The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1867-03-21
STATE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION.
THE PLATFORM ADOPTED.
~JANUARr Sal, 4. D. Isor.


"N'hAihNAAN halAtAt W AlN U1llflDltA oil tile
party as expounded by the fathers. and an
proved by experienced that In accordance
with these principles we declare that the
Federal Government Is n government OF
limited powers, and that IL possesses no
powers but such as are expressly, or by
necessary implication delegated TO IL In the
Federal Constitution that all other powers
are reserved TO the states or the people ;
that a strict construction of the COnstltu-
ton Il 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
abridge the natural rights of men that the
preservation of the equality and rights Of
the states and the rights of the people Is
necessary To the preservation of the Union .
that the Federal Government Is untitled to
legislate for or administer the local concerns
of the States that it would be monstrous
that the local affairs ofOhiO should be regu-
lated by Il Federal Congressi in which she has
but W. Senators. and the New England
States, with but "A little greater population,
have twelve that the tendency of the Fed
eral Government is to usurp the reserved
rights of the States and Of the people; and
that, therefore, Il GENERALIZATION of power in
It's hands is an ever pending danger. That
such an abs irption OF power would. while
II lasted, be destructive of the liberties and
interests of the people, and would end
either in despOtism or Il destruction Of the
Union that Il National debt, besides inn
pOverlshing the people, fosters an undue
Increase Of the powers of the Federal Gov
ernment that high protective tariffs have
a like effect, sacrificing the interests OF the
many for the emoluments of the few. and
plainly violating the equity and spirit of
the Constitution; that the collection and
disbursement of enormous revenues by the
Federal Government have the same ten
dency, beside co%rrupting the 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 n plain violation of Justice, of
which no Government can safely be guilty.
That to each State belongs the right to
determine the qualification of its electors,
and all attempts to impair this right, either
by Congressional legislation or Constitu-
tional amendment, are unwise and despOt-
ic that the tendency of power is to steal
from the many to the few, and that, there
fore, "%eternal vigilance is the price of lib
erty = that the tendency of government is
to enlarge its authority by %usurpation, and
therefore government needs to be watched;
that another of its tendencies Is to govern
too much-unneceSsarily and veXatiously
interfering with the business and habits of
the people; that the freedom of speech and
W. Lllt DItHs Is tSStllLldl 10 Tic existence OF
liberty that no person not In the military
or naval service, or in the bounds where
martial law ~legitimately prevails, can law
fully be deprived of life, liberty or proper
ty, without due process of civil law that
the courts should always be open for the
redress of grievances; that no er post tdctO
law should be made that the right OF the
people to peaceably assemble and consult
upon public affairs is inviolable: that the
| military slnttll hn halI In dina ypIsanN1aa
to the civil power; that while the major
ity, rs prescribed by the Constitution, have
the right to govern, the minority nave in
defeasible rights; and that Il frequent re-
c%urreucc to first principles is essential to
the welfare of the State and the people.
.. ResolUed, That the States lately In re-
hellion are States In the Union, and have
been recognized as such by every depart
ment of the Government, and by Presi-
dent Lincoln, who, in the midst of the war,
invited them to eleCtmembcrS of Congress ;
by President johnson, in various procla-
nations and official acts; by Congress,
which permitted Andrew Johnson to sit in
the Senate rs II Senator from Tennessee,
and members from Virginia, Tennessee
and Louisiana to sit in the House of Repre-
sentatives after these States had seeded,
and while the war was being carried on,
and which further recognized them as
States In the Union by the Congressional
a-pportiOnment 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 anne 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 by the
Supreme Court, which entertains jurisdic-
ton of cases coming from them. which it
could not do were they not in the Union.
That being thus in the Union. they stand
on an 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 is entitled to have W. Senators and a
due proportion of Representatives in the
Congress, and TO vote In all elections OF
President and Vice-president that, though
these rights are subject to interruption by
Il state of civil war, they can not, in time OF
peace, be suspended, much less DESTROYED.
without 4 plain violation of the Constitu-
ton that Congress has no power to de-
prive Il State of its reserved rights, and
reduce it to a Territorial condition; that
therefore the exclusion, by the so-called
Congress, of all representation from ten
States, the proposed exclusion of those
| DItJcS, lTblt All NOlCC III Tile next IfeSluen-
tial election, the threatened overthrow OF
their State Governments and the reduction
OF their States to the condition of territor.
les, are each and every one of them uncon-
stitutional, revolutionary and despotiC
measures, destructive not merely of the
rights of those States, hut also of the right.
of every other State in the Union. THAI
those measures are parts ola plan to nullify
the Constitution, virtually overthrow the
State Governments, to erect CONSOLIDATED
despotism on their ruins; and to establish
and perpetuate a tyrannical rule of "A minor
ity over II majority of the American PEG.
pie. That the people cannot, without d
loss of their liberties, prosperity and honor
submit to such II result; and we, therefore
in the hope that the warning will bt
needed, and the danger to our situations b,
peaceably averted, do solemnly warn tn,
advocates of the plan, that 1t will no.
be submitted to.
3. ResOIUed, That Congress Is not al
|omnipotent law-making power. That tn,
Constitution provides that no bill shall be.
come n law without the approval of IN,
President, unless Il be passedby two third
of each House of Congress. That one o
the objects of the present so-called Con,
gress In excluding States from representa-.
ton, is to pass bills by a two-thirds yot,
which, were all the States represented
could not so pass; and thus to virtually
abolish the constitutional provision afore
gaf1 That 10 Eli ..A-1a.A