Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1860-06-08
The Republican Platform.

The Repu bllCan Platform.
Rcsolred-That we, the delegated rep
resentatves of the Republican electors of the
United States in Convention assembled, in
the discharge of the duty we o~e to our con-
stituents and our country unite in the follow
ing declarations.
l.-That the history Of the nation during
the last four years has fully established the
proprcty and necessity of the organization
and perpetuation Of the Republican party,
and that the causes which called it into ex
istence are permanent in their nature. and
now, more than ever before. demand its
peaceful and constitutions triumph.
2.-That the maintenance of the princi
pies promulgated in the Declaration Of indie
pendencc, and embodied in the Federal Con
-tituton, and the Union of the States, must
and shall be preserved.
3.-rhat to the Union of the States this
nation owes its unprecedented increase in
population, its surprising development Of
natural resources, its rapid augmentation Of
wealth. its happincs at home and its honor
abroad, and we hold in adherence all
schemes for dIsunion. come from whatever
source they may, and we congratulate the
country that no Republican member of Con
grcSs has uttered or countcnanccd a threat
ot disnnon 50 often made by Democratic
members Of Congress without rtbuke, and
with applause from their political associates,
and We Gcneuncc those threats of disunlon
in case of a popular overthrow OF their as
cendency, as DENYING the vital princi pies OF
a free government, and as an ayOwal OF con-
tenplatcd treason, which it is the imperative
duty OF an Independent people thor0u hly to
rcbuke and forever silence.
! 4.-Ihat the maintenance insiolate of the
rights OF the States, and especially the right
/ of each State to order and control its own
domestic Institutions according to it's ludg-
ment exclusively. is essential to that balance
of power ON which the perfection and en-
durance of our political faith depends and
We denounce the act of lawlcss invasion 10y
armed force OF any State or Territory, no
matter under what pretext, as the grayest OF
crimes.
5.-The present democratic administration
has far exceeded our worst npprchensions in
its measureless subserviency to the exactions
Of II sectional interest, as especially evident
in its desperate eXertions to force the infa-
nous Lecumpton Constitution upon the pro-
testing people of Kansas; in constructing
the personal relation between master and SER
want to involve an unqualified property in
persons; in its attempted enforcement every
where on land and sea through the interven-
ton OF Congress and the Federal Courts of
the extreme pretcntions of II purely local in
tcrcst, and IN its general and unvarying abuse
of the power entrusted to it / y Il coniiding
people.
G-That the people justly view with alarm
the reckless extravaganza which prevails III
every department oil 1t Federal < lvernmcnt
that a return to right economy and acOunta-
/ biity is indispensable to arrest the system OF
| plumber OF the public treasury by favored
i wrtizlns, whilst the recent startling devel-
opcments of fraud and corruption at the Fed
eral metropolis show that an entire change OF
administration is imperitively d.manded
| That the dogma. that :ie Consttu-
tipn OF its own free force ca ri IS slavery into
my or all the territories of the United
Stat 5, is 4 dangerous political heresy,at va
Rance with the explicit provisions of that
instrument itself. with contcinporaneous ex-
position, and with Legislative and judicial
/ precedent, is revolutionary in its tendency,
and subversiye of the peace and harmony
the country
S.-That the normal condition of all the
territories of the United States is that of
freedom, and that as our Republican fathers,
wher they had abolished slavery in all our
national territory, ordained that no person
should be deprived Of live, liberty or proper
ty, without due process Of law, it becomes
our duty, by legislation, whenever such leg
slati0n is necessary, to maintain the provis-
/ ions of the Constitution against all attempts
to violate it, and we deny the authority Of
Congress, OF a territorial legislature, or
of any individuals. to give legal existence to
slavery in any territory OF the United States,
9.-That we brand the recent re-opcning of
the African slave trade, under tie cover ol
our national flag, aided by pcrycrsions of
judicial power, as II crime against humanity
burning shame To our country, and we call
upon Congress To take prompt and elective
measures for the total and final suppression
of that cxecrabc traffic.
l0.-Ehat in the recent vetocs by the Fed
cral Governors of the acts OF the Legislatures
Of Kansas and Nebraska, prohibiting slavery
in those territories, we find practical Illus
tration of the boaStcd Democratic principle
of non intervention and popular sovereignty
embodied in the Kansas and Nebraska bill
and d'nnncntion of the deception and
fraud involved therein.
n.-That Kansas should of right be i'm
medlately admitted as Il State, under til,
Constitution recently formed and adopted by
her people, and accepted by the House O
Representatives.
i2-That, while providing rev nue. for th'
support of the government, by duties upor
importations, policy requires such an adjust
ment OF these imports as to encourage TIL
development of the industrial inter SITS of tn
whole country, and we compel that polie.
of national exchanges which secures to tn
working men liberal wages, and to agricul
ture remunerating prices, to mechanics an
manufacturers an adequate reward for thei
skill, labor and enterprise, and to the natlo
commercial pre- sperity and independence.
, l3.-That We protest against any sale 0
: alienation to Others OF the public land hel
| by actual settlers, and against any view {
- the free homestead policy which regards tn
settlers as paupers or supplicants for publ
bounty, and we demand the passage by Coz
gress Of the complete and satisfactory Hom'
$ stead measure YhGh las already passed Il
II iiouse.