The Ebensburg Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1865-1871, 1869-07-29
The shamooratic platform.

recently met az u0ItiSou ut =: iN''N'- I'M 90
instrument framad in view Of impending
and disastrous defeat. 1t IS very little
else than 4 mcre play upon words. Il Is
not by amy means paper that can be sHd
to contain full exposition of the princi-
ples of the party-perhaps however, for
the best reason in the world, to VII, the
party has no principles. There is no fire
in its words, no boldness in It's language,
no clearness nor precision in It's statements,
nor does it even display that cheafest Of
all virtues, the zeal of party spirit,
The first resolution begins by attempting
to qnuuciate Che principles and powers of
the National Government, and ends with
4 confused utterance relative to the sur
render of the right of local self govern
ment. 1t would be supposed from the
closing words that ali the franchises OF
the State were about to be swallowed
down and incontineutally consumed IN the
maw of some great whole. Who proposes
that Pennsylvania shall turn the control
Of her local affairs over 10 Congress. Eli
tber the resolution is aimed at the fifteenth
amendment or it is logical (rather an IL
loc;caD bombshell SHOT into the air to
scare timid people by its sound. If aimed
at the fifteenth amendment then also are
the second and third resolutions pointed IN
The same direction and we have their res
olutions varying somewhat in their terms
after the manner of courts in an indlct-
ment yet all saying precisely the same
thing.
Why does the Democratic convention
style the action of the legislature Of our
State in ratifying the fifteenth amendment
an attempted ratification p OF course
the amendment is not yet adopted but its
adoption by the requisite number of States
and its ratification by any one of them are
things too distinct to be confounded. What
lack to make it binding? Or, what pur-
pose is to be subscrved by talking Of an
attempted ratification % Does the Dem
ocratic party mean to say that the act Of
ratification is held in contempt and def
ance, or does it merely use the W ord, like
the schoolboy in his first Grafton, for its
sound not us sense F? One Of these two
alternatives it must take. An old lady
with violent tit Of Mysteries could not be
more erratic than are in the incoherencies
Of this body over this action Of our legis-
lature. This attempted ratification" and
this refusal to submit the same to a vote
OF the people was deliberate breach of
their official duty and an outrage" is the
language of the convention Pray, on
what ground, under what rule, by what
law, or constitutional provision is this act
either a breach of official duty or an out
rage. There was no oyersteppinS OF au-
thority, 40 breach Of trust, but plain and
rightfu! exercise of one of the delegated
powers Of the legislature, as every intelli-
gent mcnber Of that convention well knew
and as any court would instantly decide
This same amendment was rejected 6y the
Ohio legislature. The authority that may
regret may also approve and ratify. The
righful exercise of the one implies the
right to exercise the other Who suppo-
.ses the Democratic convention would have
this clustered had the legislature rJcctcd
t5c amendment. The same reasoning
that makes the action Of cur legislature
outrageous makes the action Of the colo
nioi CONGRESS il issuing the Declaration Of
Independence equally outrageous. That
iustrument n4s neYa submitted to the
people. 1t xas acquicsced in by them but
it is too this day incapable of proof that
majority of'thc people would have voted
ia its favor had the question OF issuing
been submitted to them.
As to the third resolution we advise
every Republican to cut it out and paste it
inshis- aotc book. That the colored reo-
pie vii. vote is a. fixed fact. That the
democratic party vii! bid for their votes
is as certain as the ever recurring cycles
Of The sun. Just keep this resolution to
recall in the future the memory of former
times
WITH steady reduction Of the State
debt ever since the Republican party took
c2ntre, Of the State. with the National ex-
rcnsol reduced TO one hundredand twenty
millions year and the payment of forty
,nillions OF national debt since March 4th,
The fourth sf these resolutions reads ike