Wilmington daily gazette., 1873-05-06
The Kentucky Democratic State
Convention.


Uirtts about the assembly of the Kentucky Demo-
cratic State Convention, recently held at Frank
fort in that State. Bat the doctrine enumerated
was orthodOx-sound Democratic doctrine-thor-
oughly in accord in short with the principl.s of
the Democratic party, cannot be denied after a
perusal Of them. We prefer, in view of the stub
born fidelity to the traditions OF the party, to give
them entire:
Resolved, That the Federal Union was formed
by and composed of coequal sovereign States, and
its government possesses none but delegated
powers, all other powers not prohibited TO the
States being reserved by the several States re-
spoctlvely and all attempts to exercise any power
in violation of these fundamental principles are
subversiv1 Of the Constitution, in direct conflict
with the rights Of the States and destructive of
the interests of the people.
ReSolUed, That while we earnestly maintain
that the Federal Government should be scdIuousIy
| sustained III the proper exercise of every power
| delegated to It in the Constitution, carefully and
strictly construed as to the established means of
| securing Justice and harmony among the several
States, the chosen medium of communication be-
| tween them and other nations, and the safest
1 means OF defense against foreign aggression, we
hold it to be essential to the preservation of the
liberties of the citizen that the several States shall
| he maintained in all their rights, dignity aud
equality as the most competent and reliable ad-
mnstrators Of their own domestic concerns, and
| the surest bulwarks against anti-republican ten
Il denotes.
| Resolved, That every attempt on the part of the
! Federal Government to exercise power not del
egnted to the Constitution, or to exercise dele
gated power not therein prescribed, is an act of
usurpation demanding the instant aud unqualified
condemnation of a people jealous Of their lIber-
ties, and especially that every constitutional inter-
ference by the General Government with the
local affairs of any Slate to any extent or under
any pretense whatever should be at onea repudia-
tod and condemned by all classes in every section
of the Union, as all such acts tend directly to the
destruction OF our Federal system and the consoli
dation Of all power in central despotism. And al
- | a most alarming instance III point denOunce
as we feel that all good men should everywhere
the atrocous conduct OF the present Administra
ton toward the sovereign State Of Louisiana
I ResolUed, That the only power delegated to Con
aress to impose laws upon the people consists il
the right to collect revenues for the payment o
the Federal debt and all other duties imposed 10
the purpose OF protecting one class OF labor at tn
expense of another in violation of the Fedtrl
4 compact, and subversive OF the rights of the peo
= pie.
4 ResolUed, That justice to the people, well a
Il the dictates OF common poverty, demand the mos
y rigid economy in the administration Of both th
r. State and ths Federal governments; the speed
!. aud impartial aTrAlgnment of all abuses of publ
+ trust OF whatever character or description, bot
before the established tribunals OF justice and th
- great bar of popular judgment, and that zeaOu
j. care OF the elective franchise, recognized by tn
,e founders of our Government as the exclusive Pre-
a peTty OF the several States and the. palladium
10 their independence, is essential to the peTpetui
IN of our republican institutions the preservation
civil liberty itself, and requires at all times an
under all circumstances the absolute subordinate
Of the military to the civil authority,
=, ResolUed, Referring to the spirit of generosi
IN and sympathy which ths Democracy has unIfoTT
H. ly exhibited to our citizens of foreign birth
II guarantee of our sympathy, we will in the futur
le as we have always done in the past, extoud &C
u dial aud hOspitable welcome b the honest indu
't trious, intelligent emgrant. not only to the ri
ne fields OF enterprise at present in our State, but
d. a Just participation in our rights as freemsn.
re- The perusal OF these six resolutions is, in the
oy days of political treachery and tuTpitude,
inGly refreshing. They seem like leaf taken fro
, the Constitution of the United States. If Geor
N, Washington, aided by the pen OF Jefferson al
ed the experience Of Adamo and Madison and Mo
as roe. could have agreed upop o set Of pnnoipl
Al their work could not have been more thorough
te- in accord with what constitutes true reDubhU
NIX doctrine than these placky, wel-tmed Kentue
GU resolutions.
That is a mistaken principle altogether VIII
asserts that the recent unfortunate civil war
red tween the North and the South has, in any
ich pect altered the obligation OF the various Sta
nj composing the Union toward the general FSde
per tive Government that embraces the Fhaia, 4
eW stituhonalism-as the same is understood to-da,
is no more dad now than when Andrew Jacks
swore that "rhe Union must and shall ba u
ar serYej," or when Abraham Lincoln became PI
10 iddnt.