UNITED STATES. 



701 



lie debt is now so well secured, and the rate of annual 

 interest has been so reduced by refunding, that rigid 

 economy in expenditures and the faithful application 

 of our surplus revenues to the payment of the principal 

 of the debt will gradually but certainly free the people 

 from its burdens, and close with honor the financial 

 chapter of the war. At the sam| time, the Govern- 

 ment can provide for all its ordinary expenditures, 

 and discharge its sacred obligations to the soldiers of 

 the Union, and to the widows and orphans of those 

 who fell in its defense. The resumption of specie 

 payments, which the Republican party so courageous- 

 ly and successfully accomplished, has removed from 

 the field of controversy many questions that long and 

 seriously disturbed the credit of the Government and 

 the business of the country. Our paper currency is 

 now as national as the flag, and resumption has not 

 only made it everywhere equal to com, but has 

 brought into use our store of gold and silver. The 

 circulating medium is more abundant than ever be- 

 fore, and we need only to maintain the equality of all 

 our dollars to insure to labor and capital a measure of 

 value from the use of which no one can suffer loss. 

 The great prosperity which the country is now enjoy- 

 ing should not be endangered by any violent changes 

 or doubtful financial experiments. 



In reference to our customs laws, a policy should 

 be pursued which will bring revenue to the Treasury, 

 and will enable the labor and capital employed in our 

 great industries to compete fairly in our o\vn markets 

 with the labor and capital of foreign producers. We 

 legislate for the people of the United States, not for 

 the whole world, and it is our glory that the American 

 laborer is more intelligent and better paid than his 

 foreign competitor. Our country can not b3 indepen- 

 dent unless its people, with their abundant natural 

 resources, possess the requisite skill at any time to 

 clothe, arm, and equip themselves for war, and in tima 

 of peace to produce all the necessary implements of 

 labor. It was the manifest intention of the founders 

 of the Government to provide for the cominon defense, 

 not by standing armies alone, but by raising among 

 the people a greater army of artisans, whose intelli- 

 gence and skill should powerfully contribute to the 

 safety and glory of the nation. Fortunately for the 

 interests of commerce, there is no longer any formida- 

 ble opposition to appropriations for the improvenpnt 

 of our harbors and great navigable rivers, provided 

 that the expenditures for that purpose are strictly lim- 

 ited to works of national importance. The Mississippi 

 River, with its great tributaries, is of such vital im- 

 portance to so many millions of people that the safety 

 of its navigation requires exceptional consideration. 

 In order to secure to the nation the control of all its 

 waters, President Jefferson negotiated the purchase of 

 a vast territory, extending from the Gulf of Mexico to 

 the Pacific Ocean. The wisdom of Congress should 

 be invoked to devise some plan by which that great 

 river shall cease to be a terror to those who dwell upon 

 its banks, and by which its shipping may safely carry 

 the industrial products of twenty -five millions of peo- 

 ple. The interests of agriculture, which is the basis 

 of all our material prosperity, and in which seven 

 twelfths of our population are engaged, as well as the 

 interests of manufactures and commerce, demand that 

 the facilities for cheap transportation shall be increased 

 by the use of all our great watercourses. 



The material interests of this country, the tradi- 

 tions of its settlement, and the sentiment of our peo- 

 ple, have led the Government to offer the widest hos- 

 pitality to immigrants who seek our shores for new and 

 happier homes, willing to share the burdens as well 

 as the benefits of our society, and intending that their 

 posterity shall become an'undistinguishable part of 

 our population. The recent movement of the Chinese 

 to our Pacific coast partakes but little of the qualities 

 of such an immigration, either in its purposes or its 

 result. It is too much like an importation to be wel- 

 comed without restrictions ; too much like an invasion 

 to be looked upon without solicitude. We can not 

 consent to allow any form of servile labor to be intro- 



duced among us under the guise of immigration. Rec- 

 ognizing the gravity of this subject, the 'pivsunt Ad- 

 ministration, supported by Congress, has sent to China 

 a commission ot distinguished citizens for the purpose 

 of securing such a modification of the existing treaty 

 as will prevent the evils likely to arise from the pres- 

 ent situation. It is confidently believed that these 

 diplomatic negotiations will be successful, without the 

 loss of commercial intercourse between the two pow- 

 ers, which promises a great increase of reciprocal trade 

 and the enlargement of our markets. Should these 

 efforts fail, it will be the duty of Congress to mitigate 

 the evils already felt and prevent their increase by such 

 restrictions as, without violence or injustice, will place 

 upon a sure foundation the peace of our communities 

 and the freedom and dignity of labor. 



The appointment of citizens to the various execu- 

 tive and judicial offices of the Government is, perhaps, 

 the most difficult of all duties which the Constitution 

 has imposed on the Executive. The Convention wisely 

 demands that Congress shall cooperate with the Exec- 

 utive department in placing the civil service on a bet- 

 ter basis. Experience has proved that, with our fre- 

 quent changes of Administration, no system of reform 

 can be made effective and permanent without the aid 

 of legislation. Appointments to the military and na- 

 val service are so regulated by law and custom as to 

 leave but little ground for complaint. It may not be 

 wise to make similar regulations by law for the civil 

 service. But, without invading the authority or ne- 

 cessary discretion of the Executive, Congress should 

 devise a method that will determine the tenure of of- 

 fice and greatly reduce the uncertainty which makes 

 that service so uncertain and unsatisfactory. Without 

 depriving any officer of his rights as a citizen, the Gov- 

 ernment should require him to discharge all his official 

 duties with intelligence, efficiency, and faithfulness. 

 To select wisely from our vast population those who 

 are best fitted for the many offices to be filled, requires 

 an acquaintance far beyond the range of any one man. 

 The Executive should, therefore, seek and receive the 

 information and assistance of those whose knowledge 

 of the communities in which the duties are to be per- 

 formed best qualifies them to aid in making the wisest 

 choice. 



The doctrines announced by the Chicago Conven- 

 tion are not the temporary devices of a party to attract 

 votes and carry an election ; they are deliberate con- 

 victions resulting from a careful studv of the spirit of 

 our institutions^ the events of our history, and the 

 best impulses of our people. In my judgment, these 

 principles should control the legislation and adminis- 

 tration of the Government. In any event, they will 

 guide my conduct until experience points out a better 

 way. 



If elected, it will be my purpose to enforce strict 

 obedience to the Constitution and the laws, and to 

 promote, as best I may, the interest and honor of the 

 whole country, relying for support upon the wisdom 

 of Congress, the intelligence and patriotism of the peo- 

 ple, and the favor of God. 



With great respect, I am, very truly, yours, 



J. A. GAKFIELD. 



To the Hon. GEORGE F. HOAR, Chairman of Com- 

 mittee. 



The President and Secretary of the Cincin- 

 nati Convention formally notified the Demo- 

 cratic candidates of their nomination, by letter, 

 on the 13th of July. The following is General 

 Hancock's letter of acceptance : 



GOVERNOR'S ISLAND, NEW YORK, July 29, 1880. 

 To Hon. JOHN W. STEVENSON, President of the Con- 

 vention, Hon. JOHN P. STOCKTON, Chairman, and, 

 others of the Committee of the National Demo- 

 cratic Convention. 



GENTLEMEN : I have the honor to acknowledge the 

 receipt of your letter of July 13, 1880, apprising me 

 formally of my nomination to the office of President of 



