The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1866-06-24
THE PLATFORM.

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THE PLATFORM.
Platforms are to parties what pen sketches
are to individuals, more or less accurately
descriptive, and yet at the best only approx
maiively correct and true. A party is best
known by its spirit. The Democracy attained
great skill in circumlocution, in the process
of hiding its deformities in nicely appearing
resolutions. 1t was political purity itself if
platforms we're all Of party. The Chicago
platform, the most palpably odious of any
ever adopted by tnat party, did not contain
nearly the full enormities of Copperheadism.
There was no riots nor resistance to the draft,
nor counses to desertion, nor declaration of
the right OF secession, nor avowed sympathy
With the rebels in it. A party grows too
actuated by the spirit Of freedom and human
rights the Republican party Of 1854 was in
advance Of the same party in 1860. Mr.
JOHNSON. tried by the letter of the platform
OF 1864, will not perhaps be found at vari-
ance with it; tried by the spirit of the party
his Republcanism is minus.
The resolutions adopted by the recent Re-
publican State Convention is as nearly true
exponent Of the sentiment of the party III
Iowa as platforms can be. 1t should and will
command the consideration and support of
every Union voter in Iowa.
The first plank declares duty Of Demo.
cratic Republic. 1t would have a free Gov.
ernment give to all its citizens equality be-
fore the law. equal protection from it, equal
responsibility to it, and to all that have proved
their loyalty by their acts an equal voice in
making 1t. Some of our party may have
desired that that resolution should have said
more; others mayhap be sorry that it said so
much. The party Of liberty in the United
States could not have said less. After the
record of the war after freedom and slavery
have waged fierce battles, and the former
having proved victor; after the Government
had summoned to its defense its emancipated
children: after they had proved true when so
many ofthe Republics white sons had proved
recreant; after they have worn the country s
uniform when white freemen Of the nation
wore the garb of treason; now that they are
true and loyal still when the bitterness Of se-
cession and disloyalty yet rankles in the
hearts of Southern reconstructed Democrats,
the Union party that emancipated, but per-
force however. the negroes, and used them
for the National safety in war, should not in
peace forget justice. This resolution bu,
enuncia,es Republican principles. The party
is pledged to liberty, pledged to fixed en-.
deavor to work out the enfranchsement O,
man, pledged to establish free Governmen,
ton every Republican is radical as the radi-
calism of THEODORE TlIToN, who in his re-
cent Washington address eloquently said:
ITO day, looking at the dome of the Capi
tol, said to myself, Unto what can it be
compared, except to st. Peters at Rome.
But St. Peter at Rome was originally draft.
ed by Michael Angelo for greater and fsirel
structure than the architect was allow.d te
erect. The great plan was dwarfed. There
are authors and planners in Congress of q
scheme of reconstruction as full orbed az Mi
chael Angelo dome. but the President Wi
no, allow it to be built. Nevertheless it mus
be built, President CIR no President, Congress
or no Congress. Let both ends OF the avenu.
take heed that the party Of Justice, the party
Of liberty. is the party that controls the con
science Of the nation, and will sooner or late
control its policy. Gentlemen in Washing
). ton, be il known unto you that you shall neve
have rest for the soles Of your feet until you
legislation shall be squared, every jot ant
title according to the great rule Of equa
rights Applause. ! know the world wa
not built in day. know this realization o
q reconstructed Union cannot be had by
mere wishing. But | know that, sooner O
later. God means to give it to this nation.
is written in heaven that the fairest nation o
earth shall be smodeled on no meaner plan.
The man that looks not forward to thi
achievement of freedom is not Republican
the man that seeks to attain it at bound
against the order of history, and by impract
cable measures which defeat themselves an
defer its attainment. is not wise
Some say it is on abstraction. Be it s,
but the nation forgot it, and amid the ours
Of war God awakened the nations remeu
brance of 1t; the democracy ignored it and Ii
democracy have been damned.
The principle is right in itself. The R,
publican party are for its establishment whe
it can be done safely to the nation and ben,
fcially to the people.
Upon the remaining provisions Of the pla
form ihe.e will be no difference of opinion.
Let the nnion voters Of Iowa take this pla
form, read and digest it. Let them regard Il
able, faithful, competent. honest men--a m
jority Of them soliiers-who are offered
candidates for the State Offices. Let the
consider the Opposition-the copperhead
mocraey. That Opposition infamous recor,
its hostility during oil the strife for the pre-
erva,ion Of the Union to the loyal party a,
sentiment Of Iowa; the shame its recrean
and disloyalty would have brought upon
State whose armed sons performed % glorio
part in the drama Of war; whose ambition
still is TO place the government under 4
domination Of : sympathixing aud rebel d
mocracy; let them consider this we'll, and
loyal lowan will hesitate - TO his cour.
Again around The standard Of Union, libel
and loyalty viii rally the States patriot q