The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1868-02-27
THE JACOBIV PLATFORM.

THE ACOBIV PLATFORM.
The delegates of the Jacobin party of
Indiana assembled at Indianapolis on the
10th inst, to nominate candidates for state
Offices, and to adopt platform of princi-
Piles, (so-called) which would instruct the
loyal Jacobins throughout the state what
to think and how to act during the canvass
which is now opened. Great preparations
were made for the grandest assemblage of
patriots ever convened within the state
but it was found that the Opera hall was
entirely sufficient to accommodate all the
members of the convention. Gov Baker
was renominated, without opposition, and
the balance of the ticket will be found in
to-day's paper. The candidate for lieuten-
ant-goveruor is much stronger man, men
tally, than Gov. Baker, giving the ticket
kind of kangaroo appearance, something
Ike the last democratic presidential ticket.
Baker is known to be man Of good MOI al
character, but is not superior in morals to
Mr. Hendricks, and greatly inferior to
him in all that constitutes a statesman.
We rather wonder that the Jacobins did
not put forward their ablest man for the
chief Office in the state, as it is generally
conceded point that the race will be an
exciting one, and requiring the entire
strength of the party that wins. But
Baker had the inside track, and they would
have lost more votes by putting him out
of the way, than they would have gained
by putting stronger man in nomination.
The remainder of their ticket will probably
command the entire Jacobin vote,--and
nothing more.
But the platform adopted by the con :
vention is what will arrest the attention of
every one at all conversant with the poll
tics OF the country. 1t is probably more
correctly stated by the term wishy-washy"
than any other. The genuine radicals of
the Sumner or Thad. Stevens school will
find little in it to arouse their enthusiasm,
while the reasoning, sensible portion of
their party Eve suppose there are some of
that character among them, would likely
prefer the democratic platform, as it con-
tains all the good there is in theirs, and
more beside.
Their first resolution reads as follows:
/. The COMPRESSION blap. of recon
struction was madeps| SsafS TIN con
stitutional anendn FDEy ulll aed
rebellious spirit of the SUI leld people
aud if they will not, upon the conditions
prescribed by congress, become the friends
Of the union, it is the duty of congress to
do whatever the emergency requires to
prevent them from doing harm as enemies
This gives congress wide latitude fol-
heexerci.e of extra constitutional power
and if the past is good criterion by which
to Judge what their future action will b ],
they will not be slow to avail themselves o.
the license here given them. We suppose
Jacobins will not hereafter claim that thei,
reconstruction measures are constitutional
but that, in the opinion of congress, the,
are necessary. No democratic congress.
ever enjoyed such high privileges.
The second resolution treats of the suf
frage question:
2. The extention Of suffrage to the ne
groes OF the south is the direct result o.
the rebellion and Of the continued rebel
hous spirit maintained therein, and wa
necessary to secure the reconstruction q
the union, and the preservation of Iowa
men therein from state worse than slave
ry; and the question of suffrage in al
the loyal states belongs to the people o
those states, under the constitution of tn
United States.
The first part of this resolution is un
qualfedly false. Negro suffrage in tn
south is the result of Jacobin usurpatiou
of power which belonged to the people @
those states. II was forced upon the loya
people as well as the dislcyaI, by con
gress which had no more constitutions
right to do that thing than they had t
force negro suffrage on the state of Indiana
because there may have been disloyal pe,
sons within her borders. It is the sheeres
nonsense to say that negro suffrage wa
necessary to secure the preservation {
loyal men in the south, as there has nj
vsen . day since the surrender of LIE,