The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1867-02-05
S7ATV DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION.
THE PLATFORM ADOPTED.
January Sm, 4. d. 1857.
REsoLUTIoNs.

REsoLUTIoNs.
l. Resolued, That the Democracy of Ohio
steadtastly adhere to the principles of the
party as expounded by the fathers and ap-
proved by experience; that In accordance
win these principles we declare that the
hederal Government is q government of
limited powers, and that it possesses no
powers but such as are expressly, or by
necessary implication delegated to it i'm the
Federal Constitution that all other powers
are reserved to the states or the people ;
tilat 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
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 !;
thaC 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 a Federal Congress in which she has
but two Senators, and the New England
States with but little greater population,
nave 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, Capitalization of power In
It's hands is an ever pending danger. That
such an abs IrptiOn OF power would. while
1t lasted, be destructive of the liberties and
interests of the people, and would end
elther in despotism or destruction of the
! Union; that National debt besides inn
poverishing the people, fosters an undue
increase OF the powers of the Federal Gov
ernment; that high protective tariffs have
a like effect sacrificing theanterests 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 corrupting the Government,
and that therefore, economy is essential
not only TO the prosperity, but also to the
liberties OF the people; that unequal tax
alton is plain violation of Justice, of
which no Government can safely be guilty.
That to each State belongs the right 10
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-
| 1c; 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 vexatiouslv |
interfering with the business and habits Of
the people, that the freedom of speech and |
OF the press is essential to the existence ofl
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 laws that
the courts should always be open for the
redress of grievances; that no ca post tacto
law should be made; that the right of the
people to peaceably assemble and consult
upon public affairs is inviolable that the
military should be held in due subjection
to the civil power; that while the major
lty, as prescribed by the Constitution, have
the right to govern, the minority have in
defeasible rights and that a frequent re-
currence to first principles is essential to
the welfare of the State and the people.
2 RESOLVED, That the States lately in re-
bellion 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 elect members of Congress |
by President johnson, in various procla-
nations and official acts; by Congress,
which permitted Andrew johnson to sit i'm
the Senate as 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
apportionment act providing for their due
representation in Congress; by various
tax laws, and especially by the direct tax
by the resolutions submitting amendments
10 the Constitution for their approval, and
by various other acts and resolutions i'm
parting tho 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 by the
Supreme Court, which entertains iurisdic Il
tion of cases coming from them, which it r
could not do were they not in the Union b
That being thus in the Union, they stand Ii
on an equal footing with their sister States Il
States with unequal rights being a thing v
unknown to the Constitution; that by the $
express terms of the Constitution, each '
state is entitled to have two Senators and st
due proportion of Representatives in the,
Congress, and to vote In all elections of .
President and Vice-presldent; that, though
,hese rights are subject to interruption BY
} state of civil war, they can not, in time of
peace, be suspended, much less DESTROYED
without plain violation of the Constitu-1
lion; that Congress has no power to de-
prive State of its reserved rights and
reduce it to a Territorial condition; that
therefore the exclusion, by the sO-calledl
Congress, Of all representation from ten
States the proposed exclusion of those
States from all voice in thenex Presiden-
,ial election, the threatened overthrow ofl
heir State Governments ana the reduction
Dt their States to the condition of territor-
es, are each and every one of them uncon-
revolutionary and despotic
measures, destructive not merely of the
rights of those States, but also of the rights
Of every other State i'm the Union. That
hose measures are parts ofa plan TO nullify
he Constitution, virtually overthrow the
State Governments, TO erect consolidated
lespOtsm on their ruins; and 70 establish
md perpetuate tyrannical rule of minor
ty over majority of the American peo-
pie. That the people cannot without a
oss of their liberties, prosperity and honor,
submit to such result; and we, therefore,
N the hope that the warning will be
needed, and the danger to our situations be
averted, do solemnly warn the
advocates of the plan, that il will not
be submitted TO.
g. Resoloed, That Congress is not an
lmnipotent law-making power. That the
Constitution provides that no bill shall be-
,Ome law without the approval of the
President, unless it be passed by two-thirds
q A.