Year: 1876

Mr.. Evarts did not make quite the sort OF
speech which the merchants who gave him
the invitation may have expected, but such
a speech as we foreshadowed in our article
of yesterday from our knowledge Of his
views and the tendencies of his mind. He
passed over the question of Southern
claims with few brief illusions,
making speech which covered all
the principal topics of the canvass
without giving prominence to the particular
one which has excited 80 much recent
alarm. He showed by arguments, which
all republicans will think convincing,
that the public credit and every pub
lie interest may be more safely con-
fided to the republican than to the
democratic party, but he was careful to say
nothing which could be quoted abroad as an
attack on the public credit in the event OF
Mr.. Tildens election. Had it been an or
dinary political meeting, instead OF
one called by the merchants OF the
metropolis from fears as to the safety OF
government bonds, listeners to the speech
might have gone away without remember
ing that Southern war claims was one OF its
topics, SO slightly and cursorily did
he touch upon that point. And yet he made
q far more useful and convincing speech
in the interest of the republican canvass
than if he had echoed and exaggerated the
sentiments of the invitation. Mr.. Evarts is
too wise and patriotic to take q narrow
view of this political contest, and too
independent to make any declara-
tions which do not accord with his
own judgment. He gave reasons enough,
and reasons which his audience must have
thought cogent, for continuing power in the
hands Of the republican party but he laid
no undue stress on any one head of dis
cussion. In the course Of his very
able speech he went over the whole
range Of topics appropriate to the
canvass. He compared the personal
character and record of the two candidates,
indulging in some witty sallies at the
expense Of Governor Tilden and paying
noble and eloquent tribute to the mill
tary and civic services Of Governor
Hayes. He discussed at length the ques-
ton of the public finances, giving
due prominence to specie payments. He
made civil service reform leading topic,
and, indeed, left out nothing essential to
comprehensive survey of the political
situation. This broad method of treat
ment, which made the credit Of the
bonds merely one of several questions on
which the judgment Of voters must be
-
lican cause than an attempt to mag
Nifty the importance of one feature Of
the canvass. Like the skilful advo-
cate that he is, Mr.. Evarts has clear
perception Of the strong points of the
republican case, and does not hesitate any
more than he would in the case Of private
client to act on his own superior judgment.


We need not follow Mr.. Evarts in his per-
sonal comparison of the two candidates,
but some of his arguments founded on the
history and policy of the two parties werc
very striking. The chief accusation brought
against the republican policy is the heavy
weight Of taxation it has imposed
on the people since the war and its rapid
and burdensome reductions of the public
debt On financial grounds this criticism
may have some foundation, but Mr.. Evarts
showed that the policy of paying the
public debt at 80 surprising a rate was at
tended, with great political advantages.
1t had the great merit of teaching the coun-
try its strength. 1t demonstrated to the
world that although the South had been ex-
hausted by the war the North had not, but that
it's resources were ample for every national
object. 1t proved that we had not come out
OF the war weak and prostrated, but might
have continued it indefinitely if the South
had been able to proceed. 1t was not SO very
unwise to give that demonstration Of our
ability to cope with another rebellion
if another should arise. There could
be no doubt on that point when, besides
paying the heavy current expenses Of the
government and the interest on the
colossal public debt, we were able to
reduce, and did actually reduce that debt
at the rate Of hundred millions of
dollars per annum. Besides getting rid of
SO much debt and diminishing the annual
burden of interest, the republican policy
convinced the South that it would be vain
to undertake another rebellion against
government possessing such gigantic re-
sources, and convinced Europe that the
country had not been essentially weakened
by the war. The support thus given to the
national credit abroad, the confidence it
inspired in our strength at home and the
utter discouragement it was calculated to
infuse into the adherents Of the lost
cause were great and manifest advan-
tages, which overbalanced the inconvenience
of discharging the debt at 80 rapid rate.
This strong argument has never before been
presented in so striking light as it was last
night by Mr.. Evarts, and it meets and par
ries the main accusation of the democrats
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