The Russellville Democrat., 1876-09-21
DEMOCRATIC
 PLATFORM.

bled, do hereby declare the ad- ministration of the Federal Gov ernmcnt to be in great need of immediate reform. Do hereby enjoin upon the nominees of this Convention, and of the Demo cratic party in each state, zeal ous effort and co operation to this end, and do here appeal to our fellow citizens of every form of political connection to undertake with us this first and most press ing patriotic duty for the Democ- racv of the whole country, we do here reaflirm our faith in the per manence of the Federal Union, our devotion to the Constitution of the United States with its amendments universally accept ed as a final settlement of the controversy that engendered the civil war-and do here record our steadfast confidence in the per petuity of republican selt-govern mcnt; in absolute acquiescence Ill the will of the majority, the vital principle of republics; in the SUI premacy of the civil over the mil | itary; in the two-fold separation of the Church and State, for the sake alike of civil and religious freedom, in the equality of all citizens before just laws of their own enactment; in the liberty of individual conduct unvexed by sumptuary laws; in the faithful education of the rising generation, that they may preserve, enjoy and transmit these best conditions oi human happiness and hope, we behold the noblest products Of a hundred years of changeful histo- ". But while upholding the bond of our Union and great charter of these, our rights, 1t behooves free people to practice, also, that eternal vigilance which is the price of liberty.
 Reform is necessary to rebuild and establish in the hearts of the whole people the Union eleven years ago happily rescued from the danger ofa secession of states, hut now to be saved from q cor rupt centralism, which, after in flicting 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 fected States and municipalities with the contagion of mlsrule, and locked fast the prosperity ot industrious people in the paraly- sis of hard times, Reform IS nee essary to establish sound cur rencv, 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 which are a changing stan
 dard of value in the hands Of the people, and the non-payment ol which is the disregard of the pliehted faith of the Nation.
 We denounce the lmprovidence which, in eleven years of peace
 has taken from the people IT | Federal taxes thirteen times the whole amount of the legal tender notes and squandered four times their sum in useless expense without accommodating any reserve for their redemption. We de
 nounce the financial imbecilit, and immortality of that part,
 which, during eleven years O
 peace, has made no advance to
 ward resumption, no preparation
 for resumption, but instead ha
 obstructed resumption by vast
 ing our resources and exhaustin:
 ali our surplus income, and whit
 annually protesting to intend
 speedy return to specie payments
 has annually enacted fresh hin drances thereto. As such hin
 dranccs, we denounce the resump
 tion clause of the act of 1875, an'
 we here demand it's repeal. WI
 demand judicious system o
 preparation by public economies | by official retrenchments, and b.
 a wise finance which shall enabl
 the Nation soon to assure tn
 whole world of its ability and it
 perfect readiness to meet any o
 its promises at the call of cred
 itor entitled to payment. We be lieve such Q system we'll advise'
 and, above all, entrusted to com
 petent hands for execution, creat
 inc at no time an artificial scarci ty of currency, and at no tim
 alarming the public mind int q withdrawal of that vast machln
 cry of credit by which ninety-fiv per cent. of our business transac tions are performed-a system
 open and public, and inspiring
 general contidenco-wo would, iron the day of its adoption, brin: , healing on it's wings to all ou harassed industries, set Tn mo ; tion the wheels of commerce : manufactures and the mechanlca arts, restore employment to labor
 and renew in all it's sources tn prosperity of the people. Reform 7 is necessary in the sum and mob of Federal taxation, to the cn'