The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-08-18
The Platform Of the Philadelphia
Convention.


Convention.
Below We give the text of the resolu-
tons adopted by tho Philadelphia Con-
vention.
We some weeks ago remarked that what
the trainers Of the Constitution had not
made our form Of government the late war
had made it-namely, consolidated ma
ticnal one. Whilst, therefore, we oehe'e
that the Constitution as il was framed ana
understood by our fathers was not tha' o,
a nation but of . confederacy oil coequ''
sovereign States, we are compelled to con-
cede that according to the construction OF
that instrument which prevails IN inc
northern States, and which was forced
mon US by the dread arbitrament OF arms,
the States, as PATRICK HENRY once said,
bear at present the same relation to the
General Government that the counties do
the States. AS in England at the time of
putable title of JAMES II. to the crown was
set aside by Parliamentary fiction, and
the doctrine that passive obedience to the
King was duty was repudiated even by
the Tory clergy, while the JUS dtoinnm
regum became by-word and reproach,
Notwithstanding that it had been the uni
versally received creed Of the monarchists
for centuries, so in this country, a magnif-
cent attempt to rcvolutionize the govern
ment in one direction has resulted in
changing its form in the contrary di-
rcction, and in the establishment of an
entirely new theory as to its powers and
its duties. The revolution in England was
successful one, and gave a powerful i'm
petus TO the cause Of free government.
The attempt in this country was, on the
contrary, unsuccessful, and resulted in
diminution of the rights of the people.
And as afterwards in England the contest
of the Jacobites was, in the eyes OF all peo-
pie of good common sense, 4 hopeless one,
SO in this country, any attempt, in the pre-
sent state of the public mind in the north
crn States, to secure popular appreciation
of the doctrines so long the faith Of all
great statesmen and so recently repudiated,
can produce no good effects to the people
either of the North or the South. The
"divinc right" to rule has been conceded
to the Federal Government. If, as We
hope and believe, the people of the north
ern States shall ever be brought to recon-
slider their creed and adopt the true one,
they will find lis ready to cooperate with
them in the reestabliShment Of the latter;
but, for the present, the States arc in effect
dead bodics-politic.
In the light of the fact we have thus
conceded to exist, we must read the plat
form of the Philadelphia Convention.
The first proposition is unotjectionatlc.
OF course every man, woman, and child
in the South must prefer peace to war.
The second is true in the sense in which
il is understood by its author. We have
expressed above our opinions as to what
the war has done.
The third no true southern man will be
apt to dispute.
The fourth has only one ambiguous word
III IL. VIC iosei ''4'i w
be one who is willing to perform the ordi-
nary duties of citizen. This proposition
would have been better if that word had
been omitted.
The fifth proposition, down to the words
"people thereof" is a quotation from the
federal Constitution. The assertion fol-
lowing these words is certainly true and
the remainder Of the proposition is what,
as We have already said, the war has caused
to be the received theory as to the form of
our government.
The sixth and seventh propositions are
incontrovertible.
The eighth is in legal sense true.
The ninth is the one which we were ap-
prehensive, Judging from the telegraphic
statement of it, would be most offensive
to the southern people. But the language
was selected with the most scrupulous
carefulness, and the proposition as stated
is almost self-evident one. The Govern
ment having called upon the soldiers 10
perform what they and it considered
duty. and many widows and orphans being
the result of their obedience to orders, 1t
is surely not unreasonable to say that all
their "iust and rightful claims should be
met, or that their widows and orphans
should be cared for. The law of the land
as it now stands comes fully up to the re-
quirements of this proposition, and we are
only called upon to obey the law.
The tenth proposition we endorse with
hearty goodwill. But for the wisdom,
craftsmanship, and courage of ANDREW
JOHNSON the people of the South would
be in situation the possibility of which
we cannot contemplate without feeling
Of horror.