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


The Democratic party, in National Cunven.
ton assembled, repesing 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 lib.
critics of the citizen, and recognizing the eues-
lions OIL slavery ana secession as having been
settled for all time to 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 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 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 OK
pressy 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 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
Sixth. Economy in the administration of the
government, the reduction of the standing army
| and navy; the abolition of the Freedmen
bureau great cheers, and all political instru
mentaities designed to secure negro supremacy
simplifcation of the system and discontlnuance
| nj cnfa
| Internal Revenue; so that the burden OF taxation
may be equalized and lesssned, the credlt o.
| the government and the currency made good
| the repeal of all enactments for enrolling the
State militia into the national forces In tlue o.
| 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 wlll
without impairing the revenue, impose the leas
| burden upon and best promote and encourage
the great industrial interests of the country.
| Seventh. Reform of abuses in the admlnistra
| ton; the expulsion of corrupt men from office
the abrogation of useless offices; the restoration
of rightful authority to and the independence
! of the Executive and Judicial departments o.
| the government. The subordination OF the mil
! tary to the civil power to the end that the usur
pations of Congress and tha despotism OF the
! word may cease.
Eighth. Equal rights and protection for Rat
uralized and native born citizens at homo anc
abroad The assertion of American nationality
which shall command the respect of foreign
mowers and furnish an example and encourage
ment to people struggling for national integri
| tv 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 forelgr
! mowers to punish them for crime committed
beyond their jurisdiction.
| In demanding these measures and reforms We
arragn the Radical party for its disregard fol
| RIGHT. and the unparalleled oppression and tyr
amy which has marked its career, after the
most solemn and unanimous pledges OF botf
houses of Congress to prosecute the war exclu
sively for the maintenance of the Government
and the protection of the Union under thu
Constitution. 1t has repeatedly violated INA
most sacred pledge, under which was rallied
that noble volunteer army which carried oul
| FAC TO victory. Instead of restoring the Unlor
it has, far as it is in its power, dissolved IL
| and subjected ten States in time OF profound
peace to military despotism and negro supre
macy. 1t has nullited there the right OF tria
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
II has substituted arbitrary seizures and ar
rest, and military trials and the secret stal
chambers of inquisitions for constitutional tri
bunals 1t has dsregarded in time OF peace thu
right of the people to be free from search ant
seizures 1t has entered the post and telegraph
Offices, and even the private rooms OF lndlVld
nails and seized their private papers and letters
without any specification, or notice, or afhda
Wit, as required by the organic law. 1t ha
converted the American capitol into Bastlle
1t has established system of spies and oihcla
espionage to which no constitutional monarch!
in Europe would now dare to resort.
1t has abolished the right OF appeal on i'm
portant constitutional questions to the si
premc judicial tribunal, and threatens torur
;,,nl ia1i
irrevocably vested by the Constitution, whit
the learned Chief Justice has been subie cted t
treat and atrocious calumnies, merely because
be would not prostitute his high office to tn
support of the false and partisan charges pre-
ferred against the President. It's corruption
and extravaganza have exceeded anything
known in history and by its frauds and monop
olies it has nearly doubled the burden of deb
created during the war 1t has stripped IN
President of his constitutional power of az
pointment, even of his own cabinet. Under IL
repeated assaults the pillars of the Government
are rocking on their bases, and should it sue
coed in November next and inaugurate ii
President, we will meet, as subjects and COB
quered people, amid the ruins of liberty an
the scattered fragments Ofthe Constitution.
And we do declare and resolve, That eve
since the people of the United States threw Of
all subsection to the British crown, the priv
leGe and trust of suffrage have belonged TO tn
several States. and have been granted, regulate
and controlled exclusively by the political poN
or of each State respectively; and any attemp
by Congress on any preteXt whatever TO dc
prive any State of this right or interfere wit
this exercise is fragrant usurpatiOn OF power
which can find no warrant in the Constitution
and it sanctioned by the people will subvert on
form of government, and can only end in sill
gle centralized consolidated government, i
which the separate existence of the States wi
be entirely absorbed, and an unqualified de'
potsm be established in Fplace of FEEDERS
union of cOequal States; and that we regard tn
reconstruction acts, so called, of Congress sue
usurpatiOn, and unconstitutional revolutionar
and void; and that our soldiers and sailors VIII
carried the flag of our country to vict n
against most gallant and determined foe mus
be ever gratefully remembered, and all guarar
ties given in the law must be faithfully CARRIE
into execution.
That the public land should be distribute
widely among the people, and should be dispoS
ed of under the prescription of homestead laws
and sold in reasonable quantities, and to non
but actual occupants, at the minimum price eS
tabished by the government. When grants @
the public lands may be allowed, necessary 70
the encouragement of important public i'm
provements the proceeds of the sale of sue
lands, and not the lands themselves, should b
so applied
That the President of the United States, Al
drew johnson, in exercising the power of hi
high Office in resisting the aggressiOns OF Con
BTeSS on Tue constitutional rights OF Ine OIale
and the people, is entitled to the gratitude @
the whole American people, and on behalf o
the Democratic party we tender him our thank
for his patriotic efforts in that regard.
Upon this platform the Democratic party ~
peals to every patriot, including all the COnseI
vative element and all who desire to support tn
constitution and restore the Union, forgetting
past differences of opinion, tOunte with us ii
the present great struggle for the liberties o
the people, and that to all such, to whateve
party they may have heretofore belonged, W
extend the right hand of fellowship, and hail al
such cooperating with us as friends and broth
ers