Year: 1863




Platform Of the vanandigham Democracy.


PREAMBLE.


The democratic party has ever been, and
yet is a law-abiding party. It asks nothing
but its rights under the Constitution and the
laws. 1t resorts to no violation Of either. 1t
has right to all the guarantees of public and
private liberty, and Of property. contained in
our fundamental laws and iC viii not surren-
der one of them. It has the right to discuss
public measures, and will discuss them. II
has the right to propose and advocate that
policy which it deems best for the nation, and
it VIII express that right. It has right to
have its policy passed upon by the people at
peaceable and untrammelled elections and it
VII sustain that ght If found in a minori-
tg yields obedience to all lawful rule OF the
majority; if it be the majority itself, it claims
that its lawful will be respected. Whether in
majority or a minority, it obeys all laws that
are in force Those that it dislikes it seeks
to overthrow, not by violence, but by legit-
innate repeal. Those that it proposes, it seeks
to carry, not by force but by legal enactments.
And what it does in all these respects, it de-
mauds, and has right to demand, that all
others shall do. They owe .he obedience to
the Constitution and the laws that democrats
owe. They have the same interest to main
tain free government to protect liberty, to be
secured in their houses, persons and property
that democrats have. 1t is neither their in
terest nor ours that despotism and anarchy
should prevail; and if they wish to avert both
let US see to it in time that they give no oc-
casion for either We will do our duty, let
them remember to do theirs.


In view of the circumstances that have
brought US together, we hereby resolve:


RESOLUTIONS.


l. That the viii of the people is the foun-
dation Of all free government That to give
effect to this will, free thought, free speech
and free press are absolutely Indispensable
Without free discussion, there is no certainty
of sound Judgment; without sound judgment
there can be no wise government


2. That it is an inherent and constitutional
right Of the people to discuss all measures Of
their government, and to approve or disap-
prove as to their best judgment seems right
to propose and advocate that policy which in
their judgment is best, and to argue and vote
against whatever policy seems to them to vio-
late the Constitution, to impair their liberties,
or to be detrimental to their welfare.


3. That these and other rights, guaranteed
to them by their constitutions, are their rights
in time Of war as well as in time of peace;
and of more value and necessity IN war than
in peace. For in peace liberty, security and
property are seldom endangered; in war, they
are ever in peril


T. That we now say to all whom it may
concern, not by way Of threat, but calmly and
firmly, that we will llnotsurenderth these rights
nor submit to their forcible violation. We
will obey the laws ourselves, and all others
must obey them.


). That there is a manifest difference be-
tween the administration of the government
and the government itself The government
consists in the civil and political institutions
created by the Constitution. and to it the peO-
pie owe allegiance. The administration are
but the agents Of the people, subject to their
or condemnation, according to the
merit or demerit of their acts.


7. That in the exercise Of the right to diff
fer with the Federal Executive, we enter our
solemn protest against the proclamation Of the
President Of the United States, dated first day
Of January, one thousand eight hundred and
by which he assumes to emanci-
pate slaves in certain States, holding the same
to be unwise, unconstitutional and void.


Z. That we declare our determined oppo-
sition to a system Of emancipation by the
States upon compensation to be made out Of
the Treasury Of the United States, as burden
some upon the people, unjust in its very ma
ture, and wholly without warrant Of the Con-



8. That we declare that the power which
has recently been assumed by the President
of the United States, whereby under the gulse
of military necessity he has proclaimed and
asserts the right to proclaim or
law over States where war
does not exist, and has suspended the writ Of
ha6eas corpus, is unwarranted in the Constitu-
ton, and its tendency is to subordinate civil
to military authority, and 10 subvert our sys-
TEN Of free government


8. That we deem it proper further, to de-
clare that we, together with the truly loyal
people of the State, would hail with pleasure
and delight any manifestations of desire on
the part of the seeded States to return to
their allegiance to the government Of the
Union, and in such event we would cordially
and earnestly cooperate with them in the
restoration of peace and the procurement Of
such proper guarantees as would give security
to all their interests and rights.


10. That the soldiers composing our armies
merit the warmest thanks of the nation. Their
called and uobly did they respond.