The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-05-08
KENTUCKY DEMOCRATS.
WattersOn Enthusiastically Received and
Carlisle Recommended for President.

F~RANKFoRT, Ky, May THE Democratic
State convention to select delegates to the Chi
cago convention met here to-day. Charles
Offutt, of Bourbon, was chosen temporary chair
man, and Thomas P. Caruthers, of Newport,
secretary. Hon. B. Winchester, of Louisville,
was chosen permanent chairman.
Henry Watterson, editor of the Courier-Jour-
nal, was appointed chairman of the committee
on resolutions. He was loudly called for by the
convention, and when he appeared on the plat
form with the resolutions in his hand the house
rose as one man and cheered him vociferously.
He made a brief speech. congratulating the Ken
lucky Democrats on their wisdom and courage.
He reviewed the situation in a few eloquent
sentences, and then read the following resolu-
tions, which were unanimously adopted by the
convention amid great applause:
The Democrats of Kentucky, in convention assem-
bled. declare:
"First-That we pledge ourselves anew to the CON
stitutional doctrines and traditions of the Democratic
party as illustrated by the teachings and example of a
long line of Democratic statesmen and patriots, as
embodied in the platforms Of the national Democratic
conventions of 1876 and 1880.
'Second-We do especially renew our declarations of
hostility to Capitalization as that dangerous spirit of
encroachment which tends to consolidate the powers
with all its subsidies to corporations. and
grants without consideration of the public property,
and we again express our conviction of the urgent
necessity of the general and thorough reform of the
civil service.
'"Third-Wed do especially deny the right of the gov.
eminent to surrender its taxing power to corporations
or individuals, which is the result of both the theory
and the practice of the Republican party; and we
denounce the present tariff, which burthens the people
with excessive war taxes in time of peace, as a
masterpiece of injustice, inequality and false pretenses.
We arraign the Republican party as the creator and
defender of a System which has IMPOVERISHED MANY
Industries to subsidize a few. which has prohibited
imports that might purchase the products of Ameri-
can labor, and degraded American commerce from the
first to an inferior rank on the high seas; which has
cut down the sales of American manufactures at home
and abroad, and depleted the returns of American ag-
r~iculture, an industry followed by half our people.
1t costs the taxpayers five times more than it yields
to the Treasury; it promotes fraud, fosters smuggling,
corFupts officials, enriches the few by forcing 5oun-
ties from the many, and favors dishonest and bank
rupt merchants. We assert the doctrines of the Con
~stitution, that all taxation shall be exclusively for
revenue, and demand that no more revenue shall be
collected than is required to meet the expenses and
obligations of the government economically admins
tered.
Resolved, That, believing that no geographical
line should exist i'll this country as a test of eligibility
to any Office in the gift of the the people, but that the
standard of honesty, competency; fidelity and
Kentucky recommends to the Democracy of the
Union, for the presidency of the United States
him whose elevation to the third Office in the nation
was the first step to the obliteration of the seam left
by the late civil war, who was the first to lead his own
party back to its own national platform Of steady ap-
proaeh toward the removal of distractions to trade,
the foremost exponent of all the living Democratic
principles of to-day-Hon. John G.. Carlisle.
Hon. Henry Watterson, J. Stoddard johnson,
James A. Mckenzie and Thomas L. Jones, were
elected delegates at large. Mr.. Watterson, al
though not a member of the convention, and not
a candidate, received the highest vote of the
gentlemen selected. He accepted the honor, and
will, as he has done in the past, lead the delega-
ton.