OF the Democracy would mean the
absolute cessation of grants of public
funds or credit TO local or partial uses
The sturdy beggars Who infest the State
House need no longer doubt whether the
Executive can be screwed up to forbid
their plans of plunder Democratic econ
omy will not mean crowded lobby ard
swelling debt. Special legislation shall no
longer drag out the sessions of your Leg
islature to midsummer and the Democracy
dare trust the people to buy their food and
drink, unmatched by an odious and eY-
pensive corps OF informers. Above all,
Sir, the Democracy intend to try for a new
Union, under what Radical Senator of
the United States has called that decay
ed a. worm-e eaten bequest of the fathers
Of the Republic Constitution of the
United States. And in success, the DEM
ocratlc party at least will not forget that
Government, no matter what tile it
may assume, is truly democratic only
IN so far as the guiding will of most per-
mlts free development of each in every
attribute of independent manhood.


Very truly your obedIent servant


JOHN o ADAMS