The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-08-27
THE PLATFORM.

The Democratic party, in Nanonai ConVeneo1 %
sembled reposing its trust In the intelligence
,atriotis. and discriminating justice of the people;
standing upon the constitution as the foundation
and limitation of the powers Of the government and
The susrsnee Of the liberties Of the citizen, and Ne
coenizing the questions Of slavery and secession as
having been settled fer 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:
.IFsra. Immediate restoration of all the States to
their RIGHTS in the Union, under the constitution,
and of civil government to the American people.
Second. Amnesty for all past political offences,
and the regulation OF the elective franchise in the
States by their citizens z - So
,s1Asrd. Payment ofthe public debt Of the United
States as rapidly as practicable; an moneys drawn
nom thepeople by taIation. except 80 much as is
requisite for the necessitiea Of the government,
economically administered, being honestly applied
to- such payment; and where tie 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 injustice, be paidin the lawful money
oflthe Omitted States. -.
fourth Equal TAXATION Of every species Of property
according to its real value. including government
bonds and other public securities.
fVM One currency for the government and the
people, the laborer and the ofaceholder. the PEN
sioner and the soldier. the producer and the bond
holder.
SsrA. Economy tn the administration OF the gov
ernment; the reduction Of the standing army .and
navy: the abolition Of the Freedmen's Bureau
and all political instrumentalities designed to
secure negro supremacy; simphfcation OF the sys-
tenn, and sdisconttnuance OF tnquihtorih modes
Of sssessng nd collecting internal revenue, 80 that
the burden OF axation may be equalzed and lessen
ed; the credit Of the government and the currency
made good the repeal Of all ensctments for enroll
ing the State militia into national forces In time OF
peace, spd tarifio revenue upon forei imports,
and suoh equal taxation under the internal revenue
: hys % win afford incidental protection to domestic
manufactures, and az WILL without tmpatring the
revenue Impose the least burden upon and best pro-
mote and encourage thegeas industrial interests Of
thecountry. e. ...-s,-~~.---
esAS<1S
the expulsion OF corrupt men from ot3oe, the ahro-
CATION Of useless Offices the restoration Of rightful
authority to and the Independence Of the executive
and Judicial departments Of the government, the
Ssubordtnahon Of the military to the civil power, to
rthe erd that the usrpations Of Congress and the
despoHm d the sword may cease.
Eighh Equal rights and protection for naturalized
and nsttye-bom citizens at home and abroad, the
assertion Of American nationality which ahsu COM
mand the respect OF foreign powers and turnish an
example and encouragement to people struggling for
slafonal integrity, constitutional liberty, and indi-
viduAl rights; and the maintenance OF the rights OF
naturazed citizens agans. the absolute doctrine Of
tnmutable allegiance and the claims Of foreign pow
ers to punish them for alleged crime committed be-
yond theft Jurisdiction.
In demanding these measures and reforms we ar
rsgn the Radical party for It's disregard Of right and
the unparalleled oppression and tyranny which have
marked It's career. =tL
After the most solemn and unanimous pledge Of
both Houses Of Congress to prosecute the war e1.
clusvely ior fhe mantenance Of the government and
the preservation Of the Union under the cousttu-
don, It has repeatedly violated that most sacred
pledge under which alone was rallied that noble
volunteer army which carried our flag 10 victory.
Instead of ffestorins the Union, has. go far "a isin
ts power, dissolved II, and subjected ten States IN
tirns Of profound peace to military despotism and
NEGRO supremacy; has nu1lihed there the right OF
trial by Jury; 1t has abolished the habeas corpus
that most sacred writ Of liberty; 1t has oyerthrown
the freedom Of speech and the press; 1t has subs-
tuted arbitrary seiEures, and arrests. and military
triss. and secret star chamber inqujhaons for the
constitutional tribunals; It has dsregarded IN time OF
peace the right Of the people to be free fom searches
and seizures; II has entered the post and telegraph
Offices and even the private rooms Of individuals,
seized their private and letters without
sny specific charge OF notice Of afadavt, as required
BY the organic law; 1t has converted the Arneri-
can capitol intos Bastile; It has established system
Of spies and ofacis espionage to which no conshtu-
tional monarchy Of Europe would now daro to resort
It has abolished the right Of sppeal ON important
constitutional questions to the supreme judicial tri-
bunal and threatens 'to curta or destroy its orgi-
nal jurisdiction, which is irrevocaby vested by the
constitution, while the learned Chief Justice has been
subjected to the most atrocious calumn.es merely
because he would not prostitute his high Office to the
support Of the false and partisan charges preferred
against the President; It's corruption and e1rava-
aance have exceeded anything known In history
and by it's frauds and monop1Ees 1t has nearly
doubled the burden OF the debt created by the war;
has stripped the President Of his power
of appointment, even of his own Cabinet Under
its repeated assaults the pillars Of the govern
ment sre.rocking on their base, and should 1t sue
ceed In November next and inaugurate its President
We viii meet as subjected and conquered p.ople
amid the ruins oflbery and the scattered fragments
OF the constitution; and we do declare ndresoiVe
that ever since the people Of the United States threw
OF m subiecton to the British Grown, 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 eaca
State respectively and that any attempt by Congress
ON any pretext Whatever to deprive any State OF tns
right or interfere with its elerse is Hagrant usur
patton Of power which can find no warrant IN the
constitution, and II sanctioned by the peo-
pie Will subvert our form Of govenment and can
only end in single centralized and consolidated gov
eminent in which the separate existence of the States
win 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
sets (so-cared) Of Congress as usurpatons. and un
constitutional revolutionary and void; that our SOL
diers and sailors who carried the flag Of our country
to victory against most gallant and determined foe.
must ever be gratefully remembered, and all the
onarsntees given IN their favor must be faithfully
carried into execution.
That the public lands should be distributed as