The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1867-03-15
STATE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION.
THE PLATFORM ADOPTED.
JANUARY Sth, 4. u. IS0y.
q

party ~ o~NpOunded by the fathers, aud np-
proved by experience; that In accordance
with these principles we declare that the
Federal Government Is "a government Of
limited powers, aud that IL possesses no
powers but such rs are expressly, or by
necessary Implication delegated to IL In the
Federal Constitution that allothcr powers
are reserved to the StatCs or the people (;
that a strict construction of the COnstltu-
ton Is indispensable To the preservation Of
the reserved rights of the States and the
people that all grants Of power to Govern
ment, whether State or Federal. should be
strictly construed, because all such grants
abridgc the natural rights Of mon that the
preservation Of the equality and rights Of
the states aud the rights Of the people Is
necessary 20 tho preservation of the Union ;
that the Federal Government Is untitled to
lcgislatc fore r administer the local concerns
of the States that II would he monstrous
that the local affairs ofOhlo should be rcgu-
lated by a Federal Congrcssin which she has
but two Senators. and the New England
states, with but u little greater population,
have twelve that the tendency of the Fed
cral Government Is to usurp the reserved
rights otth States and Of the people; and
that. therefore, n Capitalization of power IN
It's hands Is nm ever pending danger, That
such an absorption OF power would, while
10 listed, bc destructive of the liberties and
interests of the people, aud would end
either In despOtism or a destruction of the
Union that n National debt, besides sim
poverishiug the people, fosters an undue
increase ofthe powers Of the Federal Gov
ernmcnt that high protective tariffs have
q like effect, sacrificing the interests Of the
many for the cmnlumcnts OF the few, and
plainly violating the equity aud spirit of
the Constitution that the collection and
disbursement Of enormous revenues by the
Federal Government have the same ten
dency, beside corrupting tho Government.
aud that therefore, economy Is essential
not only to the prosperity, but also to the
liberties of the people; that unequal tax
alton Is a plain violation of justice, of
which no Government can safely be guilty.
That To each State belongs the right to
determine the qualification of It's electors,
and all attempts to impair this right, either
by Congressional legislation or Constitu-
tional amendment, are unwisc and dcspot-
lie; that the tendency of power Is to steal
from the many to the few, aud that, there
fore, eternal vigilance Is the price of lib
crty !; that the tendency Of government Is
TO enlarge It's authority by ~usurpation, and
therefore government needs TO bG watched
that another of its tendencies Is to govern
too muCh-unncCcssarily and YeNatiously
interfering with the business and habits of
the people; that the freedom OF speech and
Of the press Is essential to the existence of
llbNlNN q AllAN Nv IilFOl lbN III lllt lllllll4AIN
or naval service, or in the bounds where
martial law lcgitimatcly prevails, can law
fully be deprived of life, liberty or proper
ty, without due process Of civil law that
the courts should always be oprn for the
redress of grievances; that no en- post GGctO
law should be made; that the right of the
people to pcaccably assemble and consult
upon public affairs is invlolablc; that the
military should he held in due subsection
to the civil power; that while the major
ity, rs prescribed by the Constitution, have
the right TO govern, the minority have in
dcfCasiblc rights and hat Il frequent re-
currcucc to first principles is essential to
the welfare of the State and the people.
>. ResOiued, That the States lately In re-
bcllion are States in the Union, and have
been recognized IA such by every depart
ment of the Government, and by Prcsi-
dent Lincoln, who, In the midst Of the war,
invited them to elcCtmcmhcrs of Congress;
by President johnson, In various procla-
nations and official acts; by Congress,
which permitted Andrew Johnson to sit In
the Senate rs a Senator from Tennessee,
and members from Virginia. Tennessee
and Louisiana TO sit In the House of Repre-
scntatiVes after these States had seeded,
and while the war was being carried ON,
and which further recognized them rs
States In the Union by the Congressional
appOrtioument act providing for their due
representation In Congress; by various
tax laws, and especially by the direct tax
by the resolutions submitting amendments
to the Constitution for their approval, and
by various other acts and resolutions i'm
parting the same recognition all of which
were passed since the attempted secession
of those States, by the Judiciary of the
United States, which holds Federal Courts
in all those States, and especially 10y the
supreme Court, which cutertains iurisdic-
H.. - moo. L-..HA. f.A..- h.. a "a
could not do were they not In the Union.
That being thus In the Union, they stand
on nm equal footing with their sister States
States with unequal rights being "A thing
unknown to the Constitution; that, by the
express terms of the Constitution, each
State Il entitled to have two Senators and n
due proportion of Representatives In the
Congress, aud to vote In all elections of
President and Vlce-presideut that, though
these rights are subject TO interruption by
a state of civil war, they can not, In time of
peace, be suspended, much less destroyed,
without n plain violation of the COnstitu-
ton that Congress Inns no power TO de-
prive a State of Its reserved rights, and
reduce it To II Territorial condition; that
therefore the exclusion, by he so-called
Congress, of all representation from ten
States, the proposed exclusion of those
States, from all voice In the mex Presiden-
tial election, the threatened overthrow of
their State Governments aud the reduction
OF their States Ia the condition of t~orritor-
les, are each and every one of them uncou-
stitutional, revolutionary and despotiC
measures, destructive not merely Of the
rights of those States, but also Of the right.
Of every other State In the Union. That
those measures are parts ola plan to nullify
Che Constitution, virtually overthrow ia,
State Governments, 10 erect acOnsolidatct
~dcspotism on their ruins; aud to establish
and pcrpetunte a tyraunical rule Ofamiuor.
ity over n majority of the American peo-
pie. That the people cannot, without ;
loss of their liberties, prosperity and honor
submit to such n result; and We, therefore
in the hope that the warming will b,
needed, and the danger to our situations b,
peaccably averted, do solemnly warn thu
advocates Of the plan, that il will no
be submitted TO.
3. Resolued, That Congress Is not NJ
! omnipotcnt law-making power. That tht
. Constitution provides that no bill shall be
come a law without the approval of Ia,
President, unless 10 he passed by two-third
, Of each House of Congress. That one o
2 the objects of the present so-callcd Con
I gresS In excluding States from representa-,
! tlon, IL 10 pass bills by u two-thlrds vOt
which, were all the States represented
could not so pass; and thus TO virtual,
abolish the constitutional provision aiore
said. That II this precedent be acquicsceC