The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1868-07-22

cuiIail UT destroy us original jurisdiction,
which is irrevocably vested by the Consti-
tuition, while the learned chief justice has
been subjected to great and >atrocious
icalumnies merely because he would not
prostitute his high Office to the support of
the false and partisan charges prefered
against the President. It's corruption and
extravaganza have exceeded anything
known in history, and by it's frauds and
monopolies it has nearly doubled the bur-
den of the debt created during the war
1t has stripped the President of his consti-
tutional power Of appointment, even of his
own cabinet; under its repeated assaults
the pillars of the government are rocking
on their base, and should it succeed in
November next and inaugurate it's presi-
dent, We will meet it as a subjected and
conquered people, amid the ruins ofliberty
and the scattered fragments of the Con-
stitution.
And we do declare and resolve, that
ever since the people Of the United States
threw off all subjugation to the British
crown, the privilege and trust of suffrage
have belonged to the severel States, and
have been granted regulated and controlled
exclusively by the political power of each
State, respectively; and any attempt by
Congress, on any pretext whatever, to de-
prlve any State CT this right, or interfere
with this exercise is fragrant usurpation
ofpewer, which can find no warrant in the
Constitution and if sanctioned by the peo-
pie will subvert our form of government,
and can only end in single centralized
consolidated government in which the
separate existence of the States will be
entirely absorb bed, and an unqualified des-
potism be established in place ola federal
Union of equal States that we regard the
reconstruction acts of Congress so-caIled,
as usurpations. unconstitutional, revolu-
tionary and void; that our soldiers ard
sailors who carried the flag of our country
to victory against most gallant and de-
termined foe, must ever be gratefully re-
membered, and all the guarantees given in
their favor must be faithfully carried into
execution that the public lands should be
distributed among the people, and should
be disposed of either under the presumption
of homestead laws, or sold in reasonable
quantities and to none but actual occu-
pants, at the minimum price as established
by the government when grants of the
public lands may be allowed, necessarily for
the encouragement Of important public i'm
provemeuts 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 Johnson, in exer-
cising the power of his high Office in resist
ing the aggressions OF Congress on the con-
stitutional rights of the States and the peo-
pie, 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 duty in that regard
Grant applause.)
Upon this platform the Democratic party
appeal to every patriot, including all the
conservative element, and all who desire to
support the Constitution aud restore the
Union, forgetting all past differences of
opinion, to unite with us in 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 ex-
tend the right hand of fellowship, and hail
all such cooperating with US as friends and
brothers.