The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-09-30
The National Democratic
Platform.

The National Democratic
Platform.
The Democratic party in National CUnven.
ton assembled repesihg its trust in the intelli
eence 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 lib
critics of the citizen, and recognizing the ques-
lions of slavery and secession as having been
settled for all time 10 come, by war and the vol
| untary action of the Southern States, In 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 10 their rights in the Union, under the
| Constitution and of civil government for the
American people 49,
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 30
much as is 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, Ia night
and Justice, be paid in the lawful money vi 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 curren for the government and
| the people the labOrer and the office holder
] the pcnsiouer 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
bureau great cbeersl, and all political instru'
mentalties designed to secure negro supremacy
simpliication of the system, and discontinuance
| of inuuisitOria modes of assessing and collecting
| Internal Revenue; so that the burden OF 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, and as VIII,
without impairing the revenue, impose the least
burden upon and best promote ana encourage
the great industrial interests of the country.
Seventh. Reform of abuses in the adminstra'
| ton; the expulsion OF corrupt men from ONCE;
the abroCation of useless offices; the restoration
| of richtful authority To and the independence
| of the Executive and Judicial departments OF
the government. The subordination OF the mil
itarN to the civil power TO the end That the sur'
pations of Congress and the despotism OF the
| sword may cease.
Eighth. Equal rights and protection for nat.
uralized and native born citizens at homo and
abroad. The assertion of American nationality
which shall command the respect OF foreign
powers and furnish an example ana encourage
| ment to people struggling for national integri'
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.
| IL Iaunon1inu fbpap measures and reforms we
arraign the Radical party for its disregard Tor
| 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'
sively 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 noble volunteer army which carried our
| lag to victory. Instead of restoring the Union
il has, so far as it is in its power, dissolved It,
and subjected ten States in time Of profound
peace to military desp0tism and negro supre.
macy. 1t has nullified th9re 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
II has substituted arbitrary seizures anu ar.
| rest and military trials and the secret star
chambers of inquisitiOns for constitutional trl-
bunals 1t has dsTegarded in time of peace the
| right of the people to be free from search and
| s. , ~ ' 49, - ale rooms of individ
i siEed Their private papers and letters
| without any specification, or notice, or aihda
Wit. az required by the organic law. 1t has
converted the American capitol into Bastlle
| Ii 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 su.
prcme judicial tribunal, and threatens toscur-
tail or destroy its original jurisdiction, whichis
| irrcvocably vested by the Constitution, while
the learned Chief Justice has been suble cted to
great and atrocous calunnies merely because
| he would not prostitute his high Office to tho
support of the false and partisan charges pre-.
ferred against the President. Its corruption
| and extravaganza have exceeded anything
known in history, and by its frauds and monop.
olies it has nearly doubled the burden of debt
created during the war. 1t has stripped the
President of his constitutional power OF sp
pointment, even of his own cabinet. Under its
| repeated assaults the pillars OF the Government
are rocking on their bases, and should 1t sue
coed in November next and inaugurate its
| President, we will meet, as subjects and con.
auered 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 of
ali subsection to the British crown, the priv.
| lcGe and trust of suffrage have belonged TO the
several States, and have been granted regulated
and controlled exclusively by the political pow
Ell 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 q fragrant usurpatiOn of power,
which can find no warrant in the Constitution,
and il 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 of the States will
be entirely absorbed and an unqualified des-
potism be established in place of Federal
union of coequal States; and that we regard the
| reconstruction acts, 80 called of Congress such
tnsurpatiOn, and unconstitutional, revolutionary
and void; and that our soldiers and sailors who
carried the flag of our coIntry to victory
against n most gallant and determined foe must
| be ever gratefully remembered, and all gnaran-
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
tabiished 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
80 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 to every patriot, including all the Conser.
vativo element and all who desire 10 support the
constitution and restore the Union, forgetting
past differences of opinion, 10 unite with rs in
| the present great struggle for the liberties Of
the people, and that to all such, to whatever