The Russellville Democrat., 1876-07-27
NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC
 PLATFORM.

We. the delegates CT the Dem I ocrat;c party of the United States, l iE National Convention assem E biyd, do hereby declare the ad ! m.aistration of the Federal Gov \ crnmcnt to be in great need of \ immediate reform. Do hereby E cnioin upon the nominees of this # Conyention, and of the Demo \ -cratic party in each state, zeal Rous effort and cooperation to this E end. and do here appeal to our # fellow citizens of every form of "a political connection to undertake l with us this first and most press "A ing patriotic duty for the Democ- E racy of the whole country, we do E here reailirm our faith in the per E laanence of the Federal Union, Z our devotion to the Constitution E of the United States with it's "a amendments universally accept 4 eel as q final settlement eff the ] controversy that cngcndefed the E civil War-and dO here record our N sttadfast confidence in the per \ pctuity of republican self govern E mcnt; in absolute acquicscencc in \ the will of the majority, the vital E principle of republics; in the su E pcmacy of the civll over the mil E itary; in the two-toid separation E ot the Church and State, for the E sake alike of civil and religious \ Freedom; in the equality of all "a citizens before just laws of their * own enactment; in the liberty of N individual conduct uuycXed by B sumptuary laws; in the faithful # education of the rising generation, E that they may preserve, enjoy and R transmit these best conditions of N human happiness and hope, we E behold the noblest products of q E hundred years of changeful histo- E ". Bnt while upholding the B bond of our Union and great 'A charter of these, our rights, it @ bchooves 2 free people to practice, E also, that eternal vigilance which T is tle price of liberty,
 H Reform is necessary to rebuild and establish in the hearts of the whole people the Union eleven years ago happily rescued from N the danger ofa secession of States, but HOW to be saved from a cor. rupt centralism, which, after in, tiictiag upon ten States the rapac ity of carpet bag attorneys, has honey -combed the offices of the
 ! Federal Government itself with \ incapacity, waste and fraud: in fccted States and municipalities with the contagion of misrule, and locked fast the prosperity ot industrious people in the paraly sis of hard times. Reform is. nee
 essary to establish a sound cur rency, restore the public credit and maintain the national honor. We denounce the failure for all these eleven years to make good the promise of the legal tender notes wEich are a changing stan tlard of value in the hands of the N people, and the non-payment Of which is the disregard of the plightcd faitl. of the Nation.
 We denounce the linproyidence
 which, in eleven years of peace, has taken from the people in Federal taxes thirteen times tsse whole amount of the legal tender
 notes and squandered four tinles their sum in useless expense without accommodating any reserve
 for their redemption. We de nounce the financial imbecility . and immortality of that party which, during eleven years of peace, has made no advance to- ward resumption, no preparation for resumption, but instead has obstructed resumption by vast ing our resources and eXhausting
 all our surplus income, and while annually protessing to intend q speedy return to specie payments, has annually enacted fresh him drances thereto. As such hin dranccs, we denounce the resump- tion clause of the act of 1875, and
 . we here demand it's repeal. We
 demand a judicious system of
 preparation by public economies, by official retrenchments, and by wise finance which shall enable the Nation soon to assure the
 whole world of it's ability and it's perfect readiness to meet any of
 it's promises at the cail of a cred
 itor entitled to payment. We be-
 lieye such system well-advlsed
 and, above all, entrusted to com pctent hands for execution, creat- ing at no time an artificial scarci-
 ty of currency, and at no time alarming the public mind into q withdrawal of that vast machin-
 cry of credit by which ninety-tiye per cent. of our business transac
 tions are perlormod-~a system
 open and public, and inspiring general confdcnce-would, from the day of its adoption, bring
 healing on it's wings to all our
 harassed industries, set Tn mo
 tion the wheels of commerce,
 manufactures and the mechanical
 arts, restore employment to labor
 and renew in all its sonrces thy