The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1876-07-19
PLATFORM
OF THE
NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY

We, the Delegates of the Democratic
Party, in National Convention assembled,
do here declare the administration of the
Federal Government to he in urgent need
| OF immediate reform, do hereby eijoin up
Oh the nominees of this Convention, and
of the Democratic party in each State, u
Jealous effort and cooperation to this end.
aud do hereby appeal to our feliow-citizens
Of every former political connection to I'M
dertake with US this first and most press
ing patriotic duty. For the Democracy of
the whole country we do here reaffirln oar
faith in the pernaneIscy of the Federal
Union; our devotion to the Constitution
of the United States with its amendments
universally accepted as a final settlement
of tho controversies that engendered civil
war. and we do here record our steadfast
confidence in the perpetuity of republican
self-gOvernmeut; i'll absolute acquiescence
in the viii of the majority the vital prn-
ciple Of republics; in the supremacy of the
civil over the military authority; in the
total separation of Church and State for
the sake alike of civil and religious free
dom; in the equality of all citizens before
just laws Of their own enactment; in the
liberty of individual conduct unvexed by
of the rising generation that they may
preserve, enjoy and transmit these best
conditions of human happiness, and hope
we behold the nob'est products of a hun
bred years of changeful history but while
upholding the bond of our Union and
great charter Of those our rights, it be.
hooves a free people to practice also that
eternal vigilance which is the price of
liberty.
REFORM is NECESSARY
to rebuild and establish ia the hearts Of
the whole people of the Union, eleven
years ago happily rescued from the dan
ger of a corrupt centralism which, alter
nficting upon ten States the lapaclty of
carpet-bag tyrannies. has hpneycombed
the officers of the Federal Government it.
self with incapacity, waste and fraud, in.
fected States and municipalities with the
contagion of misrule, and locked fast the
prosperity of an industrious people in the
paralysis of hard times Reform is neces-
sary to establish sound currency, restore
the public credit. and maintain the ma
tional honor. We Henounce the failure
for these eleven years to make good the
promise of the legal tender notes, which
are a changing standard of value in the
hands OF the people, and the non payment
OF which is disregard of the plighted
faith ct the nation. We denOunce the
improvidence which in eleven years of
peace have taken from the people in Fede
raj taxes, thirteen times the whole
amount of the legal tender notes, and
squandered four times this sum in useless
expense without accommodating any re-
serve for their resumption. We denounce
the financial imbecility and immortality
OF that party, which, during eleven years
of peace, has made no advances toward
resumption; that Instead has INSTRUCTED
resumption by wasting our resources and
exhausting all our surplus income, and
while annually protesting to intend a !
speedy. return to specie payments. has
annually enacted fresh intolerance there.
to. AS such hirderance we denounce
the resumption clause Of the act of 1875,
and we here
DEMAND ITS REPEAL.
We demand judicious system of prepara-
tion by public economies, by official re-
Treatments and by wise finance which |
shall enable the nation to insure the !
whole world of its perfect ability and its
perfect readiness to meet any of its prom |
ises at the call of the creditor entitled to I
payment. We believe such system well
devised, and, above all, entrusted to COM
petent hands for execution, creating at no
time an artificial scarcity of currency and
at no tine alarming the public mind into
withdraw al OF that vaster machinery of
credit by which IS per cent of all business
are perfOrmed-a system
open, public and inspiring general conf
Hence would from the day of its adoption
bring healing on its wings to all our har-
lssed industry and set in motion the
wheels of commerce, manufactures and
the mechanical arts, restore employment
TO labor, and renew in all its national