The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1872-03-22
The Oregon Republican Platform.


our unfaltering allegiance; to its author
ity a willing obedience; to its full and
legal construction and enforcement our
constant support.
.. That the success of the present
National Administration in reducing
the public debt, diminishing and equal
iZing taxation, administering every
branch of public affairs with economy
and efficiency, in forming and improving
the civil service, enforcing the laws
without fear or favor, protecting the
nations wards with paternal care
against the cruel avarice of speculation
and fraud, and maintaining friendly
relations with Foreign Powers, has been
such as to command the appreciation Of
the great American people, and justly
entitle it to the confidence and COM
mendation of every trne Republican.
3. We regard the payment of our
national debt, in full compliance with
all legal obligations to our creditors ev-
erywhere, and in accordance with the
true letter and spirit of its contracting,
as a question no longer in issue; but
that we may be clearly understood, we
denOunce all forms and degrees of re-
pudatiOn of that debt, rs affirmed by the
Democratic party and its sympathizers,
as not only national calamities, but pos
tive crimes, and we will never consent
to a suspicion of honor or justice in its
complete satisfaction.
t. We admit of no distinctions be-
tween citizens, whether of native or for
eign birth, and therefore we favor the
granting of full amnesty to the people of
| those States lately in rebellion; and we
here pledge the full and effective prOtec-
| ton of our civil laws TO all persons vol
UNFAIRLY coming to or residing in our
| land.
5. We favor the encouragement of
railroads by the General Government of
/ the United States, and hold that such
disposition should be made of the public
| lands as shall secure the same to actual
settlers only, in quantities not exceed
/ ing 160 acres.
6. That while we are in favor of
revenue for the support of the General
| Government, by duties upon imports,
sound policy requires such adjustment
of those duties on imports as to encOur-
age the development of the industrial
| interests of the whole country; and we
recommend that policy Of national eX-
change which secures to the working
men liberal wages, to agriculture remun-
erative prices, to mechanics and manu-
| facturers an adequate reward for their
skill, labor and enterprise, and to the
/
dependence.
Z. We believe that popular education
is the sole true basis and hope of a free
government, and shall ever oppose any
diversion of, or interference with the
common school funds or lands in this
State, for any other than their legiti
mate purpose, and we condemn the act
, of favoritism by the last Legislature
whereby two hundred thousand dollars,
taken from the school fund, were granted
, to a corporation consisting mainly of
Democratic leaders, and party favOrites,
: for the construction of work which
: another corporation, entirely sound and
! responsible, offered to construct for sew
enty-five thousand dollars less; and that
we are in favor of the passage by the
| Legislature of an efficient school law,
, such as shall secure to all citizens of our
State a good common school education.
We find no terms sufficiently strong
to express our disapprOval of those acts
+ of the last Legislature whereby the,
, swamp lands belonging to this Stateha
been taken from the needy settlers, and
given without limit or proper cOmpeti-
ton in price to the land grabber and
speculatOr; whereby the emoluments
and salaries of State offices have been
uncOnstitutiOnally increased, and the
]
the creation of new and unnecessary Of
fees and salaries, for the purpose of pro-
viding for party favurites; and whereby
the citizens of our metropolis have been
deprived of and denied the right of con-
trolling their police authority. And we
equally condemn the administration of
our State officers and laws as eXtrava-
CANT, reckless, illegal and destructive,
and we rightly charge all these results
as the acts of the Democratic party.
g. We are in favor of the United States
giving to each honOrably discharged
soldier who served in the armies of the
/ United States to put down the rebellion
a warrant for a homestead of I6O acres
of the public lands.
/ 10. That we demand the repeal of the
so-called litigant act, which was devised
/ to support pauper Democratic newspa-
pers at the public expense.
| IL. That the Republican party of this
State are in favor of the General Gov
ernment extending aid toward building
railroad from Portland, Oregon, to
Salt Lake City, and from Jackson
county to Humboldt, and we hereby
pledge our party representatives to the
support of the same.
u. That the indiscriminate licensing
of persons to sell spirituous liquors with
out being placed under proper response
bilities for the abuse thereof, having
been found by experience to promote
the growth of crime and pauperism, and
thereby seriously increase the rate of
taxation, the Republican party Tecog-
lnizes the right and duty of the law
making power to prevent and limit the
evils and abuses of such sale, so far as
concerns the public good and is consist
ent with individual liberty, by refusing
to license other than law-abiding and
responsible persons, who can furnish
sufficient sureties for good conduct.
Is. That the Republican party of Ore
gon is in favor of obtaining assistance
from the General Government for the
construction of q wagon road from the
city of Portland to the Dalles, recognize
ing this rs a most important and neces-
sary improvement for the State.
/ II. We affirm that the continuance in
power of the Republican party is the
/ only sure preservation of national peace
and prosperity, and for reasons therefor
we point to its brilliant record in the
/ late civil war; to a complete nationality;
to a united sisterhOOd of thirty-seyen
States; to our Territories rapidly warm
| ing into State life; to a nation freed
| from the taint of human slavery; to an
elevated and enlarged citizenship; to our
national standing at home and abroad;
to the work of vigorous reform mall dis
covered abuses of authority or trust; to
an unequaled foreign credit; to q sue
cessful and solid financial system, and
to the unparalleled peace and prosperity
everywhere in our broad domain ana
] ,11flo for