The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1876-08-09
PLATE Fee M
OF THE
NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC PiRTY.

NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC PiRTY.
WE, the Delegates Of The Democratic
Party, in National Convention. ASS ble1,
do here declare the administration of the
Federal Government to bc in urgent heed
of immediate reform, do hereby eioin up
on the nominees of this Convention, and
of the Democratic party in each State. a
Jealous effort and cooperation to tins end,
and do hereby appeal to our fellow-citizeus
of every former political connections to un-
dertake witii us this FIST and most press
ing patriotic duty. For the Democracy of
the whole country we do here feafiir'n oar
faith in the pe,manency of the Federal
Union; our devotion to- the Constitution
of the United States with its anie dments
universally accepted as a fnsl settlement
of the controversies that engendered civil
war, and we do here record our stradfast
confidence in the perpetuity of republican
selfgOyernment; in absolute acquie>cenCe
in the will of the majority, the vital prin-
ciple of Republics; in the supremacy Of the
civil over the military authority; III the
total separation OF Church and State for
the sake alike Of civil and religious free
dom; in the equality of all citizens before
just laws of their own enactment; in the
liberty of individual conduct unveXed by
snmptuary laws; IN the faithful education
of the rising generation that ;hsy n,ay
preserve, enjoy and transmit these best
conditions of human happiness, and hope
we behold the noblest products of hHn-
bred years of chaugrfui history hut while
upholding She bond of our Union and
great charter of those our rights, it be-
hooves a 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 centrafism which, after
/ lniiioting upon ton States the iapacify CT
! carpet-baG tyrannieS. las I'oneycoGbed
the officers Of the Federal Governments IL.
self with incapacty, waste and fraud, in.
fected States and municipalities with the
cnutayion of misrule. AID locked fast the
prosperity of an industrious people in the
paralysis OF hard times Reform is nercS-
sary tn establish a sound currency, restore
! the public credit, and maintain the ma.
| tional honor. We Gen0uHce the failure
for these eleyen 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 q disregard of the plighted
faith of the nation. We denounce the
improvilence which in eleven years OF
peace have taken from the people in Fede
raj taxes, thirteen times the whelt
amount of the legal tender notes, and
squandered four times this sum in useless
expense without accommodating any re.
serve for their resumption. We denouncs
the financial imbecillty aud immortality
Of that party, which, during eleven year
of peace, has made no advance TOWARD
resumption; that instead has DISTRACTED
resumption by wasting our resources and
eXhaustiug all our surplus income, ant
while annually prot, ssing to intend q
speedy return to specie payments, has
anutsally enacted fresh hinderance there
to- As snch a hinderance we denounct
the resumption clause of the act of 1875
and we here
| DEMAND IT'S REpEAL.S x>
We demand IL ju,licious system of prepare
ton by pubic economies, by official re-
Treatments and by wise finance which
shall enable the nation to irsiige thu
whole world of its perfect ability aud its
perfect readiness to meet any OF its prRpx
Uses at the call of the creditor entitled4
payment. We believe such system weS
devised and, above all, entrusted to com
| potent hands for execution, creating at nc
thine an artificial scarcity of currency and
at no tine alarming the public mind into
a withdraa;tl OF that vastrr machinery OF
credit hy which 95 per cent, of all business
transactions are periormed-a system
open, public aud inspiring general conf
dence would from the day of its ado al o,
bring healing on its wings to all our Nav
asscd industry and set in m(ftion ths
wneels of commerce, maluta TIRES AMI
the mechanical arts. restQSe en- slovment
TO labor. and renew in saH It's national
source the prosperity of the people. r..
form is nece-sar, in the suni anti mode Of
Federal taxation. to the end that capital
may be set free from distress and labor
| lightly hardened.
| WE DENouNCE THE PRESENT TARIFF
levied upon nearly iour Thousand articles
as masterpiece of injustice. ;: inequality
and false pre'enee 1t yields a dwini,ing
| not "A yearly rising revenue; it has impov.
erished many industries to subsidies q
few; it prohibits imports that mightpur
chase tie products OF American labor
it has degraded American commerce from
the first tn an inferior upon the high seas
! it has cut down the sales of American
manufactures at home and abroasfn anG
depleted the returns of American MScui
ture. an Interest followed by haf ouj
people; it costs the prople five times mers
than it pro luces to TIE treasury. obstruet
the processes of production and wastes
the fruits of labor; it promotes fradd are
| fosters smuggling, euriches dishoties
officials ard bankrupts honest merchants
! We demand that all custom house .ssxa
tlcu shall be only for revenue. Rrfum il
necessary in the scale of public expenses
J Federal, State and municipal.
FEDERAL TAXATION HAS SWOLLEN
from SIG, 100000 gold in 1860 to $4,000,
QUO currency in 1870; our aggregate ta4,l
ton from Sl5l,U00, 900 gold in 1850 F
$3.50, 900 900 currency in 1870, or in one de
cade from less than five dollars per hea,
to more t..an eighteen dollars per head
Since the peace the people have paid t
their tax gaihereIs more than thrice tn
sum OF the national debt, and more thai
twice that sum for the Federal Govern
mcnt alone. We demand vigorous tru
tgality in every department and from eTer