Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-07-21
The Platform.

| first committed to its charge, submit to the
| people of the United States this brief re-
port of its administration 1t suppressed
a rebellion which had armed nearly q
| million men to subvert the national au-
| tnority. 1t reconstructed the union of the
| states with freedom instead of slavery as lts
| cornerstone. 1t transformed four million
| human beings from the likeness of things
to tho rank of citizens. 1t relieved con-
gress from the Infamous work of hunting
fugitive slaves and charged it to see, that
slavery does not exist. 1t has raised the
value of our paper currency from thirty
eight per cent. to the par OF gold. 1t mas
restored upon solid basis the payment IN
coin of all the national obligations and has
| given us currency absolutely good and
| equalin every part -four extended country
| 1t has lifted the credit of our nation from
| the point where per cent. bonds sold at IS
| to that where per cent. bonds are eagerly
| sought at premium. Under its admins
| tration, railways have increased from thirty
| one thousand miles in 1860 to m ore than
| eighty thousand in 1879. Our foreign trade
| has increased from $4,000 600 to 81, 5OO,-
| 100, O00 in the same time, and our exports,
| which were $40, COO, 900 less than our i'm
| ports in 1850, were $264, 010,0 O0 more than
| our imports in 1879. Without resorting to
| loans, it has, since the war closed, betrayed
| the expenses of the government, besides
| paying the Rccruing interest on the pubic
| debt and disbursed annually more than
| s30,000CC0 for soldiers pensions. It has
| paid 1888 600 of the public debt, and,
| by refundiDg the balance at lower rates,
| has reduced the annual interest charge
| from nearly $l51,000,0}0 to $89, coo. 900.
| All the industries of the country have re-
| vived. Labor is in demand. Wages have
| increased, and throughout the entire coun-
| try there is evidence of coming prosperity
| greater than We have ever enjoyed. Upon
| this record the republican party asks for
! the continued confidence and support of
| the people, and this convention submits for
I their approval the following statement of
the principles and purposes which will
continue to guide and inspire its efforts:
! We affirm that the work of the last
twenty-one years has been such as to COM
mend itself to the favor of the nation, and
| that the fruits of the costly victories which
We have achieved through immense diff
culties should be preserved; that the peace
regsined should be cherished; that the dis
severed Union, now happily restored,
| should be perpetrated, and that the liber.
| ties secured to this generation should be
transmitted undiminished to future gene
rations; that the order established and
credit acquired should never be impaired;
that the pensions promised should be paid;
that the debt so much reduced should be
extinguished by the full payment of every
dollar thereof; that the reviving industries
10 lu4GAS4 PLOMObSOs aAI tudb GAc
commerce, already so crest, should be
/ steadily encouraged,
| 2 The constitution Of the United States
| is q supreme law and not mere contract.
| Out of confederate states it made a SOW
ereign nation. Some powers are denied to
the nation, while others are denied to the
states; but the boundary between the
powers delegated and those reserved ia to
be determined by the national aud not the
state tribunals.
8. The work of popular education is one
left to the care of the several stat s, but it
is the duty of the national government to
aid that work to the extent of its constitu-
tional ability. The intelligence Of the ma
ton is bat the aggregate intelligence in the
several states. and the destiny OF the nation
must be guided, not by the genius Of any
one state, but by the average genius of all.
4. The constitution wisely forbide con-
greSs to maEc eny law respecting Ill estab.
lisnment Of religion, but it is idle to hope
that nation can be protected against the
influence of sectarianism while each state
is exposed to its denomination. We,
therefore, recommend that the const tuition
be so amended as to lay tho same prohibit
ton on the Legislature Of each state, and to
forbid the appropriation of public funds to
the support of eectaria1 schools.
s. We reaffirm the belief avowed IN 1876,
that the duties levied for the purpose OF
revenue should so discriminate as to favor
American labor; that no further grant OF
the public domain should be made to any
railway or other corporation; that slavery,
having persisted in the states, its twin
barbarity, polygamy, must die 10 the terri
tories; that everywhere the protection &C
| corded to q citizen of American birth must
be secured to citizens by American adop-
ton; that we esteem it the duty Of congress
; to develop and improve our water courses
and harbOrs, but insist that further subsi-
dies to private persons or corporations
must cease; that the obligations of the re-
pub bile to the men who preserved its integ.
rity in the day of battle are undiminished
by the lapse of fifteen years since their final
victory. Their perpetual honor 10, and
shall forever be, the grateful privilege and
sacred duty of the American people.
6. Since the authority to regulate immi-
grafton and Intercourse between the
United States and foreign nations rests
with the congress Of the United States and
its treaty-making powers, the republican
party, regarding the unrestricted immigra-
ton of Chinese as an evil Of great magni-
tude, invoke the exercise of that power to
restrain and limit that immigration by the
enactment of such just, humane and rea-
sonable provisions rs will produce that re-
suit
Z. That the purity and patriotism which
ford B. Hayes, in peace and war, and
which guided the thoughts Of our imme-
diate predecessors to him for presiden-
tial candidate, have continued to inspire
him in his career as chief executive, and
thai history will accord his administration
the honors which are due to an efficient,
just and courteous discharge of the public
business, and will honor his interpretation
between the people and proposed partisan
laws. --
!, 8. We charge upon the democratic party
the hsbitual sacrifice of patriotism and
justice to to a supreme and Unsuitable lust
for office and patronage; that to obtain pos
session of the national and state govern
ments, and the control of place, they have
obstructed all efforts to promote the purity
and to conserve the suffrages; have devised
fraudulent certifcations and returns; have
lsbored to unseat lawfully elected mem
bers of congress, to secure at all hazerds
the vote of maj GRITTY of the states in the
house of representatives; have endeayored
to occupy By force and fraud the places oil
ust given to others by the people of NJ aine
which were rescued by the courage in
3 action of Names patriotic sons; have by
methods, vicious in principle and tyFanni
] cal in practice; attached partisan legisls
| ton to appropriation bills upon whose pas
! sage the very movement of the govern
| ment depends; have crushed the rights o
individuals; have advocated the principles
and sought the favor of rebellion agsins
i the nation, and have endesvored TO oblitel
q ate the sacred memories of the war an
, | to overcome the inestimably valuable re