The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-10-20
The National Democratic
Platform.

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 OF
the Government, and the guarantee OF the lid
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 consul
tutional convention assembled, and never TO De
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. ,..
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 is requisite for the necessities OF the
government economically administered, being
honestly applied to such payment, and where
| the oblipatiOns of the Government do not OK
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, IN rlght
and Justice, be palu Ill inc lawful money Vi tne
| United States. =.
Fourth. Equal taxation of every species of
property according to its real value, including
| Government bonds and 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. 80
sixth. Economy in the administration of the
government the reduction of the standing army
and navy; the abolition of the treedmens
bureau great cbeersl, and all political instru-
mentalities designed to secure negro supremacy;
simplifcation of the system, and discOntinuance
of inuuistOrial modes of assessing and collecting
Internal Revenue; so that the burden oil taxation
| NAV be equalized and lessened the credit OF
| the government and the currency made good,
| the repeal of all enactments for enrolling the
State militia into the national forces IN 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, ana as VIII,
without impairinE the revenue, impose the least
burden upon and best promote and encourage
| the great industrial interests of the country.
| Seventh Reform of abuses i'll the admlnlstra-
| ton; the expulsion of corrupt men from ONCE;
the abrogation 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
itary to the 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 an example and encourage
| ment to people struggling for national integri.
| ty, constitutional liberty and individual rights,
| and the maintenance of tho rights of naturalz-
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 and 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.
sivcly for the maintenance of the Government
and the protection of the Union under The
Constitution. 1t has repeatedly violated tlat
| most sacred pledge, under which was rallied
| that noble volunteer army which carried our
| flag to victory. Instead of restoring the Union
it 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. 1t has nullifed thcre 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 nquisitiOns 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 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 aida-
| 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 SUI.
| preme judicial tribunal and threatens toicur-
tail or destroy its original jurisdiction, whichs
| rrevocably vested by the Constitution, while
| the learned Chief Justice has been subic Cted to
| n nd M cllurnuipS npcamaa
he would not prostitute his high office to the
support of the false and partisan charges pre-
ferred against the President. Its corruption
and extravaganza have exceeded anything
known i'll history, and by its frauds and monop.
| Olies 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 ewn 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 a con
uuered people, amid the ruins of liberty and
the scattered fragments ofthe 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 priv.
| lege and trust of suffrage have belonged to the
several States, and have been granted regulated
and controlled exclusively by the political pow
er OF each State respectively; and any attempt
| by Congress on any preteXt whatever TO de-
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 sin.
gle centralized consolidated government in
which the separate existence of the States will
be entirely absorbed, and an unqualified des-
potism be established in lplaoe of Federal
union of coequal States; and that we regard the
reconstruction acts, so called, of Coz. ress such
usurpation, and unconstitutional revolutionary
nd aOluiprs W n
carried the flag of our country TO victory
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 aggreSsons 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 TO every patriot. including all the Conser
vative 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
party they may have heretofore belonged, We
extend the right hand Of fellowship and hail all
such cooperating with US as friends and broth
ers.