The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1876-08-02
PL TF OR NJ
--ADUPIED B1--
THE DEMOCRATIC CONSERVATIVE CONVENTION
u Re = 8. 76.

ns this first and most pressing patriotic duty.
For the Democracy Of the whole country we
do b re re-affirm our faith in the permanence
Of the Federal Union; devotion to the
Constitution Of the United States. with its
amendments. universally accepted as a hnal
settlement of the controversies that engender-
ed the civil war, and do here record our stead
fast confidence IN the perpetuIty OF republic IN
self-government; in absolute aequlescenee IN
the will of the majority-the vital principle
Of republics; in the supremacy OF the civil
over the military; in the total separation OF
Church and State, for the sake alike Of civil
and rel gious freedom IN the equality OF all
citizens before Just laws Of their own enact
ment; in the liberty Of individual conduct,
uuyexed 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 a hundred
years Of changeful history.
But while upholding the bond of our MON
and the 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 stablish
in the hearts of The whole people the Union
eleven years ago happily rescued from the
danger Of a secession of States, but now to be
saved from q corrupt eentTall.m, which after
iuficting upon ten States the rapacity OF car
pet-bag attorneys, has honey combed the othces
of the Federal government itself with lncapaci-
tv. waste and fraud, infected States and mu-
inequalities with the contaglOn Of mlsrule, ana
locked fast the prosperity of an industrious
people in the paralysis of hard times Reform
is necessary to establish a sound currency,
restore the public credit and maintain the ma
/ tional honor.
| We denounce the failure for all these eleven
years to make good the promise of the Iegai
| tender notes which are changing standard of
! value in the hands of the people, and the non
| payment of which is disregard Of the plight
! ed faith of the nation
We denounoe the inprovidence which In
eleven years Of peace has taken from the peo-
| pie in Federal taxes, thirteen times the whole
! amount of the legal tender notes, and squan-
| dered four times their sum in useless expense,
without accommodating any reserve for their
| We denounce the financial imbeciIity and
| immortality of that party which, during eleven
| years Of peace, has made no advance TO-
! ward resumption, made no preparation for
| resumption; but instead has Instructed re
! sumption by wasting our resources and ex-
| hausting all surplus ncome-and, while
annually protesting to intend speedy return
! to specie payments, has annually enacted
! fresh hindrances thereto AS such hlH-
| drance we denOUnce the resumption clause OF
| the act of 1875 and we here demand its re-
! peal.
we demand a judicious system of prepara-
| ton by public economies, by official retrench-
| ments and by wise finance, which shall eha-
! BILE the nation soon to assure The Whole world
| Of it's perfect ability and its perfect readiness
| to meet any of it's promises at the call OF the
| creditor entitled to payment. We believe
such a system, well advised and, above all, in
| trusted to competent hands Tor execution,
creating at no time an artlhcIal scarcity OF
currency and at no time alarming the public
mind into a withdrawal of that vast ma
chinery of credit by which ninety-hve per
cent. Of orr business transactions is perform
ed-a system, open and public and lnspl-
ring general confidence, WOULD, from the day
of its adoption, bring healing on it's wings to
all our harassed industries, set in motion the
wheels of commerce, manufactures ana the
mechanic arts, restore employment to 10 Dor,
and renew in all its sources the prosperity
of the people.
Reform IS necessary in the sum and mode
of Federal taxation, to the end that capital
may be set free from distrust and labor light
/ burdened. We denounce the present tariff
levied upon nearly four thousand articles as a
masterpiece Of injustice, inequality and false
pretense, which yields dwindling, not yearly
rising revenue; it has ."noYerished many IN
lustries to substitute few it pom DTS I'M
ports that might purchase the products o.
