Democratic Sentinel, Volume 4, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 October 1880 — Hon. W. H. English’s Letter of Acceptance. [ARTICLE]

Hon. W. H. English’s Letter of Acceptance.

Indianapolis, Ind., July 30,1880. Gentlemen: I have now the honor to reply to your letter of the 13th Inst., informing me that I was unanimously nominated for the office of Vice-President of the United States by the late Democratic National Convention which assembled at Cincinnati. As foreshadowed in the verbal remarks made by me at the time of the delivery of your letter, I have now to say that 1 accept the high trust with a realizing sense of its responsibility, and am profoundly grateful for the honor conferred. I accept the nomination upon the platform of principles adopted by the Convention, which I cordially approve, and I accept it as much because of my faith in the wisdom and patriotism of the, great statesman and soldier nominated on the same ticket for President of the United Slates. His eminent services to his country; his fidelity to the Constitution, the Union and the laws; his clear perception of the correct principles of government as taught by Jefferson; his scrupulous care to keep the military in strict subordination to the civil authorities; his high regard for civil liberty, personal rights and rights of property; his acknowledged ability in civil as well as military affairs, and his pure and blameless life—all 'point to him as a man worthy of the confidence of the people. Not only a brave soldier, a great commander, a wise statesman and a pure patriot, but a prudent, painstaking, practical man of unquestioned honesty ; trusted often with important public duties, faithful to every trust, and in the full meridian of ripe and vigorous manhood, be is, in my judgment, eminently fitted for the highest office on earth —the Presidency of the United States. Not only is he the right man for the place, but the time has come when the best interests of the country require that the party which has monopolized the Executive Department of the General Government for the last twenty years should be retired. The continuance of that party in power four years longer would not be beneficial to the public or in accordance with the spirit of our Republican institutions. Laws of entail have not been favored in our system of government. The perpetuation Of -••opertyor place in otie family or set of men has never been m. uuraged in this country, and the great and good men who formed our Republican government and its traditions wisely limited the tenure of office, and in many ways showed their disapproval of long leases of power. Twenty years of continuous power is long enough, and has already led to irregularities and corruption which are not likdy to be properly exposed under the same party that perpetuated than: besides, it should not be forgotten that the four last years of power held by that party were procured by disreputable means and'held in defiance of the wishes of a majority of the people. It was a grievous wrong to every voter and to onr system of self-government which should never be forgotten nor forgiven. Many of the -men now in office were put there because of corrupt partisan services in thus defeating the fairly and legally expressed will of the majority, and the hypocrisy of the professions of that party in favor of civil service.reform was shown by placing such men in office, and turning the whole brood of federal office-holders loose to influence the elections. The money of the people, taken out of the public treasur, by these men for services often poorly performed, or not performed at all, is being used in vast sums, with the knowledge and presumed sanction of the administration, to control the elections, and even the members of the cabinet are strolling about the country making partisan speeches, instead of being in their departments at Washington, discharging the public duties for which they are paid by the people. But with all their cleverness and ability a discriminating public will no doubt read between the lines of their speeches that their paramount hope and aim is to keep themselves <>r their satellites four years longer in office. Perpetuatin' power of chronic Federal office-holders four j’ears l>,..„cr will not benefit the millions of men and women who hold no office; but earning their daily bread by honest industry. The same discerning public will no doubt fully understand this, as they will also that it is because of their own industry and economy and God’s bountiful harvests that tly; country is comparatively prosperous, and not because of anything done by these Federal office-holders. The country is comparatively prosperous, wot because of them but in spite of them. This contest is in fact between the people endeavoring to regain the poliilcal power which rightfully belongs to them, a>id to restore pure, simple, economical, constitutional government of our fathers on the one side, and a hundred thousand Federal office-holders and their backers, pampered with place, and power, and determined to retain them at all hazards, on the other. Hence the constant assumption of new and dangerous powers by the general government under the rule of the Republican party, the effort to ouild up what they call a strong government, the interference with home rule and with the administration of justice