Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-05-29
the radical rlasferm.

publican, In Its convention ~ oh'o"ho'
adopted as its platform Twelve ar'icles'
The first is as follows'
i l. wecoperAtulats he country on the
assured success OF, the reconstructiou
policy of Congress- as evmced BY the
adoption 10 a majority Of the States
llateiy In rebellion OF constitutions Sc
curinr equal civil and political rights "a
all, and regard il as duty OF the Gov
eminent TO sustain those institutions,
and 10 prevent the people Of such States
from being RENTED to state OF anarchy
Is this true 10 point Of factf Have
the States lately in rebellion "evinced
their will by adopting Consultations
securing equal civil AMI political rights
to ALL" Have they not been subject 70
military diciatiou, and, under the
! bayonet, been subject to all the evils oil
| fraudulent and illegal yoting2 Is recon
strucsion, by such means, such iair
| decision Of the people as to be re-
ferred to as adopted" and warrant
congratulations of the country by any
who desire to maintain republican instr
tutions in their original integrity
| 2 The guarantee by Congress Of equal
suffrage to all loyal men in the South is
demanded by every consideration OF
public safety, OF gratitude aud justice,
and must be maintained, while the cues
ton of suffrage in oil the loyal States
properly belongs TO the people OF those
States.F sawran a EHv.ttrH
In plain English, the guarantee OF ne
gro suffrage in the South must be main
tanned by the Acknowledgement OF so
many whites as is necessary for that pur-
pose, but the Northern States may regu-
late the matter of suffrage for them
selves, since there, there is no such party
necessity. 1t means perpetual disiran-
chisement without crime to the body OF
the white population Of the South, and
the government of the negro so long as
the interests of the Republican party
may require it. 1t means the govern
ment of the people Of America by Afri-
can votes, giving the balance of power
against the Democracy Of the country.
| Il means the government of the country
by the carpet-baggers, who manipulate
the balance of power, and the utter an
utilization of Southern values, Southern
interests, and the complete, permanent
and degrading ostracism Of Southern
men. tits such principle as no man
but an enemy to the Southern people can
sanction. HFML .ss:t hAt-ANt
3. We denounce all forms Of repudi-
alton as a national crime, and the
national honor requires the payment OF
the publc Indebtedness in the utmost
good faith to all creditors at home and
abroad, not only according to the letter
but the spirit of the laws under which 1t
was created. e-g
Well who doubts or disputes that3
Not a Democrat repudiates the public
debt. The Convention might as well
place in its platform declaration for
bunkum against theft or murder. The
issue raised between parties is not
whether we shall pay what we owe, but
what is it that we de owe Are we
bound for gold, or are we bound for
greenbacks, only The article is an
evasion Of the real Issue, made purposely
equiyocal 10 order that their speakers in
the canvass might be able to represent
the party as for paying in greenbacks or
gold, as might suit particular localities
and emergencies. 1t is non-committal
for the express purpose Of fraud.
4. 1t is due tothe labor Of the nation
that taxation should be equalized, and
reduced as rapidly as the national faith |
will permit
That is true enough. The labor of the
country pays its taxes. The poor and
classes, indirectly, in the pur-
chase Of the neeessaries Of life, of which |
hey consume three-fourths or more, will
pay by far the greater part Of the public
debt. Direct taxation to the rich is as
nothing compared to indirect taxation,
which, unseen in the form of tariffs, con-
SUI mes the substance, earnings and pro,
ducts Of the laboring man. Taxation
should indeed be equalized and reduced.
But if we may judge the Republican
party by their fruits, we shall give them
little credit for theory, with which their
practice is so utterly discordant They
spend twenty millions year to support
national banks, a hundred millions to
whisky fraud favorites, a hundred and
fifty millions more to sustain a Freed.
mans Bureau and military government
Of States, and destroy the capacity |
Of the South for production, and let the
Iordly holders of FIVE hundred millions
Of bonds go untaxed, and would pay |
them in gold at the poor and laboring |
mans expense The less they say about
what is due to the labor Of the nation,
the better it will be for their reputation
for truth and sincerity. Fair professions
and foul practices do not match to-
gether.
8. That the national debt, contracted
as it has been for the preservation Of the
Union for all time to come, should be ex
tended over fair period for redemption,
and that il is the duty of Congress to re
duce the rate ofinterest thereon whenever
it can be honestly done.
This is in the bondhOlder's interest,
1t is disguised form of de-
claring the payment must be in gold,
.L:.L 80. avodad in the "A article. The