American labor; it has degraded American
commerce from the first to an inferior rank
npon the high seas; it has cut down The galls
ofAmerican manufactures at home and abroad !;
it has depleted the returns of American
agriculture-an industry followed by half our
people; it costs the people five times more than
it produces 10 he treasury it obstructs the pro-
cess Of production and wastes the fruits of Ia
Dor it promotes fraud, fosters smuggling,
enrichcs dishonest officials and bankrupts
honest merchants We demand that all Gus
tom house taxation shall be only for revenue.
Reform is necessary in the scale of public
cxpense-Federal State and Municipal. Our
Federal taxation has swollen from sixty mi :
lion dolIonz in gold ia 1900 TO Iour hundred
and fifty million dollars in currency in 1870,
our aggregate taxation from one hundred and
fifty-four millions in gold in 1860 to seven
hundred and thirty million dollars in curren-
cy in 1870, or in one decade from less than five
dollars per head to more than eighteen dol
lars PSF head. Since the peace the people have
paid to thea tG$-gatherers more than thrice
the sum of the national deb, and more than
twice that sum for the Federal government
alone We demand a rigorous frugality in
every department and from every officer of
the government.
Reform is necessary put stop to the
prohigate waste Of public lands and their di
version from actual settlers by the party in
power, which has squandered two hundred mil
lions of acres upon railroads alone, and
out of more than thrice that aggregate has
disposed Of less than sixth directly to the til
lers Of the soil.
Reform is necessary to correct the omissions
of a Republican congress and the errors of
our treaties and our diplomacy, which have
stripped our fellow-citizeps of foreign birth
and kindred race, re-erasing the Atlantic
from the shield of American citizenship and
have exposed our brethren of the Pacific
coast to the IncursIons of race not sprung
from the same great parent stock, and in fact,
now by law denied citizenship through natu-
ralization, being unaccustomed to the
traditions of progressive civilization, and
uneXercised Ia liberty under equal laws.
We denounce the policy which thus discards
revival of the Coolie trade in Mongolian wo-
men imported for immoral purposes, and Mon
goli2n men held to perform serYile labor con-
tracts We, therefore, demand such modi-
fcations of the treaty 9Th the Chinese en-
pire, and such legislation by Congress, within
constitutional limitation, as shall prevent the
further importation or immigration OF the
Monaghan race.
Reform is necessary and can never be effect
ed but by making it the controlling issue of
the election, and httinEit ahoye the two false
issues with which the office-holding class and
party in power seek TO smother lt-lst. the false
issues with which they would enkindle seeta-
ria n strife in respect to the public schools, of
which the est9 blishment and support belong
exclusively to the seyeral states, and which
the Democratic party has cherished from their
foundation and is resolved 10 maintain with
out Partially or preference for any class,
sex creed, and without contributions
from the treasury 10 any. ID. The false issue
by which they seek to light anew the dying en-
bers of sectional hate between kindred peoples,
once unnaturally estranged, but now reunited
in one indivislble republic and a cGmIaop des |
tiny.
Reform is necessary in the civil service. |
Experience proves that efficient and |
conduct of the government is not |
possible if its civil serFce be subject to change
ut Tie ballot-bOx-Or if 1t be approved re- |
ward of party zeal instead of posts of honor, |
assigned for approved competency and held |
for fidelity in the pubic employ. That the [
dispensing of patronage should neither be a |
AK upon The time of our public men, nor an
in rument of their ambition. Here, again,
fashed in the performance attest
mat the party in power can work out no prac-
zeal or salutary reform.
Reform is necessary even mere ia the higher
grades of The public seryiee-President, Vice
President, judges, senators, representatives |
cabinet offcers-these and all others in au-
hority are the peoples servants. Their
'fices are not private perquisites they
ire public trust. When the annals of this
, i.
president, a late Speaker of the House of
marketing his rulings as a
Presiding officer, three Senators profiting Sc
reilly by their votes as lawmakers five Chair
men OF leading committees of the late
House of Representatives exposed in jobbery,
late Secretary OF the Treasury forcing bal