In the courts of the several states, the interference with the elections through the medium of paid partisan federal office-holders interested in keeping their party in power, and caring more for that than fairness in elections. Tn fact, the constant encroachments which have been made by that party upon the clearly reserved rights of the people and the states will, if not checked, subvert the liberties of the people and the government or limited powers created by the fathers, and end in a great consolidated central government —strong, indeed, for evil —and the overthrow of republican institutions. The wise men who formed our Constitution knew the evils of a strong government and the long continuance of political power in the same hands. They knew there was a tendency in this direction in all governments and consequent danger to republican institutions from that cause, and took pains to guard against it. The machinery of a strong centralized general government can be used to perpetuate the - same set of men in power from term to term until it ceases to be a republic, or is such only in name, and the tendency of the party now in power in that direction as shown in various ways, beside the willingness recently manifested by a large number of that party to elect a President an unlimited number of terms, is quite apparent, and must satisfy thinking people that the time has come when it will be safest and best for that party to be retired. But in resisting the encroachments of the General Government upon the reserved rights of the people and the states, I wish to be distinctly understood as favoring the proper exercise by the General Government of the powers rightfully belonging to it under the Constitution. Encroachments upon the Constitutional rights of the General Government or interference with the proper exercise of its powers must be carefully avoided. The Union of the States under the Constitution must be maintained, and it is well known that this has always been the position of both the candidates on the Democratic Presidential ticket. It is acquiesced in everywhere now, and finally and forever settled as one of the results of the war. It is certain beyond all question that the legitimate results of the war for the Union will not be overthrown or impaired should the Democratic ticket be elected. In that event proper protection will be given in every legitimate way to every citizen, native or adopted, in every section of the republic, in the enjoyment of all the rights guaranteed by the Constitution and its amendments; a sound currency, of honest money, of a value and purchasing power corresponding substantially with the standard recognized by the commercial world, and consisting of gold and silver and paper convertible into coin, will be maintained; the labor aud manufacturing, commercial and business interests of the country will be favored and encouraged in tfvery legitimate way. The toiling millions of our own people will be protected from the destructive competition of the Chinese, and to that end their immigration to our shores will be properly restricted. The public credit will be scrupulously maintained and strengthened by rigid economy in public expenditure, and the liberties of the people and the property of the people will be protected by a government of law ana order, administered strictly in the interest of all people, and not of corporations and privileged classes. Ido not doubt the discriminating justice of the people and their capacity for intelligent self-government, and, therefore, do not doubt the success of the Democratc ticket. Its success would bury beyond resurrection the sectional jealousies and hatreds which have so long been the chief stock in trade of pestiferous demagogues, and in no other way can this be so effectually accomplished. It wotfld restore harmony and good feeling between all the sections, and make us in fact, as well as in name, one people. The only rivalry then would be in the race for the development of material prosperity, the elevation of labor, the enlargement of human rights, the promotion of education, morality, religion, liberty, order, and allthat would tend to make us the foremost nation of the earth Wthe grand march of human progress. Tam, with great respect, very truly yours,

WILLIAM H. ENGLISH.

To the Honorable John W. Stevenson, President of the Convention, Honorable John P. Stockton, chairman, and other members of the Committee of Notification. __

democratic economy. (From the Bnsghkeepsde Bern, Aug. 26,1880.) When the terrible panic and consequent disaster of 1873 overtook the country and beggared so many hitherto prosperous citizens, the people were not slow to recognize the fact that it was in a large measure due to the blunders of thirteen years continuous Republican rule. Their first move was to elect a Democratic House of Repreesntatives, under whose legislation the business interest of the country began to revive, and during the present Congress, with the cooperation of a Democratic Senate, the legislation originating with the* majority has been abundantly justified by the rapid return to prosperity now so manifest in all business affairs. All that is now required to insure the continuance of prosperity, is the co-operation of an Executive in harmony with the law-making power. This the people Will provide for by the election of Hancock.