The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-05-25

ed; these, gentlemen, are its functions; 1t
has kept the faith But beyond that,
outside of that narrow limited duty, to
uphold the rights of every human being,
H. e1;alV lhe individual in the community
to exalt the man within the Govern
ment, to remove every obstacle which
error Of power has plGcedin the pathy "
of the people to protect the rights of la
Dor, to 0r!eliorate the condition of hui
manity Oy the free course Of intelligence
and viltue, to strength n the weak hands
and uphold the feeble knees; TO execute
justice and judgments in the lands; to put
away the rubbish of the obsolete past,
and live in the light of the free, active,
vigorous and growing present; to be, in
fact, the true, great, bold, aggressive par
ty Of advance, of progsess, and Of true re-
form, these, gentlemen, are the purposes
of the Democratic party.
THE PLATFORM.
The committee on resolutions through
their chairman, Mr.. John w. Heisley,
presented majority report, signed by
Twelve members, as follows:
The Democratic party of Ohio makes
this declaration of principles:
l. Re8OlUed, That in the present cor
ruption in the affairs of The Federal gov
ernment, the public credit has been i'm
paired, and the public honor has been
damaged, and we demand, in the name
of the people of Ohio, that every inves-
tigation already iraugursted by the
House of Representatives shall be prose-
Cuted, and every new effort necessary
shall be made to expose the frauds of
Federal Office holders and bring the gull
ty to punishment
2. That we thank the House OF Repre-
sentatives Of the Congress Of the United
States, for its efforts in the reduction of
public expenditures, reducing them as is
promised, nearly forty millions of dol
lars; for its exposure of the frauds and
corruption of Republican administration,
which have been all pervading, and we
ask the people of Ohio to condemn them,
for attempts to prevent such exposures,
and the Republican President, who has
refused to surrender papers, when de-
manded, and declared that confessing
criminal should not be punished; the Re-
publican Senate has refused to pass the
bill passed by the House, granting am.
nesty to witnesses who testified against
their co-operators, and the Republican
judiciary, which have discharged witnes-
ses in contempt Of the authority Of the
House, for refusing to answer questions
necessary to the exposure Of guilt in of
fee.
8. That we favor a return to specie
payments when the same can be done
without seriously disturbing the business
of the country, and to that end the debt
or class may not be further embarrassed
with attempting the repeal of the re-
sumption act of 1875, we oppose any act
of legislation which shall arbitrarily fix
a day for resumption.
4. That the charters of the National
banks ought not to be renewed, and each
bank should be wound up at the expira-
ton ofthe term for which it is chartered,
and in lieu of its circulating notes, Treas
ury notes Of the United States converti-
BILE into coin on demand, and receivable
for all duties or tax duties to the United
States, issued to the extent required by
the necessities of the government.
5. That we favor a tariff for revenue
only.
6, That on the celebration of the one
hundredth anniversary of American In
dependence, the Democratic party con-
graduates itself and the people of the
whole country upon the proud part lthas
taken in our past glorious histor.,. 1t
points to nearl y century of civil admin
istration, without domestic strife to
foreign wars acceptably prosecuted, to
the extension of American territory, to
the glory of the American name, to the
most astonishing development of inte-
rior resourc, S, to such maintenance Of
exterior power as compelled always re-
spect to the American flag; and itinvites
the people of Ohio to sustain it in its
present efforts to reduce the expendi-
lures of the government restore old time
honesty, inIthe administration of public
affairs, and to establish kindlier feeling
between the people Of the States, that
the bond of their union may be perfected
After the reading of the majority re-
port by the Hon. Frank H. Hurd Hon.
George w. Morgan presented the follow
ing as the minority report signed by nine
members, Mr.. Morgan prefacing the
reading by quite a speech in its favor:
Resolved That recognizing the duty of
the Democratic party as the time-honored
champions of the rights of the many
against the aggressions of the few, to ex-
press its purposes in the pending cur
rency conflict without reserve or equivo-
cation, we declare that we shall urge
against all opposition, come from what
quarter it may, measures to effect the
following objects:
First-The immediate and uncondi-
tional repeal uf the Republican resump-
ton act.
Second-The defeat OF all schemes for
resumption which involves either con-
traction of the currency, perpetuatiOn of
bank issues, or increase of the interest
burden of the debt.
Third-The gradual but early substi-
tuition of legal tenders for National bank
notes.
Fourth-The issue by the general gov
ernment alone of all the circulating me-
diums, whether paper or metallic.
Fifth-No forced initiation, no forced
contraction but a sound currency equal
to the wantso trade and industry, to be
regulated in volume and gradually equal
lied with gold by means of appropriate
legislation, such as making it receivable
for customs and interconvertible at the
pleasure of the holder, with bond bear
ing an interest not to exceed 3.65 per
cent, payable in gold, so that the volume
of currency shall not be determined by
the pleasure or caprice of either Con-
gress or the banks.
Sixth-A gradual income tax to meet
at least the premium on gold needed to
pay interest on the public debt.
Seventh-That public policy and
sense of common justice requires that
the silver issued by the government
should he legal tender in payment of
all debts, public. or private, and that we
demand the unconditional repeal of the
so-called silver act so far as the same linn
its the amount for which said silver coin
age shall be legal tender.
Eighth-That we are in favor OF a
tariff fo- revenue only, and we denounce
the ReDublican scheme of resumption as