The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-07-15
The National Democratic
Platform.

statesman OF 1TSu-ClaSS Tanh anu dulllIy'
The National Democratic
Platform.
The Democratic party, in National Conven.
ton assembled repesihg its trust in the intelll:
gence, patriotism and discriminating justice OF
the people, standing upon the Constitution as
| the foundation and limitation OF the powers oil
| the Government and the guarantee OF the lib.
critics of the citizen, and recognizing the ques'
| tons OF slavery and secession as having been
settled for all time to come, by war and the vol
untary action of the Southern states, i'll cOnsti.
| tutional convention assembled, and never TO be
| renewed or reagitated do, with the return OF
peace, demand,
First. The immediate restoration OF all the
States To their rights in the Union, under the
Constitution and Of civil government for the
American people
Second Amnesty for all past political often.
ces, and the regulation of the elective franchise
in States by their citizens.
Third Payment of the public debt of the Uni.
| ted States as rapidly as practicable; all money
drawn from the people by taxation, except so
much a. is requisite for the necessities Of the
government economically administered, being
honestly applied 10 such payment, and where
| the obligations of the Government do not ex.
prcssy state upon their face, or the law under
which they were issued does not provide that
| they shall be paid in coin, they ought, liz right
and Justice, be paid in the lawful money of the
| United States.
Fourth. Equal taxation of every species of
property according to its real value, including
| government bonds aud other public securities.
| Fifth. One curr ency for the government and
the people, the laborer and the office holder,
| the pensiOner and the soldier the producer and
bOnd.holder.
Sixth. Economy in the administration of the
| government the reduction OF the standing army
and navy; the abolition of the Freedmen's
| Ipr.n,, chsprgl and all nuliiirll inSfru.
| mentalities designed to secure negro supremacy;
| simplifcation OF the system and discontinuance
of inquisitOIial modes Of assessing and collecting
| Internal Revenue so that the burden oil taxation
NAV be CQualized and lcssencd the credit of
the government and the Currency made good
the repeal OF all enactments for enrolling the
State militia into the national forces i'll time of
| peace, and 4 tariff fer revenue upOn foreign i'm
ports; and such equal taxation under the Inter
nal Revenue laws, ~ will afford Incidental pro
lection To domestic manufactures, and rs Will.
without impairins, the revenue, impose the least
| burden upon and best promote and encourage
the great industrial interests of the country.
| Seventh. Reform of abuses in the administrce
ton the expulsion OF eSFG oces the restoration
srr9IiMsmIitiI authority TO and the independence
of the Executive and Judicial departments OF
| the government. The subordinatiOn of the mil.
itary to tho civil power to the end that the usur
pations of Congress and the despotism Of the
| sword may cease.
| Eighth Equal rights and protection for nat
uralized and native born citizens at home and
abroad. The assertion of American nationality
which shall command the respect Of foreign
powers and furnish al example and cEo0u, age
! mcnt to people struggling for national integIi
ty, constitutional liberty and individual rights,
! aud the maintenance of the rights OF naturalz.
cd citzens against the absolute doctrine of i'm.
mutablc allegiance and the claims of foreign
powers 10 punish them for crime committed
beyond their jurisdiction.
| In demanding these measures and reforms we
1 arraign the Radical party for its disregard Tor
right, end the unparalleled oppression and tyr.
/ amy which has marked its career, after the
most solemn and unanimous pledges OF BOTH
houses OF Congress TO PROSECUTE the war eXClu.
sively for the maintenance Of thu GsperEEent
and the protection Of the Union under the
Constitution. II has repeatedly violated that
most sacred pledge under which was rallied
that mobile volunteer army which carried bar
flag 20 victory. Instead of restoring the Union
it has, so far as it is in itspower, dissolved it,
| and subjected ten States in time OF profound
peace 10 military despstism and negro supre.
macy. 1t has nullifed there tie right of trial
by jury. II has abolished the habeas corpus,
that. most sacred writ OF liberty. 1t has over.
thrown the freedom of speech and Of the press.
| 1t has substituted arbitrary seizures and ar.
\ rest, and military trials and the secret star
chambers Of .nagjsitions for constitutional tri.
| bunals. 1t has dsregarded in time of peace the
\ right OF the people to be free from search and
seizures. 1t has entered the pest and telegraph
4 offices, and even the private rooms of individ.
\ uals and seized their private papers and letters
! without any specification, or notice, or atfida
Wit, as required by the organic law. It has
convertible the American capitol into Bsstile
1t has ESTABLISHED system Of spies and official
espionage ~ which no constitutional monarchy
| in Europe would now dare TO resort
IL has abolished the right Of appeal on i'm
pOrtant constitutional questions 10 tho su.
preme judicial tribunal, and threatens tSicur,
tail or destroy Is original jurisdiction which Is
! irrcvocably vested by the Constitution, while
| the learned Chic! Justice has been sube cted to
,, great and atrocious caluInnes, merely because
he would not prostitute his high office to the
] support of the false and partisan charges pre-.
fSrret against the President. It's corruption
\ and extravaganza have exceeded anything
known IN history, and by it, frauds and Hon1p
Glies it las NEARLY doubled the burden OF DEBT
| created during tie war il has stripped the
President Of his constitutional power OF ap
pointment even of his own cabinet UnieT It's
| repeated asaaults the pillars Of the Government
are rocking on their bases. and should it sue
! coed in November next and inaugurate its
President, we will meet as subjects and CON
queFed people. amid the ruins of liberty and
| the scattered fragments ofthe Constitution.
And we do declare and resoiye, That ever
since tho people of the United States threw ctT
! all subsection TO the British crown, the priv
lego and trust of suffrage have belonged TO the
III.
and controlled exclusively by the political pow
| er OF each State respectively; and am attempt
by Congress on any pretext whatever TO de-
priye any State OF this right or interfere with
this exercise Is hasrant usurPation of power,
which can ind no SagTant in the Constitution,
and if sanctioned BY the people will subveyt our
form oil government, and can only end in sil.
gle centralized consolidated government In
which the separate existence OF the Sta,ea viii
lie entirely absorbed, aud an unqualified des-
potism be established In place OF q Federal
union of coequal States; and that We regard the
reconstruction acts 80 called of Congress such
usurpaiion, and Unconstitutional revolutionary
and void: ind that orr soldiers and sailors who
carried the tag or our country to vjctJry
against most gallant and determined ZOE mast
be ever gratefully remembered, and ali guataI- /
ties given in the law must be faithfully carried
into execution.
That the public land should be distributed |
widely among the people and should be dispos. !
cd of under the presumption Of homestead laws, |
and sold in reasonable quantities and TO none !
but actual occupants, at the minimum price e. |
tabliShed by the government. When grants of /
the public lands may 0e SLOWED, necessary for 1
the encouragement Of important pnblic i'm. |
proTanepts, the proceeds Of the sale of suc,.
lands ai.a not the lands themselves, should be |,
80 applied.
That the President Of the United States. An.
drew johnson, in exercising the power OF his
high Office In resisting the agsyre ssioas of Con.
gresS on the Constitutional Nights OF the States
and the people, is entitled to the gratitude of
tbs whole American people, and On behalf OF
tie QeuocTattc party we tender him our thanks
for his patriotic elorts in that regard. =.
Upon this platform ths Democratic party ap-
peals to every patTiot, including AL The Csnssr.
vative element and ali wis desire 70 support the
constitution and restore the Union. forgetting |
past differences of opinion, to mite with US In
The present great struggle for the liberties Of
ths people, end that to all such, to whatever
party they may haze heretofore belonged We
extend the night hand Of fstlewAnip and bail al