The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1868-10-21
IA, LOUISIANA, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER ri, 1868

agance havee exceeded anything known il
! history, and by its frauds and monopoliea
it has nearly doubled the burden Of til.
debt; created during the war. 1t ha,
stripped the President of his constitutions
power of appointment, even, of his owr
cabinet; under its, repeated assaults thu
pillars of the government are rocking or
their base, and should it succeed in No
yember next, and iuaugurate. it's Presi
dent, we will meet it as subjected and
conquered people, amid the ruins of liberty
aud the shattered fragments of the Consti
tntion.: And we do declare and resolve
that ever since the people of the United
States threw off all subjngation to the
brltlsh crown, the privilege and trnst Of
suffrage have belonged to the several
States, and have been granted, regulated
and controlled exclusively by the political
lpower of each State, respectively; and any
attempt by Congress-, on any pretext what
eyer, to- deprive any State of this right, OF
interfere with this exercises is a fragrant
usurpation of power, which can find mo
warrant in the nstitution,s, and, if sane
TONED by the people will subvert our form
OF government, and, car, only end in a sin
gle, centralized, consolidated government,
in. which the separate, existence Of the
States. will be entirely absorbed, and an
unqualified despotism be established in
place Of a federal Union of equal States
that we regard the reconstruction acts of
Congress, so-called, as usnrpations, uucon-
.stitutional, revolutionary and void that
urosoldiers and sailors who. carried the
flag Of our country to victory against. a
most gallant and undetermined foe must ever
be, gratefully remembered, u and all the
guarantees given in their favor must be
faithfully carried into execution; that the
pnblic lands should be distributed among
the people, and should be, disposed of, Ell
ther under the presumption of homestead
laws, or sold in reasonable quantities. and
to none but actual occupants, ut tho mini
mum price as established by the govern
menti when grants, of the public lands
may be allowed necessarily for the en-
rcouragements ofimportantpublicim improve
nilients, the proceeds of the, sale of such
lands, and not the, lands, themselves,
should be SO applied, That the President
Of the United States, Andrew Jehrson, in
exercising, the power of his high Office in
resisting the agsgressions of Congress, 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 fox his patriotic efforts in that
hegardreq5 he breed ayad u5f .tIsw lsst I
- TDon this platform the. Democratic Party
appeals to every patriot, including all the
conservative elements! and all who desire
to support the Constitution and restore the
Union. forgetting all past differences of
opinion, to mite with US iu the present
great struggle for the liberties of the peo-
pie, and that to all such, to whatever party
they may have heretofore. belonged, we
extend the right hand of fellowship. and
hail all such cooperating with US as
friends and brothers. ..t..4 ~,