The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1876-09-06
PLATF0RN nj
OF THE
NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY.

We, the Delegates of the Democratic
Party, in National Convention assembled,
do here declare the administration of the
Federal Government to be in urgent need
of immediate reform, do hereby enjoin up
on the nominees of this Convention, and
Of the Democratic party in each State, Il
Jealous effort and cooperation to tins end,
and dOhereby appeal to our feliow-citlzens
of every former political connection to I'M
dertake with us this fist and most press
ing patriotic duty. For tie Democracy of
the whole country we do here Teathrm our
faith i'll the permanency of the Federal
Union; our devotion to the Constitution
Of the United States with its amendments
universally accepted as final settlement
of the controversies that engendered civil
war, and we do here record our steadtast
c0ntidcnce in the perpetuity OF republican,
clf-govcrnment in absolute acquiescence
in tie will of the majority, the vital prin-
ciple of republics; in the supremacy of the
civil over the military authority; in the
total separation of Church and State for
the sake alike of civil aud religious free
dom; in the equality of all citizens before
iust 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 of human happiness, and hope
we behold the noblest products of Il hum
tire<i years of clangeful history. but while
apholding the bond of our Union and
great charter of those our rights, it be-
hooves 81 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 of the Union, eleven
years ago happily rescued from the dan
ger of IL corrupt centraiism which, after
inhcting upon ten States the lapaclty of
carpet-bag tyrannies, has honeycOmbed
the officers of the Federal Government it.
self with incapacity, waste and fraud, i'll
| fected States and municipalities with the
c0ntagion of misrule, and locked fast the
prosperity of an industrious people in the
paralysis of hard times. Reform is neces-
Sary to establish sound currency, restore
| the public credit, and maintain the ma
! tional honor. We denOunce the failure
| for these eleven years to make good the
promise of the legal tender notes, which
are a changing standard of value in the
hands of the people, and the non payment
of which is disregard of the plighted
| faith of the nation. We denounce the
| improvideuce which in eleven years OF
peace have taken from the people in Fede-
raj taxes, thirteen times the whole
amount of the legal tender notes, and
souaudered four times this sum in useless
| LOT
serve for their resumption. We denonDce
the financial imbecility and immortality
of that party, which, during eleven years
of peace, has made no advance toward
resumption; that instead has INSTRUCTED
resumption by wasting our resources and
exhausting all our surplus income, and
while annually protesting to intend a
speedy return to specie payments, has
annually enacted fresh intolerance there
to. As such hinderanee we denounce
the resumption clause of the act of 1875,
! and we here
DEMAND ITS REPEAL.
We demand iudicious system of prepare
ton by public economies, by official re-
trenchments and by wise finance which
shall enable the nation to insure the
whole world of its perfect ability and its
perfect readiness to meet any of its prom
ises at the call of the creditor entitled to
payment. We believe such q system well
devised, and, above all, entrusted to COM
petent hands for execution, creating at no
time all artificial scarcity of currency and
at no tine alarming the public mind into
a withdrawal OF that yaster machinery OF
credit by which s. per cent. of all business
transactions are perfOrmed-a system
open, public and inspiring general conf
dence would from the day OF its adoption
bring healing on its wings to all our har-
assed industry and set in motion the
wheels of commerce, manufactures and
the mechanical arts, restore employment
to labor, and. renew in all its national
source the prosperity of the people. Re
form is necessary in the sum and mode Of
| Federal taxation, to the end that capital
may be set free from distress aud labor
lightly burdened.
WE DENOUNCE THE PRESENT TARIFF
levied upon nearly four thousand articles,
rs a masterpiece of injustice, inequality
! and false pretenco 1t yields a dwindling,
not yearly rising revenue; it has impov-
erished many industries 10 subsidize q
few; it prohibits imports that might pur-
chase the products of American labor;
! it has degraded American commerce from
+, the first to an inferior upon the high seas;
it has cut down the sales of American
manufactures at home and abroad, and
depleted the returns of American agricul
ture, an interest followed by half our
people; it costs the people five times more
| than it pro tuces to the treasury, obstructs