Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-07-11
The Platform.

people OF bn0 OulLeu OLSLkcS Ills OlAOA 40
mort of its administration: 1t suppressed
a rebellion which had armed nearly
million men to subvert the national au-
thority. It reconstructed the union of the
states with freedom instead of slavery as its
cornerstone. It transformed four million
human beings from the likeness of things
to the rank of citizens. It 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 has
restored upon solid basis the payment IN
coin of all the national obligations and has
given US currency absolutely good and
equal in every part of our extended country
1t has lifted the credit of our nation from
the point where 6 per cent. bonds sold at 90
to that where 4 per cent. bonds are eagerly
sought at a premium. Under its admins
tration, railways have increased from thir y
one thousand miles in 1860 to m )re than
eighty thousand in 1879. Our foreign trade
has increased from $780, 60 900 to l,5Oo,-
100000 in the same time, and our exports,
which were $40, 000000 less than our i'm
ports in 1860, were 1924, ,010,0 600 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 accruing Interest on the public
f3O.OOO,CC0 for soldiers pensions, 1t has
paid $685., ,0OO,O of the public debt, and,
by refunding the balance at lower rates,
has reduced the annual Interest charge
from nearly 100000 to $89, 9,000,000
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
II Il Al 81 Gov
the continued confidence and support of
the people, and this convention submits for
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
regained 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 revfving industries
should be further promoted, and that the
commerce, already SO great, should be
steadily encouraged,
2. The constitution of the United States
is a supreme law and not mere contract.
Out of confederate states It made soY-
ereign nation. Some powers are denied 10
the nation, while others are denied to the
states; but the boundary between, the
powers delegated and those reserved Is to
ho Iof o6 ~
state tribunals.
3. The work of popular education is one
left to the care of the several states, but il
is the duty of the national government tC
aid that work to the extent of its constitu-
tional ability. The intelligence iof the ma
ton is but 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
A. The constitution wisely torblds con
| gress to make any law respecting All estaD
| lisnment of religion, but it is idle to hopt
that nation can be protected against th'
! influence of sectarianism while each stats
is exposed to its denomination. We
| therefore, recommend that the const tutor
be so amended as to lay the same prohibi
ton on the legislature of each state, and t.
forbid the appropriation Of public funds t
the support of sectarian schools.
s. We reafirm the belief avowed in 1876
| that the duties levied for the purpose O
revenue should so discriminate as TO favo
| American labor; that no further grant 0
the public domain should be made to any
railway or other corporation; that slavery
| having perished in the states, Its tWll
barbarity, polygamy, must die in the terri
tories; that everywhere the protection &C
corded to citizen of American birth mus
be secured to citizens by American adop
ton; that we esteem it the duty of Gongres
to develop and improve our water course
and hRrbors, but insist that further subsi
dies to private persons or corporation
must cease; that the obligations of the re
public to the men who preserved its integ
rity in the day of battle are undiminishe
| by the lapse of fifteen years since their fna
victory. Their perpetual honor is, an,
shall forever be, the grateful privilege an
sacred duty of the American people.
6. Since the authority to regulate immi
grafton and intercourse between tn
United States and foreign nations rest
with the congress Of the United States an
its treaty-making powers, the republican
party, regarding the unrestricted lmmlgra
ton of Chinese as an evil of great magni
tude, invoke the exercise of that power t
restrain and limit that immigration by th
enactment of such just humane and res
sonable provisions as will produce that re
suit
7. That the purity and patriotism whic
characterizes the earlier career OF Ruther
ford B. Hayes, in peace and war, an
which guided the thoughts OF our lmmt
diate predecessors to him for presider
tial candidate, have continued to inspir
him in his career as chief executive, an
that history will accord his administratio
the honors which are due to an eticien
Just and courteous discharge OF the publ
business, and will honor his interpositio
between the people and proposed partisa
laws.
8. We charge upon the democratic part
the habitusl sacrifice of patriotism an
f justice to to supreme and Unsuitable lu
for office and patronage; that to obtain poi
session of the national and state goverr
ments, and the control of place, they hay
obstructed all efforts to promote the purit
and to conserve the suffrages; have devise
: fraudulent certifcations and returns; hay
labored TO unseat lawfully elected men
bers of congress, to secure at all hazerS
the vote of maj jority of the states in Il
| house of representatives; have endeavore
, to occupy by force and fraud the places
trust given to others by the people of Main
which were rescued by the courage 4
!, action of Names patriotic sons; have I
methods, vicious in principle and tyrann
, cal in practice; attached partisan legisl
. ton to appropriation bills upon whose pa
sage the very movement of the COVER
ment depends; have crushed the rights
) individuals; have advocated the principl
|, | and souch& the favor of rebellion again