The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1867-07-03
STAfT DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION.
The PLATFORM ADOPTED
JANUARY Sth, 4. b. 1901.

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Win these principles we declare that the
Federal Government Is government OF
limited powers, and that Ii possesses uo
powers but such as are expressly. or by
necessary Implication delegated TO 10 in the
Federal Constitution that allother powers
are reserved To the states or the people
that strict construction of the CSnstitu.
tion Is Indispensable to the preservation of
the reserved rights Of the states and the
people that all grants OF power 10 Govern
ment. whether State or Federal, should he
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 I;
that the Federal Government Is untitled to
leglslate for or radminister the local concerns
OF the States that it would be monstrous
that the local affairs OF Ohio should be regu-
latedb Federal COngressin which she has
but two Senators, and the New England
States. with but little greater population,
have twelve; that the tendency of the Fed
ersl Government Is to usurp the reserved
rights Of the States and OF the people; and
that, therefore, Capitalization of power In
its hands is an ever pending danger. That
such an abs irptiou OF power would, while
it lasted, be destructive of the liberties and
interests OF the people, and would end
either In despotism or a destruction of the
Union that National debt besides im-
poyerishing 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 corrnpting 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.
Ihat 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-
tonal amendment, are unwise and despot-
lc; 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
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
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 eI post (dcto
law should be made; that the right of the
people to pcaceably assemble and consult
upon public affairs Is inYiolable: that the
military should be held in due subiection
to the civil power; that while the major
ity, as 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.
2, Resolued, That the States lately In re-
bellion are States in the Union, and have
been recognized rs such by every depart
ment of the Government, and by Presi-
dent Lincoln, who, in the midst 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 in
the Senate as u 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 I:
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 by the
| Supreme Court, which entertains jurisdic-
tion of cases coming from them. which it
| a III -, Al.
That being thus in the Union, they stand
on an equal footing with their sister States
States with unequal rights being Il thing
| unknown To the Constitution; that by the
express terms of the Constitution, each
State is entitled to have two Senators and a
due proportion of Representatives in the
Congress, ana to vote In all elections OF
President and president; that. though
| these rights are subject to interruption by
n state of civil war, they can not, In time OF
peace, be suspended, much less DESTROYED,
without plain violation of the Constitu-
ton; that Congress has no power to de-
prive a State of its reserved rights, and
reduce 1t to Territorial condition; 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 Presiden-
tlal 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-
stitutlonal, revolutionary and dcspotlc
measures, destructive not merely of the
rights of those States, but also of tile rights
Of every other State In the Union. That
those measures are parts off plan to nulllfy
the Constitution, virtually overthrow the
State Governments, 20 erect a consolidated
despotism on their ruins; and to establish
and perpetuate tyrannical rule of minor
ity over majority of the American peo-
pie. That the people cannot, without a
loss of their liberties, prosperity and honor
submit to such u result; and we, therefore
in the hope that the warning will be
needed, and the danger to our situations be-
peaceably averted, do solemnly warn the
advocates of the plan, that 1t will not
be submitted TO,
s. ResOlued, That Congress is not an
omnlpotent law-making power. That Tia,
Constitution provides that no bill shall be.
come law without the approval of the
President, unless 1t be passed by two-thirds
of each House of Congress. That one OF
I the objects of the present so-called Con
gress IN excluding States from representa-
ton, Is to pass bills by a two-thirds vote
which, were all the States represented,
could not so pass; and thus to virtually
abolish the constitutional provision afore-
IL. H. 4