The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-10-02
The National Democratic
Platform,

Canada.
The National Democratic
Platform.
The Democratic party, in National Conven-
ton assembled, repesiRg its trust in the intelli.
gence, patriotism and discriminating justice OF
the people, standing upon the Constitution as
the foundation and limitation OF the powers OF
the Government, and the guarantee OF the I'D
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, in constl-
tutional convention assembled and never to be
renewed or regulated, 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 as il requisite for the necessities of the
government economically administered, being
honestly applied to such payment, and where
the obligations of the Government do not ex'
pressly state upon their face, or the law under
which they were issued does not provide that
they shall be paid in coin, they ought, il 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 and other public securities.
Fifth One currency for the government and
the people, the laborer and the office holder,
the pensioner and the soldier, the producer and
bond holder.
government the reduction of the standing army
and navy; the abolition of the Freedmen's
bureau great cbeersl, and all political instru.
mentalities designed to secure negro supremacy;
simpliticatiOn of the system and dlscontlnuance
of inauistorial modes of assessing and collecting
Internal Revenue; so that the burden OF taxation
may be eOualized and less0ned 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 tariff for revenue upon foreign I'M
ports; and such equal taxation under the Inter.
nal Revenue laws as will afford incidental pro-
lection TO domestic manufactures, and as 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 administra.
ton: the expulsion of corrupt men from office;
the abrogaton of useless offices; the restoration
of rightful authority to and the independence
of the Executive and Judicial departments OF
the government. The subordination OF the mil
itarv to the civil power to the end that the usur-
pations of Congress and the despotism OF the
sw ord may cease.
Eighth. Equal rights and protection for nat.
uralized and native born citizens at nome ana
abroad. The assertion of American nationality
which shall command the respect of foreign
powers and furnish an example and encourage
ment to people struggling for national integrl-
ty, constitutional liberty and individual rights,
and the maintenance of the rights of naturaliz-
ed citizens against the absolute doctrine OF I'M
mutable allegiance, and the claims of foreign
powers to punish them for crime committed
beyond their jurisdiction.
In demanding these measures ana reforms we
arraign the Radical party for its disregard for
right and 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.
| sivey for the maintenance OF the Government
and the protection of the Union under the
Constitution. 1t has repeatedly violated that
most sacred pledge, under which was rallied
that nosle volunteer army which earned r,, our
il has so far as it is in its power, dissolved it,
| and subjected ten States in time of profound
| peace to military despotism and negro supre.
macy II has nulliied there the right OF trial
| by Jury. 1t 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 inquisti0ns for constitutional tri-
bunals 1t has disregarded in time OF peace the
right of the people to be free from search and
seizures. 1t has entered the post and telegraph
offices and even the private rooms of individ-
uals and seized their private papers and letters
without any specification or notice. or aitida.
Wit as required by the organic law. 1t has
converted the American capitol into Bastile.
1t has established system of spies and official
espionage to which no constitutional monarchy
| in Europe would now dare to resort.
| 1t has abolished the right of appeal on i'm.
| portant constitutional questions TO the
preme judicial tribunal, and threatens tofcur.
| tail or destroy its original jurisdiction which, is
irrevoCably vested by the Constitution, while
| the learned Chief Justice has been subie Cted to
great and atroCious calulnnics, merely because
| he would not prostitute his high office to the
support of the false and partisan charges pre-
| ferred against the President. It's corruption
and extravaganza have exceeded anything
known i'll history, and by its frauds and mOnOp-
Oles il has nearly doubled the burden of debt
created during tie war. 1t has stripped the
President of his constitutional power of ap.
pOintment, even of his own cabinet. Under its
repeated assaults 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 n con
quercd people, amid the ruins of liberty and
the scattered fragments ofthc Constitution
And we do declare and resolve, That ever
since the people of the United States threw off
all subsection TO the British crown, the privi
lege and trust of suffrage have belonged to the
several States and have been granted, regulated
and controlled exclusively by the political pow
err of each State respectively; and any attempt
| by Congress on any preteXt whatever TO de-
prive any State of this right or interfere with
| this exercise is a fragrant usurpatiOn of power
which can find no warrant in the Constitution,
and if sanctioned by the people will subvert our
| form of government and can only end in n sin.
| gle centralized consolidated government, in
which the separate existence ofthe States will
be entirely absorbed, and an unqualified des
potism be established in Iplace of Federal
union Of coequal States; and that we regard the
reconstruction acts, so called, of Congress such
| usurpatiOn, and unconstitutional, revolutionary
, and void; and that our soldiers and sailors who
carried the flag of country TO victJ
| against a most gallant and determined foe must
| be ever gratefully remembered, and all guaran.
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.
ed of under the presumption of homestead laws,
and sold in reasonable quantities. and to none
but actual occupants, at the minimum price es-
tablished by the government. When grants of
the public lands may be allowed, necessary for
the encouragement of important public i'm.
prOvements, the proceeds of the sale of such
lands, and not the lands themselves, should be
so applied.
That the President of the United States An
drew johnson, in exercising the power of his
high office in resisting the aggressions of Con-
gress 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
for his patriotic efforts in that regard.
Upon this platform the Democratic party ap-
peals 10 every patriot. including all the Conser.
vativo element and all who desire TO support the
constitution and restore the Union, forgetting
past differences of opinion, to unite with US in
the present great struggle for the liberties of
the people and that to all such, to whatever