The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1867-06-25
S7A7E DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION.
ThePLATFORM ADOPTED
JiNU1RR Sth, a. ID. IS6g.


I
proved by experience; thatin accordance
with these principles we declare thai the
Federal Government IA a government of
limited powers. and that 10 possesAes no
powers but such as are expressly, or by
necessary implication delegated 10 Il IN the
Federal Constitution that all other powers
are reserved to the states or the people;
that strict construction of the Canstitu-
/ tiOn Is indispensable to the preservation Of
/ the reserved rights Of the States and the
people; that all grants ofpower 60 Govern
ment. whether State or Federal, should be
strictly construed, because an 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 " untitled TO
legislate for or administer the local concerns
of the States that Il would be mOnstrOus
that the local affairs OfOliO should be regu-
Ilatedby Federal Congress in which she has
but two Senators. and the New England
States, with but n 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, a Capitalization of power in
Its hands is an ever pending danger. That
such an abs ,rptiOn OF power would. while
| II lasted, be destructive of the liberties and
interests of the people, and would end
either In despotism or destruction of the
Union that n National debt, besides inn
poverishing the people, fosters an undue
/ Increase of the powers of the Federal Gov
lerument that high protective tariffs have
a like effect, sacrificing the interestsof 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,
| aud That tbprpIprn ig essential
not only to the prosperity, but also to the
liberties OF the people; tlat unequal tax
alton is a plain violation of justice. of
which no Government can safely be guilty.
That 10 each State belongs the right to
determine the qualification of its electors.
and all attempts to impair this right, either
Iby 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 omnch-unnecessarily and veXatiously
Interfering with the business and habits of
the people that the freedom of speech and
Of the press IS essential to the existence of
liberty that no person not in the military
or naval service, or in the bounds where
=
!, 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 eI post JdctO
law should be made; That the right of the
, people to peaceably assemble and consult
: upon public affairs Is iuviOlable; that the
military should be 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
defeasible rights; and that frequent re-
currence to first principles is essential to
the welfare of the State and the people.
Q q ReSOiued, That the States lately in re-
, bellion are States in the Union, and have
4 been recognized as such by every depart
ment of the Government, and by Presi-
Il dent Lincoln, who, in the midst of the war,
Il invited them to elect members of Congress
A by President johnson, in various procla-
nations and official acts; by Congress,
; which permitted Andrew johnson to sit In
the Senate as u Senator from Tennessee,
and members from Virginia, Tennessee
: and Louisiana to sit in the House of Repre-
n 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
i lapportionmcnt act providing for their due
o representation in Congress; by various
: tax laws, and especially by the direct tax
y by the resolutions submitting amendments
to the Constitution for their approval, anC
IS by various other acts and resolutions i'm.
A parting the same recognition all of whicl
. were passed since the attempted secession
of those States, by the Judiciary of thu
d United States, which holds Federal Court
: in all those States, and especially by tn,
- Supreme Court. which entertains jurisdic
-, ton of cases coming from them, which
~ could not do were they not In the Union
~ That being thus in the Union, they stant
fnn will tIaft cig 20
States with unequal rights being a thin
n unknown to the Constitution; that, by tn
-, express terms of the Constitution, eac
" State Is entitled to have two Senators and
Se due proportion of Representatives In til
a Congress, ana to vote in all elections {
NJ President and Nice-pTesident; that. thong
Il, these rights are subject to interruption b
-S a state of civil war, they can not, in time
p peace, be suspended, much less destroyed
an without plain violation of the COnstitr
rot ton that Congress has no power TO d,
's prive State of its reserved rights, an
hu reduce it TO Territorial condition; tn
therefore the exclusion, by the so-calle
Congress, of all representation from t,
OF States, the proposed exclusion of tho
,se States, from all voice in the next Presidel
Id tial election, the threatened overthrow
their State Governments and the reduCtiC
ce' OF their States to the condition of terrific
Dut les, are each and every one Of them uncol
Is
- measures. destructive not merely OF Il
- rights of those States, but also OF the rigi
'ry of every other State In the Union. III
Ell those measures are parts ofa plan TO multi
the Constitution, virtually overthrow d
State Governments, to erect acOns0lidHt
Ina despotism ou their ruins; and to cstabli
20 and perpetuate a tyrannical rule of mino
an ity over u majority of the American pc
'er- pie. That the people cannot, without
ON, loss of their liberties, prosperity and hone
rr,s submit to such II result; and we, thereto
!. in the hope that the warning will
nee needed. and the danger to our situations
TO- peaceably averted, do solcmnly warn t
advocates of the plan, that it will Il
be submitted to.
rect 3. ResoiUed, That Congress is not
~, omnipotent law making power. That t
W Constitution provides thai no bill shall |
his come law without the approval of t
la President unless it be passed by two-thiI
OIL Of each House of Congress. That one
the objects Of the present so-called Co
greSs In excluding States from represent
II, ton, is to pass bills by a two-thirds VI
eat which, were all the States representa-
tens could not so pass aud thus TO virtual
om- abolish the constitutional provision afol