Wilmington journal., 1876-06-23

which he was elected with. little oppo-
sition in the autumn of 1870. In the
next. the ory-third Congress, he
was succeeded as chairman of this
committee by MIR. Sawyer, of Wiscon-
sin, and III the present Congress he IS
on the committee on appropriations.
Including the present still unex-
pired session, Mr.. Wheeler has there-
fore had over seven years continuous
serving in Congress, beginning March
4, 1869, an unusually long term of ser.
vice. He has made few speeches in
that time, and such influence as he has
exerted upon current legislation has
been almost exclusively in the com
mittees with which he is connected.
His votes have been party votes, but
his measures have often been non
partisan, aud it was due to this fact,
that he was recently ableto take long
appropriation bill through a House i'll
which his party is in the minority.
No protest, however, has been heard
from him against the party Legislation
which has passed during his member
ship of the House of Representatives,
and as has just been remarked, his votes
have been constantly recorded for
the extreme measures of his fac
ton. Subsidy bills from first to
last he has constantly supported
The Texas Pacific law grant of
16, 600, 900 acres received his vote in
the close of the Forty first Congress,
when little earnest opposition would
have saved the nation from spoliation.
Earlier in the same Congress he voted
for the supplementary Legislation asked
by the Northern Pacific, and when
Senator Ramsev's resolutions with
reference to the Northern Pacific land
grant was before the House Mr..
Wheeler voted for the resolutions and
consistently voted down amendments
requiring the sale of lands only to &C
tual aettlers, and provlso exempting
past grants as we'll as one freeing the
Government from any claim that the
action then should be held guarantee
OF the bonds. Another amendment
giving the Government the right to
regulate freights on the road was also
voted down, with MIR. Wheeier's
help, and the resolution was at
last passed as the road wished
| it. The extension of the time
within which the st CrOix and Bay field
Railroad was to be constructed asked
| for in February, 1872, by the North
Pacific road, was another scheme which
| received Mr.. Wheeler's vote and at
| tention for the bill and against all
amendments thereto. down to the last
| which General Banks obtained, and
which rendered It useless to its pro =
| jectors. Upon the question of Civil
Service Reform, Mr.. Wheeler has con
sistpntly followed his party, and ended
| the dreary farce by voting 10 kill Rep
| resentative Wizards bill making it a
| Iicit office. On the tariff Mr.. Wheeler
| has been j the main a protectionist.
| although he voted against placing tea
| and coffee on the free list in 1872. Be
vond voting with the majority of his
| party. Mr.. Wheeler's action on finan-
| cial questions calls for little comment.
THE PLATFORM.
| The following Is the platform pre-
sented by Mr.. Hawley
| When in the economy of Providence
| this land was to he purged of human
| slavery, and when the strength of the
government of the people. by the peO-
| pie, for the people, was to be demon
strated the Republican party came into
| power. Its deeds have passed into
| history, and we look back to them
| with pride. Incited by their memO~
ries and high aims for the. good of our
| country and mankind, and looking to
| the future with unfaltering courage,
hope and purpose. we the representa-
tives of the party in national cOnven-
ton assembled, make the following
| declaration of principles:
| First, The United States of Amer
| ica is q nation, noi n league; by the
combined working of the national and
State governments under their respec-
tive constitutions, the rights of every
citizen are secured at home and pro-
| tected abroad, and.the. common well
taTe promoted.
Second, The Republican party has
| preserved those governments to the
| hnndreth anniversary of the nations
birth, and they are now embOdiments
| of the great truths spoken at its
cradle, that by their Creator with GERS
tain inalianable rights, among which
are life, liberty and the pursuit Of hap
| piness; that for the attainment of these
| ends governments have been instituted
among men. deriving their just powers
from the consent of the governed; I'M
| til those truths are cheerfully obeyed,
if needed to be vigorously enforced.
the work of the Republican party is
unfinished.
| Third. The permanent pacifcation
| of the southern section of the Union,
| the complete protection of all its citi-
zens in tho free enjoyment of all their
rights are duties to which the Repub-
can party are sacredly pledged. The
| power to provide for the enforcement
| of the principles embodied i'll the re-
cent constitutional amendments is
| vested by those amendments in Con-
gress of the United States, and we
| declare it to be the solemn obligation
of the legislative and executive depart
| ments of the government to put into
| immediate and vigorous exercise all
| their constitutional powers for remov-
| ing any just causes of discomfort on
the part of any class, and securing
| every American citizen complete lib
| erty and exact equality in the exercise
of all civil, political end public rights.
To this end we imperatively demand a
Congress and chief executive whose
courage and fidelity to these duties
shall not falter until these results are
placed beyond dispute OF recall.
Fourth. In the first act of Congress
signed by President Grant the rational
government assumed to remove any
doubts of its purpose to discharge all
just obligations TO public creditors,
and solemnly pledged its faith to make
provision at the earliest practicable
period for redemption of the United
States notes in coin. Commercial
prosperity, public morals and national
credit demand that this promise be
fulfilled by a continuous and steady
progress to specie payment.
Fifth. Under the Constitution the
/ President and heads of departments
are to make nominations for office; the
Senate is to advise and consent to the
appointments, and the House of Rep
resentatives is to accuse and prosecute
faithless officers The best interests