The Vinton record. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1866-1891, 1867-02-14
Democratic Platform.


The party as.expoundel blythe fathers, aud
approved by experience, that IN accordance
with these principles we declare that the
Federal Government is government Of
limited powers, and that il possesses no pow.
ers but such as are expressly, ol by nerts.
ssy implication dergaled 10 il in The Fed
erol Constitution, that oil other powers bre
reserved TO the States or the prop;e. that Il
strict construction If The Constitution is in
dispensable to the pres lvaliUn Of the re-
served tights Of men, that The preservation
Of the equality auG rights OF The States ana
thei right s'ol the people is necrssaY to the
preservation Of the Union, that the FrdeIa'
Government is un,ii.rL tn lcgisale iorund
administer the lorul Cunrcrns of tie State.
that il would be mrnslrous that the local
sflais of Ohio shuulI lie regulatrd ly u
Federal Congress il which she has but two
Senator'S, aud the Nrw England States,
with but little grcuier population, have
twelve, that the tendency of the Federal
Government is to usurp the reserved rights
of the States and ui the people, and that,
therefore, a Capitalization OF power III lis
hands is AN ever eEdh g danger. That such
an absorption Of power wou'@, while 1t
lasted, be destructive Of the lilerits and
interests OF tie euie. End would Cnd eth
er IN despotism or Il DESTRUCTION 0i lie Un'
ion. that National d'bI, beside improving
tie people, lOsisrS on ur,ur i. crease OF the
powers Of tie Federal Go,cmment, that
high protective tariff, have a Iikr effect sac
riicing Tie interests oi the m"ny tor the
emcluments oi tie G'w, and rlalny violai-
ing the equality and sphit OF he Coustltu-
tion, that tie COlIecltn aud disbursement
OF enormous IevCEurs by the Federal Cow
eminent have the same tendency. beside
corruplng the Government. and that, there
fore, economy is essential not only 10 the
prosperity. but'ulso TO the lib,rt.es of the
people, tEGt unequal taxstiCn is plain yio-
aliUn Of Justice, Of which no Government
Gun safely be guilty.
That to each SAFE belongs the right TO
determine Ike QuuficSlh ~ its electors,
and all alem. j. to impair this right, either
by Congressional legislation or Consti:u'
lional amendment, oIe uuwise and despotlc,
that The teudenC! Of over Is to steal from
The many to the IeW, ond til /, therefore,
"etemal vigilance lie tie rice oI liberty
that the tendency If government is to en-
large It's sulhuily by u,urp tiun, az ;here
fore government needs to be wttthed-that
smothtr Of It's tendencies is 10 govern too
much unnecessarily aud ,tX III, usly inter-
teiing with the business aid habits of the
people that the tyedum OF speech and Of
.ihe press is essential to the existence Of
liberty, that no person not in the military
or naval service, ur in the bounds where
martial law legitima,ely prevails, tan law
fully be deprived Of life, liberty or property
without due process of civil law, that the
courts should always 10 open Tor the redress
of prit yanCes, that 10 ex post laCto, law
should be made, that the right OF the peO.
pie to peaceably assemble and consult upon
public affairs is inNiUihble that the militia.
ry should be held in due suhjection 10 the
civil power, that while the majority as
prescribed by the Constitution, have the
right 10 govern, the minority have indeteas-
ible rights, and that frequent recurrence
to first principles is essential to the welfare
Of the Stale and the people.
9. Resolved, That tie States lately in
rebellion are States in the Union, and have
been recognized as such by every depart
ment oil the Government, and By Presidcn.
Lincoln, who, in lie midst of the war, i'll
yited item to elect members of Congress
by President Johnson, in various procIama-
tions and official aCis--by Congress, which
permitted Andrew johnson 10 sit in the
Senate as Senator from Tennessee, and
members from Virginia, Tennessee and
Louisiana TO sit in the House of Representa-
tiyes after those States had seeded, and
while the war was being carried on, and
which further recognized them as States in
the Union by tie Congressional upporton-
ment act providing iol their dine represent.
alton in COngresS--ty various tax laws, and
especially by the direct tax-by the resolu.
tions submitting amendments 10 TIE Con-
stilulion Tor their approval, AMI by various
other acts and re e;olulions imparting the
same recognition, all OF which were passed
siace 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 jurisdiction of cases COM
ing from them. which it could not do were
they not iu tie Union. That being thus in
the Union, they stand on an equal footing
with their sister States, States with unequal
rights being thing unknown to the Con-
sttution that, by the express terus Of the
Constitution, each State is entitled to have
two Senators and due proportion of Rep.
resentatives in the Congress, and to voe.in
all elections of President and Vice Pres.
dent-that, though these rights are subject
to interruption BY state of civil wdr,lhey
can not, in time OF peace, be suspended,
much less destroyed. without plain Viola.
ton Of the Constitute tion--that Congress
= no power TO deprive State Of its reserved
rights, and reduce il TO a territorial condi-
tion. that therefore the exclusion, BY the So
called Congress, Of all representation from
ten States, the proposed exclusion OF those
States from all voice in the next Presden
tial election, the threatened overthrow Of
their State Governments and the reduction
of their States TO The condition of terrific
ries, are each and every one of them uncon.
stituional, revolutionary and despotic meas
ures, destructive not merely of the rights Of
those States, but also of the rights OF every
other State in The Union.
That those measures are pa,t; Of a plan
to nullily the Constitution, to virtually ov-