The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1876-07-07
DEMoCRATIC PLATFORM ADoP.
TED AT ST. LOUIS.

in the supremacy of the civil over military an
thority; in the total separation Of the church
and State for the sake alike of civil and religi-
GUS freedom; IN the equality OF all citizens be-
fore the just laws Of their own enactment in
the liberty Of individual conduct invoked by
sumptuary laws; in the faithful education OF
the rising generation that they may preserve
enjoy and transmit these best cond tons of hui
man happiness, aud hope we behold the noblesl
products Of u hundred Years of changetul his
tory; but while upholdiug the bond of our I'M
ion, and the great charter of these, our rights,
it behooves q free people TO practice als0 that
eternal vigilance which is the price of liberty.
Reform is necessary 10 rebuild aud establish
in the hearts of the whole people of the Union,
eleven years ago happily rescued from the dan
ger of corrupt centralism, which, after inflict
ing apon ten States the rapacity of carpetbag
tyranies, has honey -cQmbed the officers of the
Federal government itself with incapacily,
waste and fraud infected States and munici.
palites with the contamination of misrule, and
locked fast the prosperity Of an Industrious PEG
plee in III paralysis Of hard times.
Reform is necessary 10 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 tue
promise of the legal tender notes, which are q
changing standard Of value in The handa OF the
people, and the non payment Of which IL IA dis
regard OF the pliphted faith Of the nation. We
| denounce the imprOvdence, which Ill eleven
years Of peace has taken from the people, III
| Federal taxes, thirteen times the whole amount
Of the legal tender notes. and squandered four
times this sum in useless expense, without &C
cumulating any reserve for their redemption.
We denounce the financial imbecility and im
morality of that party which, during eleven
| wears OF peace. has made no advance towards
resumption, that, instead, has INSTRUCTED re-
sumption by wasting our resources and eXhaus-
ting all our surplus income, and while annually
pre- Tossing to intend speedy return to specie
payments, has annually enacted fresh hinder
ances thereto. AS such hindrance, we de-
nounce the resumption clause Of the act OF 1873,
and we here demand its repeal. We demand a
judIcous system of preparation by public econo-
mics, by official reirenchments. and by wise
| finance which shall enable the nation to assure
the whole world of its perfect readiness to meet
any of its promises at the call of the creditor en-
| titled to payments We believe such q system
will be devised and, above all, entrusted To
competent hands for execution, creating at no
time an artificial scarcity OF currency. and at no
time alarming the public MUD into withdrawal
of that vaster machinery Of credit by which
nnety-hve per cent Of all business transactions
are performed a system open TO the public and
| inspiring general confidence would, from the
day of its adoption, bring healing on its wings
to all our harassed industries, and set in motion
the wheels Of commerce, manufactures and the
mechanical arts restore employment TO labor
| and renew in all its National sources the pros
perty Of the people.
| Reform is necessary in the sum and mode of
Federal taxation to the end and that the capital
may be set free from distress and labor lightly
buriened We denounce the present tariff lev
| led on nearly 600 articles as master piece OF
injustice, inequality and false pretenses.
II yields dwindliug not yearly rising revenue;
| il has impoverished many industries to subsld
ize few; it prohibits imports that We might
purchase, the products Of American labor; 1t
has degradvd American commerce from the frst
to an inferior rank upon the high seaS; it has
cut down the sales OF American manufactures
at home and abroad, aud depleted the returns on
American agriculture or industry followed by
half Of our people; it costs the people five times
more than ii produces to the Treasury, Obstructs
| the processes Of production and wastes the
fruits Of labor; 1T promotes fraud and fosters
smuggling, enrches dishonest officials and
| bankrupts honest merchants We demand that
all custom house taxation shall be only for
revenue.
Reform is necessary in the scale Of public ex-
pense, federal state and municipal Our fed
| efal AlaNallOH HAS SWOllSu llOH elAtetH iullhhH
dollars in gold in 1860 to seven hundred and
thirty million dollars in currency III 1870, or IN
one decade from less than five dollars per head
to mare than eighteen dollars per head. Since
! the restoration OF peace the people have paid TO
| their tax gatherers more than thrice the sum OF
| the national debt and more than twice that sum
| tor the federal government alone. We demand
| vigorous frugality in every department, and
from every officer of the government.
Reform is necessary TO put stop to The pro
figate waste OF public lands aud their diversion
from actual settlers by the party in power,
which has squandered two hundred million
acres upon railroads alone, and out OF more
than thrice that aggregate has disposed OF less
than one sixth directly to tillers OF the soil
Reform is necessary to correct the omissions
of the Republican Congress and the errors OF
our treaties and our diplomacy which have
stripped our fellow citizens of foreign birth and
kindred race OF protection, and have exposed
our brethren Of the Pacific coast to the incursl-
Ons Of race not sprung from the same great
| parent stock, and in fact now by law denied
citizenship OF naturalization as being neither
accustomed to the traditions Of progressive
civilization, or exercised in liberty under equal
laws We denouRcs the policy which thus dis
cards the liberty loving Germans aud tolerates
the rival OF tue Couis trade in Monaghan wo-
men Imported for immoral purposes, and Mon
Qoliau men hired to perform serve labor con
tracts. and demand sush modification Of the
treaty with the Chinese empire of such legisla-
ton by Congress within constitutional llmlta-
ton as shall prevent the further importation or
Immigration Of the Mongolian race.
Reform is necessary, and can never be efiec
ted bat by making it the controlling issue OF the
elections, and lifting il above the two false is
sues with which the office holding class and the
party in power seek TO smother 1.-THE false Is
sue with which they would enkindle sectarian
strife in respect to the public schools, OF winch
the establishment and support belong eXclu-
sivey 10 the several States, and which the
Democratic party has cherished from the fOun-
daton, and resolved to maintain without par
TALLY or preference for any class, sect, or creed,
and without contributing from the Treasury to
any the false issue by which they seek to light
anew the dying embers OF sectional hate between
kindred peoples, once unnaturally estranged,
but reunited in one indiyisble Republic, and
common destiny.
Reform is necessary in civil service. Expe-
rienee proves that efficient economical cOnduot
of the governmental business is not possible II
its civil service be subject to change at every
election; be prize fought for at the ballot box /;
be brief reward of party zeal instead Of posts
OF honor assigned for proved competency, and
held for fidelity in the public employ; that the
dispensing of patronage should neither be a tax
upon the time of all our public men, nor the in
strument of their ambition. Here again 1.-THE
professions fasifed in the performance attest
that the party in power can work out no prae
teal or sautaTy reform.
Reform is necessary even more IN the higher
grades Of public service The President, Vice
President, judges, cabinet officers, these and all
others in authority, are the peoples servants
their offices are not private perquisite, they
are public trust. When the annals of this Re
public show the disgrace and censure Of Vice
President, late Speaker of the House OF Rep