Middletown transcript., 1876-07-01

| lne OOuVcutlou tuCh ""Josne" '"i
next morning.
i SECOND DAY.
The Convention assembled at IL A
NJ, and was opened with prayer by
Rev. Father Brady. Of ST. Louis -
Robt. NJ .::McLane, Of Baltimore. moved
that the convention proceed to ballot
for candidates. This was opposed BY
Mr.. Wood, Of Mo-, because the COM
mittee on resolutions had not yet re-
ported and be did not think it advisable
to nominate the candidates before the
platform was adopted. After more dis
cussion recess was taken till 2 p, NJ.
i During the recess several gentlemen
were called to the stage aud delivered
short addresses Among these were
ex-senator Doolittle, Of Wisconsin, who
spoke Of his former connection with the
Republican party. which had given him
an insight to its true character. He
said it was a war party and had been
so since 1861-not only during. but
since the close of the war: that it
had usurped power, trampled the con-
stitution and the rights Of the people
under foot, squandered their money and
been guilty Of the worst corruptioos.
As they had done they would continue
to do the nomination Of Hayes &
Wheeler indicated no change in the
spirit Of the party, but that the same
vindictiveness and usurpations would be
continued. Hon. B. Gratz Brown was
called to give the views of the Liberals.
He promised that they would be found in
the forefront of the coming fight They
want reform and relief and hoped the
convention would put forth platform
and candidates that would embrace
those ideas. Addresses were also made
by Mr.. Breckenridge, of Ky. and Mr..
Wallace, Of Penna.
On the reassembling Of the conven-
tion at 2.15, the committee on rcsolu-
tions reported the following as
| THE PLATFORM:
| We, the delegates of the Democratic party
of the United States in national convention
assembled, do hereby declare the administra-
| ton of the federal government to be in urgent
need of immediate reform do hereby enjoin
upon the nominees of this convention and of
the Democratic party in each State jealous
effort and cooperation to this end, and do
hereby appeal to our fellow-citizens of every
former political connection to undertake with
us this first and most pressing patriotic duty for
| the Democracy of the whole country. We
| do here reaff1rm our faith in 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 engen-
| dered the civil war, and do here record our
steadfast confidence in the perpetuity of Re
publican self-government; in absolute acqui-
escence in the will of the majority, the vital
principle of republics; in the supremacy Of
the civic over the military authority, in the
| total separation of church and State for the
sake alike of civil and religious freedom, in
the equality Of all citizens before just laws Of
their own enactment; in the liberty of indi-
vidual conduct unvexed by sumptuary laws;
in the faithful education Of the rising genera
tion that they may preserve, enjoy and trans
nit these best conditions of human happiness
and hope, we behold the noblest products of
hundred years OF changeful histhry but
while upholding the bond of our Union and
the great character of these, our rights, it be-
hooves a free people to practice also the eter-
nal vigilance which is the price Of liberty.
Reform is necessary to rebuild and estab-
lish in the hearts of the whole people of the
Union eleven years ago happily rescued from
the dangers of a secession of States, but now
to be saved from q corrupt centralism which,
after inficting upon ten States the rapacity of
carpet-bag tyrannies, has honeycombed the
Offices of the federal government itself with
incapacity waste and fraud, infected States
and municipalities with the contagion of mis-
rule, and locked fast the prosperity of an in
dustrious people in the paralysis of hard times.
Reform is necessary to establish sound cur
rency, restore the public credit and maintain
the national honor. We denounce the failure
for all these eleven years to make good the
promises 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 improvidence 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 this sum in useless expense
without accommodating any revenue for
their redemption. We denounce the f.
nancial imbecility and immortality of that
party which during eleven years of peace has
made no advance toward resumption; thatin-
stead has obstructed resumption by wasting
our resources and exhausting all our surplus
income, and while annually protesting to in
tend speedy return to specie pay ments has
annually enacted fresh hindrances thereto as
such hindrance we denounce the resumption
| clause of the act Of 1875, and we here demand
its repeal. We demand judicious system of
hx,nr hxy of ~ a1
retrenchments, and by wise finance which
shall enable the nation soon to assure the
whole world of its perfect ability and its per-
feet readiness to meet any Of its promises at
the call of the creditor entitled to payment
We believe such system, well 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 mind into withdrawal of that
vaster machinery of credit by which ninety
five per cent. of all business transactions are
performed. A system open, public and in
spring general confidence would from the day
Of its adoption bring healing on its wings to
all our harassed industry, and set in motion
the wheels of commerce, manufactures and
the mechanical arts, restore employment to
labor and renew in all its natural force the
prosperity Of the people.
HefOrIH is necessary IN the FORM anu mO0e
of federal taxation, to the end that capital
may be set free from dstrust and labor
lightly burdened. We denonnce the present
tariff levied upon nearly four thousand arti-
cles as master piece Of injustice, inequality
and false pretense. 1t yields dwindling not
a yearly rising revenue. 1t has impoverished
many industries to subsidize few. 1t pro-
hibits imports that might purchase the pro-
ducts Of American labor 1t has degraded
American commerce from the first to an in
ferior rank upon the high seas. 1t has cut
down the sales Of American manufactures at
home and abroad, and depleted the returns
of American agriculture and industry, fol-
lowed by half of our people. 1t costs the
people five times more than it produces to the
treasury, obstructs the processes of produc-
tion and wastes the fruits of labor 1t pro-
notes fraud and fosters smuggling, enriches
dishonest officials and bankrupts honest mer-
chants. We demand that all custom house
taxation shall be only for revenue
Reform is necessary in the scale of public
expense State and municipal. Our
faderal IA va fion hac swnllan from 26n nm O00