Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1868-07-15
The Democratic Platform.

The Democratic Platform.
We print, on the outside of this paper, the
declaration of principles adopted by the
Democratic Convention recently held in New
York, and which constitutes all of their
principles which they dare to avow. the re-
mainder of their purposes being left to Blair
and Brick Pomeroy to disclose, from time to
time during the canvass
The first new thing in this platform is the
acknowledgment that the for the Union
was success, inasmuch as it settled " the
questions of slavery and secession This,
~ far is a hopeful sign that tho PeIt y is not
so blind as not to see that slavery and rebel
lion are both dead, and can, therefore, be of
no further service to the Democratic party.
Mournfully they declare that there is no res
erection for these their old, but now defunct,
allies, and they turn for comfort to other
themes.
The next clause of the platform should be
read in connection with one near the close of
the declaration, as follows =
- FIrst-Immediate restoration TO all the
states of their rights in the L Mon under the
Constitution, and of civil government to the
American people"
- And that we regard the reconstruction
acts $50 called) of Congress, such, as
usurpations, and unconstitutional, revOlu-
tionary and void.
These together mean,-as interpreted by
Blairs letter given elsewhere, -that the
Democrats will overthrow the present state
governments at the outh,-the only govern
ments established by law in the states lately
in rebellion,-if they get the power This
will restore the South to the control of the
rebels, and put loyal men, white and black,
quite at the mercy of these old allies of the
Democracy. The people who favor such a
policy Will, of course, vote for it but this
can hardly be the course of any patriot who
honestly desired to have the rebellion thor
oughly suppressed, and the authority of the
national government, which is not, we
trust, yet Identical with the doctrines of the
Democratic party,-maintained from the
Potomac to the Rio Grande.
The second resolution would have said just
what is meant by it, if the word % white
had been put before :. citizens The Demo
cratic party does not hold that in South
Carolina. where the blacks are in majority,
negroes should regulate the franchise. Why
cannot the party say what it means?
The third of these Democratic propositions
Is innocent or not, just one interprets it
and it was SO intended The bonds cannot
be paid in greenbacks without practi-
cally unlimited issue of the article. If the
Democrats mean greenbacks by g lawful
then the party has adopted Pendle-
toms financial scheme, well as Ben But
ler's, and has recommended a flood of paper
money which would bring the country speed
lily to financial crash.
The fourth article of faith recommends
what has again and again been held to be
unconstitutional, state taxation of govern
ment securities. What does the party mean
by g standing on the Constitution" when it
thus disregards the Constitution?
The fifth proposition sounds bewitchingly.
If it means anything, however, it means that
the government should pay all its debts in
greenbacks, notwithstanding it may have
contracted to pay coin interest. This is, of
course, reputation, and that is why it is so
acceptable to the party The &C people,
the q laborer,' the " office-holder,'' the
:. pcnsioner," the - soldier" and the - pro
Queer are all, it so happens, bondholders.
The resolution might have been made much
longer, and not whit less meaningless, by
adding the names of all the crafts and indus
tries of life. The fact is they all have one
currency now.
The sixth article of faith is many articles
in one, some sound and agreed to by almost
everyone but the Democrats, some mere po-
Iitical clap-trap, and the last simply non
sense. How can any internal taxes afford
g incidental protection to domestic manu-
features ?"
The seventh statement of belief is entirely
sound, and we heartily agree with it but it
is not sound in the sense meant by the Con-
vention. We favor the end of all usurpa-
tions and despotisms, whether of Congress,
the sword, President johnson, the courts,
the white race, anybody else and
should be, most of all, glad to see corrupt
men expelled from office. But who is so
s;.~r Io 70 ~~reo+ +hnre reforms from the
Democratic party? Will satan cast out
satan? If he does how shall his kingdom
stand?
In the rest of the platform there is little to
condemn, except the statement that the fed
eral government may never interfere with
the question of suffrage. There can be no
question but that it may and must interfere,
whenever the state fails to so regulate the
suffrage as to preserve republican form of
government. And it rs pleasant to find the
Democrats in favor of gratefully remember
ing our soldiers and sailors. But it has oc-
CURED to us, that this declaration was intro
duced mainly for the adjectives i" gallant and
determined, which are applied to the rebels
who exhibited such gallantry and determina-
ton in starving g our soldiers and Sailors
no complimentary adjectives are wasted
upon these fellows-in Libby Prison and
Andersonville The soldiers who remember
the nameless horrors and torments of those
places will be likely to relish this part of the
platform.
On the vital questions before the country,
reconstruction and the fnances,-the plat
form is unsound, dangerous, revolutionary.