Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-06-21

Jasper' To- keoknS & Eahas Reoosie I. 4avis g
Monroe, s; WapelIo, 10. A''
By order Of the Congressional Committee
VAL MENDEL. Chairman.
nErUsL'OA: xs sAT.oNAL PLAT.
When in the economy of Proyi-
dence this land was to be purgcd of
human slavery, and when the strength
of the Government of the people, by
the people, for the people, was to be
demonstrated, the Republican party
came into power. Its deeds have
passed into history, and we look back
to them with pride melted by their
memories, and high aims for the good
of our country and mankind: and,
looking to the future with unfalter-
ing courage, hope, and purpose, we,
the representative of the party i'm Ma
tional Convention assembled, make
the following declaration of princi-
pies:
The United States of America is
a nation, not a league. Bv the COM
bined workings Of the National and
State Governments under their re-
spective Constitutions, the rights of
every citizen are secured at home and
protected abroad and the common
welfare promoted.
2. The Republican party has pre-
served those Governments to their
hundredth anniversary Of the nations
birth, and they are now cmbOdiments
of the great truths spoken at its era
die, that "all men are created equal ("
that they are "endowed by their Gre
afor with certain inalicnable rights,
among which are life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness; that, for the at
tainment of these ends, Governments
have been instituted among men, de-
irving their just powers from the con-
sent Of the governed" Until these
truths are cheerfully obcyed, or, if
need he, vigorously enforced, the
work of the Republican party is un-
finished.
3. The permanent pacificatiop of
the Southern section of the Union,
and the complete protection of it's
citizens in the free enjoyment of all
their rights, are duties to which the
Republican party stands sacredly
pledged. The power to provide for
the enforcement of the principles en-
bodied in the recent Constitu tional
Amendments is vested by those
amendments in the Congress of the
United States: and we declare it to
be the solemn obligation of the Leg
islative and Executive Departments
TO put into immediate and vigorous
exercise all their constitutional pow
ers for removing any inst causes of
discomfort on the part of any class,
and for securing to every American
citizen complete liberty and exact
equality in the exercise of all civil,
political and public rights. To this
end we imperatively demand q Con-
gress and a Chief Executive whose
courage and fidelity to these duties
shall not falter until these results are
placed beyond dispute or recall.
4. In the first act Of Congress sign.
ed by President Grant the National
Government assumed to remove any
doubts Of its duties to discharge all
Just obligations to public creditors,
and sOlemnly pledged its faith to
make provisions at the earliest prac-
ticable period for the redemption OF
United States notes in coin. Com
mercial prosperity, public morals,and
the national credit demand this prom
Use be fulfilled by a continuous and
steady progress to specie payments.
5. Under the Constitution the Pres
ident and heads of departments are
to make nominations for Office, the
Senate is to advise and to consent to
appointments, and the House of Rep
resentatiyes is to accuse and prosecute
faithless officers. The best interest of
the public service demand that these
distinctions be respected; that Sena-
ators and Representatives, who may
be judges and accusers, should not
dictate appointments to Office. The
invariablc rule for appointments
should have reference to the honesty,
fidelity and capacity of the appointce,
giving to the party in power those
places where harmony and vigor of
administration requires its policy to
be represented, but permitting all
Others to be filled by persons selected
with the sole reference to the efficicn-
cy of the public service, and the right
of all citizens to share i'll the honor of
rendering faithful service to their
country.
6. We rejoice in the quickend con-
science of the people concerning pO-
litical affairs, and will hold all officers
to rigid responsibility, and engage
that the prosecution and punishment
of all who betray official trust shall
be speedy, thorough, and unsparing.
z. The public school system of the
several States is the bulwark of the
American Republic, and, with view
to its security and permanence, we
recommend an amendment to the
Constitution of the United States for
bidding the appropriation of any pub
funds or property for the benefit of
any schools or institutions under Sec
tartan control.
8. The revenue necessary for cur
rent expenditures and the obligations
of the public debt must be largely
derived from duties on importations,
which, SO far as possible, should be
adjusted to promote the interest of
American labor and advance the
prosperity of the whole country.
-. we IcduIIu OuT OppOSlLlOn 10
further grants of the public lands to
corporations and monopolies, and
demand that the national domain be
devoted to free homes for the people.
IS. 1t is the imperative duty of the
Government so to modify existing
treaties with European governments
that the same protection shall be af-
forded to the adopted American citi-
zen that is given TO the native born,
and that all necessary laws should be
passed TO protect immigrants i'm the
absence of power in the States for
that purpose.
ii. II is the immediate duty Of
Congress to fully investigate the eff
feet Of the immigration and importa-
ton of Mongolians upon the moral
and material interests of the country.
-. The Republican party rccog-
,izes with approval the substantial
dyance recently made toward the
of equal rights for wo.
ZEN by the many Important amend
rents effected by Republican legisla-
res in the laws which concern the
ersOnal and property relations of
ives, mothers and WidOws, and by
9 appointment aud election OF wO-
en- TO the spperintendence Of educa-
IN. charities, And other public trusts,