rance to the proper discharge of their
legitimate duties. It ought to be abolished. The reform should be
thorough, radical, and complete.

We should return to the principles and practice of the founders of
the government, supplying by legislation, when needed, that which
was formerly established custom. They neither expected nor desired
from the public officer any partisan service. They meant that
public officers should owe their whole service to the government
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 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. I do not
assume to add to that declaration; but, believing that the
restoration of the civil service to the system established by
Washington and followed by the early presidents can be best
accomplished by an executive who is under no temptation to use the
patronage of his office to promote his own re-election, I desire to
perform what I regard as a duty, in stating now my inflexible
purpose, if elected, not to be a candidate for election to a second
term.

On the currency question, I have frequently expressed my views in
public, and I stand by my record on this subject. I regard all the
laws of the United States relating to the payment of the public
indebtedness, the legal tender notes included, as constituting a
pledge and moral obligation of the Government, which must in good
faith be kept. It is my conviction that the feeling of uncertainty
inseparable from an irredeemable paper currency, with its
fluctuations of values, is one of the great obstacles to a revival
of confidence and business, and to a return of prosperity. That
uncertainty can be ended in but one way--the resumption of specie
payments; but the longer the instability connected with our present
money system is permitted to continue, the greater will be the
injury inflicted upon our economical interests, and all classes of
society.