The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-08-13
THE PLATFORM.

The Democratic party, In National Convention as
sembled, reposing its trust In the intelligence
patriotsm and discriminating justice Of the people;
standing upon the constitution as the foundation
and limitation of the powers OF the government an0
the guarantee of the liberties of the citizen, and re-
cofnizing the questions Of slavery and secession as
having been settled for all time to come by the war;
or the voluntary action Of the Southern States IN
constitutional convention assembled, and never to
be renewed or reagitated, do, with the return OF
peace, demand:
First. Immediate restoration of all the States to
their rights in the Union, under the consttuton'
and of civil government to the American people.
Second. Amnesty for all past political Offences
and the regulation of the elective franchise the
States by their citizens.
Third. Payment of the public debt Of the United
States as rapidlyas practicable; all moneys drawn
from the people by taxation, except so mucn as Is
requisite for the necessities of the government
economically administered, lbeing honestly applied
TO such payments and where the obligations of the
government do not expressly 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 right and in justice, be paid in the lawful money
of the United States.
Fourth Equal taxation of every species of property
according 70 its real value, including government
bonds and other public securities.
Fifth One currency for the government and the
people, the laborer and the ofaceholder the PEN
aioner and the soldier, the producer and the bond
holder.
Sirth. Economy in the administration Of the gov
ernment the reduction Of the standing army and
| &c
and all political instrumentalities designed to
secure negro supremacy; simplihcation of the sys'
tenn, and discontinuance of inquisitorial modes
of assessing and collecting internal revenue, so that
the burden of taxation may be equalized and lessen
ed the credit of the government and the currency
made good the repeal Of all enactments for enroll
ing the State militia into national forcesin time of
peace and tarifffor revenue upon foreign imports,
snd such equal taxation under the internal revenue
laws as will afford incidental protection to domestic
manufactures, and as will, without impairing the
revenue impose the least burden upon and best pro-
mote and encourage the great industrial interests Of
the country.
Seventh. Reform Of abuses in the administration,
the expulsion of corrupt men from Office, the abro-
CATION OF useless Offices the restoration of rightul
Va e~S S&SSN'~'S
and judicial departments Of the government, the
subordnaton Of the military to the civil power, to
the end that the usurpatons of Congress and the
despotim of the sword may cease.
Eighth. Equal rights and protection for nsturalized
and native born citizens at home and abroad, the
assertion of American nationality which shall COM
mand the respect of foreign powers and turnish an
example and encouragement to people struggling for
national integrity constitutional liberty and indi-
vidual rights; and the maintenance Of the rights Of
naturazed citizens against the absolute doctrine Of
immutable allegiance, and the claims of foreign pow.
ers to punish them for alleged crime committed be-
yond their Jurisdiction.
In demanding these measures and reforms we ar
raign the Radical party for its disregard Of right and
the unparalleled oppression and tyranny which have
marked its career.
After the most solemn and unanimous:pledge of
both Houses of Congress TO prosecute the war f1.
clusvely for the maintenance Of the government and
the preservation of the Union under the consttu-
ton, 1t has repeatedly violated that most sacred
pledge under which alone was rallied that noble
volunteer army which carried our flag to victory.
Instead of restoring the Union 1t has, so far is In
its power dissolved it, and subjected ten States In
time of profound peace to military despotism and
negro supremacy; II has nullihed there the right Of
trial by jury; 1t has abolished the habeas corpus
that most sacred writ Of liberty; 1t has overthrown
the freedom of speech and the press; 1t has subst
tuted arbitrary seizures, and arrests and military
trials aud secret star chamber inqujsiaons for the
constitutional tribunals; 1t has dsregarded in time Of
peace the right Of the people to be free from searches
and seizures 1t has entered the post and telegraph
Offices, and even the private rooms of individuals
and seized their private papers and letters, without
any specific charge o, notice of affidavit, required
by the organic law; it has converted the Ameri-
can capitol into Basle; 1t has established system
of spies and official espionagei TO which no coh5tiu'
ional monarchy Of Europe would now dare to resort;
1t has abollshed the right Of appeal on important
constitutional questions to the supreme judicial III
bunal and threatens to curtal or destroy its orig'-
nal jurisdiction, which Is irrevocaby vested oy the
constitution while the learned Chief Justice has been
subjected TO the most atrocious calumnies, merely
because he would not prostitute his high office to the
support of the false and partisan charges preferred
against the President; its corruption aud eItrava-
gance have exceeded anything known in history,
and By its frauds and monopptes 1t has nearly
doubled the burden of the debt created BY the War
has stripped the President Of his constitutional power
Of appointment, even of his own Cabinet. Under
its repeated assaults the pillars Of the govern
ment are rocking on their base, and should 1t sue
ceed in November next and inaugurate lts Preslaenl'
we will meet as o subjected and conquered ?. .ople
amid the ruins oflberty and the scattered fragments
of the constitution; and We do declare andresolve
that ever since the people of the United States threw
off all subsection to the British Crown, the privilege
and trust Of suffrage have belonged to the several
States, and have been granted, regulated and con-
trolled exclusively by the political power OF eac1
State respectively and that any attempt by Congress
on any pretext whatever to deprive any State OF this
right or interfere with its exercise is fagrant usur
patton of power which can find no warrant IN the
constitution, and If sanctioned By the peo-
pls will subvert our form Of government. and can
only end in single centralized and consolidated gov
ernment in which the separate existence Of the States
will be entirely absorbed, and an unqualified despot-
ism be established in place Of Federal Union OF CO.
equal States; and that we regard the Reconstruction
acts tso-caled of Congress as usurpatons, and un-
constitutional revolutionary and void; that our sol.
dters and sailors who carried the ag Of our country
to victory against most gallant and determined foe
must ever be gratefully remembered, and oil the
guarantees given In their favor must be faithfully
carried into execution
That the public lands should be distributed as
widely as possible among the people, and should be
disposed of either under the pre-emption OF home