To Independent Republicans

The independent republican state execuivo cominitteo intending to support the epabRoan prosidential ticket at the ensutiK election, present to their friends and oadjotors in this and other states a resume it' their rea.sons for so doing. The attitude of the democratie party ia vholly nogative. lts utteranoes, together ritb the use of ita majority. power in con;rcss, provo ils incapacity to interest itself n any vital politieal or economie question. [ts candidate's letter of acceptance deals nly with propositions which are univerially accepted, and is therefore ineaningless md irrelevant. It urges chango, merely :br the sake of change. But while the ;overnruent is respectably aduiinistcred, it ¦ a prerequisite for ohange that the oppoiition should have an honest, positivo, and intelligible policy. The democratie party has no such policy. Ihe abuses upon which it dwells occurred many years ago, and have for the most part ceased to exist. There is no hope that democrats would recomuiend or undertake tho legislation needed to reform the civil service. The spoils system is a democratio invention, and the hope of spoil is the stimulus of the democratie campaign. On the other hand, the present administraron has begun wholesome reforms in the civil service, General Garfield has repeatedly advocated such reforms, and the Chicago platform marks a loDg step forward in this direction, and is for the first time so explicit, as either u ensure legislation or to justify the defeat of republican congressmen opposing it. Under republican auspices speoie payments were resumed and a largo reduction of the principal and interest of the publio debt effected. Most of the opposition to these measures, and most of the dishonest financial schemes in congress have ernanated from the democraey. Even ita hereditary doctrine of free trade has so little hold upon that party that, after five years of congressional power, it has left tariff reform still untouched. It has only half accepted the constitutional amendments, and has refuscd legislation demanded by them. WithiD a year some of its leaders proposed to nullify a law which the supremo court had upheld because it conflicted with thcir ante-bellum notions of the constitución. There is, moreover, danger lest the election of General Hancock should be so intcrpreted as to obscure the fact that the war ended in a coDquest, not a couipromise. We recognize the dilemma in which the south is placed by the introduction of a new political element, composed mainly of the lguoitt.ii. aua tne inaigent, Dut we nna, :.. .ïic wanner In wbich that dilemma ha been met, evidences of the survival, in those comuiunities which still control the democratio party, of the ideas and habits nounshed by slavcry, in the just abhorrence of' which the republican party had itsbirth, and finds a necessity for its continued existence. General Hancock i.i a gallant soldier and an honest, loyal gentleman, but in fitness for tho pros-idency of the United States he cannot be compared to his competitor. He possesses neither civil training nor experience. His chatacter and purposes are no purer than those of General Grant, his capacity is less, and neither the experience of the country, nor his own history or surroundings afford any reason for supposing that his aJiuinistration would be even as successful as that of General Grant. We have examined all the chargeB against General Garfield, and we find, in the language applied by Senator Thurman to one of thuiu, that there is "not suffieient evidence to fasten corruption at his door," and that none of them are so substantial as to offset a long, honorable, faithful and conspicuously useful public career, during which he has commanded the respect and confidence of his political opponents who know hitn best, and bas occupied positions where a dishonest man might have made fortunes, while it is notorious that General Garfield is and always has been comparatively a poor man. In conclusión, we believe tho friends of good government have more to hope for from the republicans than from the dernocrats ; that General Garfield would make a better president than General Hancock ; and that it would be unwise in any case to trust a party while it is still uncertain of its own policy or convictions. We will furnish this address, and docuuients sustaining the positions assumed in it, on application, and we solicit contributions to defray the expenses of that work. HORACE WHITE, Pres., W. A. WHITE, K. W. WniTBKIDiiE, Sec, C. DEMINQ, FEL1X UAUKMANN. Treas., H. 8. VAN DUZBR, ÜEO. HAVEN PUTNAM, GKO. W. ÜKKKN, J. SCUOENHOF. N. 8. SPENCER.