The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-10-17
The National Democratic
Platform.

Platform.
The Democratic party, in National Conven-
ton assembled repesiag its trust in the lntelil.
gence, patriotism and discriminating justice Of
the people, standing upon the Constitution as
the foundation and Limitation of the powers Of
the Government, and the guarantee of the lib
critics of the citizen, and recognizing the CUES
tions of slavery and secession as having been
settled for all time to come, by war and the vol
untary action of the Southern .tates in constl'
tutional convention assembled. and never to be
renewed or reagitated do, with the return OF
peace, demand,
First. The immediate restoration of all the
States TO their rights in the Union under the
Constitution, and of civil government for the
American people.
Second Amnesty for all past political often.
ces and the regulation of the elective franchise
in States by their citizens.
Third. Payment of the public debt OF the mi.
ted States as rapidly as practicable; all money
drawn from the people by taxation, except so
much as is requisite for the necessities OF the
government economically administered, being
honestly applied to such payment, and where
the legations of the Government do not eN-
pressly state upon their face, or the law under
which they were issued does not provide that
they shall be paid in coin, they ought, IN night
and justice, be paid in the lawful money OF the
United States.
Fourth. Equal taxation of every species of
property according to its real value, including
government bonds and other public securities;
Fifth One curT ency for the government and
the people, the laborer and the office holder,
the pensiouer and the soldier, the producer and
| bond holder.
Sixth. Economy in the administration Of the
government, the reduction of the standing army
and navy; the abolition of the Freedmen .
| bureau rreat cheersl, and all political lnstru-
mentalities designed to secure negro supremacy;
simplifcation of the system, and discontinuance
| of inuuisitUria modes of assessing and collecting
| Internal Revenue; 40 that the burden OF taxation
! NAV be euualiZed and lessened, the credit OF
the government and the currency made good
| the repeal of all enactments for enrolling the
State militia into the national forces in time OF
peace, and tariff for revenue upon foreign i'm
ports and such equal taxation under the Inter.
nal Revenue laws as will afford incidental pro-
lection to domestic manufactures, and as WILL
without impairinG the revenue, impose the least
burden upon and best promote and encourage
the great industrial interests of the country
Seventh. Reform of abuses in the administra
tios; the expulsion of corrupt men from office;
the abrOgation of useless offices; the restoration
of rightful authority Ia and the independence
of the Executive and Judicial departments OF
the government. The subordinatiOn of the mil
itary to the civil power to the end that the usur.
patiuns of Congress and the despotism of the
word may cease.
Eighth. Equal rights and protection for nat
uralized and native born citizens nj home and
abroad. The assertion of American nationality
which shall command the respect OF foreign
| powers and furnish an example and encourage
nent to people struggling for national integri.
! ty constitutional liberty aud individual rights,
| and the maintenance of tho rights of naturaliz'
ed citizens against the absolute doctrine of i'm.
mutable allegiance, and tho claims of foreign
powers to punish them for crime committed
beyond their jurisdiction
In demanding these measures and reforms we
arraign the Radical party for its disregard Tor
! right and the unparalleled oppression and tyr
] l....I. nft fIA
most solemn and unanimous pledges Of both
houses of Congress to prosecute the war eXclu.
Svely for the maintenance of the Government
and the protection of the Union under the
Constitution. 1t has repeatedly violated that
most sacred pledge, under which was rallied
that nO5le volunteer army which carried oHr
flag TO victory. Instead of restoring the Union
il has so far as it is in its power dissolved it.
and subjected ten States in time of profound
peace to military despOtism and negro supre-
macy. 1t has nulliied th.re the right OF trial
by jury. 1t has abolished the habeas corpus,
that most sacred writ Of liberty. 1t has over
thrown the freedom of speech and of the press.
1t has substituted arbitrary seizures and ar.
rest, and military trials and the secret star
chambers of inquistiOns for constitutional tri.
bunals. 1t has disregarded i'll time of peace the
right of the people TO be free from search and
seizures. 1t has entered the post and telegraph
offices, aud even the private rooms OF lndivid-
uals aud seized their private papers and letters
Wit as required by the organic law. 1t has
converted the American capitol into Bastile
1t has established system OF spies and official
espionage to which no constitutional monarchy
| in Europe would now dare to resort.
1t has abolished the right of appeal on i'm
portant constitutional questions to the SUI
preme judicial tribunal, and threatens totcur
| tail or destroy its original jurisdiction, whchis
/ irrevocably vested by the Constitution, while
the learned Chief Justice has been subje cted to
great and atrOcious caluinnies, merely because
| he would not prostitute his high office to the
support of the false and partisan charges pre-.
ferred against the President. Its corruption
and extravaganza have exceeded anything
known in history, and by its frauds and monop.
olies il has nearly doubled the burden of debt
created during t-e war. 1t has stripped the
President of his constitutional power of ap.
pontment even of his own cabinet. Under its
repeated assaults the pillars of the Government
are rocking on their bases, and should II sue
Coed in November next and inaugurate its
President, we will meet, as subjects and a con.
quered people, amid the ruins of liberty and
the scattered fragments ofthe Constitution.
And we do declare and resolve, That ever
since the people of the United States threw Off
sll subsection to the British crown. the privi
lego and trust of suffrage have belonged to the
'everal States, and have been granted, regulated
and controlled exclusively by the political pow
er of each State respectively; and any attempt
by Congress on any preteXt whatever TO de-
prive any State of this right or interfere with
this exercise is a fragrant usurpation of power,
which can find no warrant in the Constitution,
and If sanctioned by the people will subvert our
form of government, and can only end in a sin
gle centralized consolidated government, in
which the separate existence Ofthe States will
be entirely absorbed. and an unqualified des-
potism be established in rplace of a Federal
union of coequal States; and that we regard the
reconstruction acts, 80 called, of Congress such
usurpation, and unconstitutional, revolutionary
and void and that our soldiers and sailors who
carried the flag of our country TO vict Try
against most gallant and determined foe must
be ever gratefully remembered, and all guaran.
ties given in the law must be faithfully carried
into execution.
That the public land should be distributed
widely among the people, and should be dispOs-
ed of under the presumption of homestead laws,
and sold in reasonable quantities, and to none
but actual occupants, at the minimum price es-
tablished by the government. When grants of
the public lands may be allowed. necessary for
the encouragement of important public i'm.
provements the proceeds of the sale of such
lands and not the lands themselves, should be
so applied.
That the President of the United States, An.
drew johnson, in exercising the power of his
high office in resisting the aggressions OF Con.
gress on the Constitutional rights OF the States
and the people, is entitled TO the gratitude of
the whole American people, and on behalf OF
the Democratic party we tender him our thanks
for his patriotic efforts in that regard.
Upon this platform the Democratic party ap-
peals to every patriot. including all the COnser-
Nauve element and all who desire TO support the
constitution and restore the Union, forgetting
past differences OF opinion. TO unite with us in
.le present great struggle for the liberties of
the people, and that to all such to whatever
Par PAY they may have heretofore belonged, we
& TfaFn han ! ~ = II.