UNITED STATES. 



783 



class of citizens for additional righti, privilege*, and 



immunities, should bo treated with respectful con- 

 sideration. 



18. T lio Constitution confers upon Congress sov- 

 ereign power over the Territories of tin- United 

 s lor their government; and in the exercise of 

 .\\er it is tlie right and duty of Congress to 

 prohi'hit und extirpate in tin- Territories that relie, 

 of ImrUnriwm, polygamy; and wo demand such legis- 

 lation us shall secure this end, and the Mi]>n-iiuiry 

 ,>f American institutions in all the Territories. 



14. The pledges which the nation has given to her 

 soldiers and sailors must be fulfilled^ and a grateful 

 people will always hold those who imperiled their 

 UTM for the country's preservation in the kindest 

 remembrance. 



15. We sincerely deprecate all sectional feelings 

 and tendencies. We therefore note with deep solici- 

 tude that the Democratic party counts, as its chief 

 hope of success, upon the electoral vote of a united 

 South, secured through the efforts of those who were 

 recently arrayed against the nation ; and we invoke 

 the earnest attention of the country to the grave 

 truth that a success thus achieved would reopen 

 sectional strife and imperil national honor and hu- 

 man rights. 



16. We charge the Democratic party with being 

 the same in character and spirit as when it sym- 

 pathized with treason; with making its control of 

 the House of Representatives the triumph and op- 

 portunity of the nation's recent foes; with reassert- 

 ing and applauding in the national- Capitol the 

 sentiments of unrepentant rebellion; with sending 

 Union soldiers to the rear, and promoting Confed- 

 erate soldiers to the front ; with deliberately pro- 

 posing to repudiate the plighted fuith of the Gov- 

 ernment; with being equally false and imbecile 

 upon the overshadowing financial questions; with 

 thwarting the ends of justice by its partisan mis- 

 management and obstruction of investigation ; with 

 proving itself, through the period ot its ascendency 

 in the Lower House of Congress, utterly incompe- 

 tent to administer the Government ; and we warn the 

 country against trusting a party thus alike unworthy, 

 recreant, and incapable. 



17. The national Administration merits com- 

 mendation for its honorable work in the manage- 

 ment of domestic and foreign affairs ; and President 

 Grant deserves the continued hearty gratitude of 

 the American people for his patriotism, and his 

 eminent services in war and in peuce. 



After the adoption of the resolutions the roll 

 of the States was called in alphabetical order, 

 when Stephen W. Kellojrg nominated Marshall 

 Jewell, of Connecticut ; R. W. Thompson nomi- 

 nated Oliver P. Morton, of Indiana; John M. 

 Harlan nominated Benjamin II. Bristow, of 

 Kentucky; Robert IT. Inpersoll, of Illinois, 

 nominated James G. Blaine, of Maine; Stew- 

 art L. Woodford nominated Roscoe Conklinp, 

 of New York: Edward F. Noves nominated 

 Rutherford B. Hayes, of Ohio ; Linn Bartholo- 

 mew nominated John F. Hartranft, of Penn- 

 sylvania. 



Seven ballots were taken, as follows : 



Rutherford B. Hayes was nominated as the 

 Republican candidate lor 1'r. -ili nt by u ma- 

 jority of twelve votes, \\illium A. Wheeler, 

 of Now York, was then nominated as the can- 

 didate for Vice-l'ruHident. 



On July 14th Mr. Hayes accepted the nomi- 

 nation by the following letter: 



COLUMBUS, OHIO, July 8, 1876. 



Hon. EDWARD MCPMERBON, Hon. WILLIAM A. HOW- 

 ARD, Hor.. JOBKPII II. KAINEY, and otherg, Com- 

 mittee of the Republican National Convention. 

 GENTLEMEN: In reply to your official communica- 

 tion of June 17th, by which I am informed of my 

 nomination for the office of President of the United 



elected, to execute the duties of the high office as s 

 trust for the benefit of all the people. Jdo not deem 

 it necessary to enter upon an extended examination 

 of the declaration of principles made by the conven- 

 tion. The resolutions are in accord with my views, 

 and 1 heartily concur in the principles they an- 

 nounce. 



In several of the resolutions, however, questions 

 are considered of such importance that I deem it 

 proper to briefly express my convictions in regard 

 to them. 



The fifth resolution adopted by the convention i& 

 of paramount interest. More than forty years ago a 

 system of making appointments to office grew up, 

 based upon the maxim, " To the victors belong the 

 spoils." The old rule, the true rule, that honcety, 

 capacity, and fidelity, constitute the only real Quali- 

 fication for office, and that there is no other claim, 

 gave place to the idea that party services were to be 



ever, been improved. At first the President, either 

 directly or through the heads of the departments, 

 made all the appointments, but gradually the ap- 

 pointing power, in many cases, passed into the con- 

 trol of members of Congress. The offices in these 

 cases have become not merely rewards for party 

 services, but rewards for services to party leaders. 

 This system destroys the independence of the sepa- 

 rate departments of the Government. It tends di- 

 rectly to extravrgance and official incapacity. It is 

 a temptation to dishonesty. It hinders and impairs 

 that, careful supervision and strict accountability by 

 which alone faithful and efficient public service can 

 be secured. It obstructs the prompt removal and 

 sure punishment of the unwortW. In every way it 

 degrades the civil service and the character of the 

 Government. It is felt, I am confident, by a large 

 majority of the members of Congress, to be an in- 

 tolerable burden and an unwarrantable hinderance 

 to the proper discharge of their legitimate duties. It 

 ought to be abolished. The reform should be thor- 

 ough, radical, and complete. We should return to 

 the principles and practice of the founders of tho 

 Government, supplying by legislation, when needed, 

 that which was formerly the established custom. 

 They neither expected nor desired from the public 

 officer any partisan service. They meant that pub- 

 lic officers should owe their whole service to the Gov- 

 ernment and to the people. They meant that the 

 officer should be secure in his tenure as long as his 

 personal character remained untarnished and the 

 performance of his duties satisfactory. If elected, I 

 shall conduct the administration of the Government 

 upon these principles, and all the constitutional 

 powers vested in the Executive will be employed to 

 establish this reform. 



The declaration of principles by the Cincinnati 

 Convention makes no announcement in favor of a 

 single presidential term. 1 do not assume to add to 



