Year: 1870


An Address to the Friends of Constitutional,
Economical and Honest Government by tn


Democratic Senators and Representatives.


The Democratic Senators and Members
of Congress, at caucus held in Wash
ington on Thursday evening, June oath,
agreed upon the following address to the
people of the United States:


TO OUR FELLow-CITIzENs OF THE UNITED


STATES, FRIENDS OF CONSTITUTIONAL,


ECONOMICAL AND HONEST GOVERNMENT:


The undersigned beg leave to call your
attention to the peculiar importance of the
elections which take place this year, and
respectfully to submit some suggestions
for your consideration. By the State
Legislatures to be elected nearly one-third
of the United States Senate will be chosen.
Nearly all the members of the next House
of Representatives are to be elected next
fall. Upon the coming elections, depends
the question whether the Democratic and
Conservative element in the Senate shall
be increased, and whether that clement
shall have majority in the House of
Representatives, and, as consequence,
whether we shall have a constitutional,
economical and honest Government, or
continuance Of revolutionary, extravagant,
and wasteful partisan rule; whether we
shall have general, uniform, just and con-
stitutional legislation, with reasonable
taxation and frugal expenditure, or un-
constitutional, partial, unjust, class legis-
lation, with oppressive and unequal taxa
tion and wasteful expenditure. That we
have strong reasons to hope for fa-
vorable result is plainly apparent. The
elections already held clearly show that
the tide of reform has set in with power
that cannot be resisted if no blunders be
committed by the friends of reform. If
they do their duty and act wisely; if they
throw off all apathy and act with vigor
and steadfastness, there is every reason to
hope that their efforts will be rewarded by
success. Let there be no dissentions
about minor matters, no time lost in the
discussion of dead issues, no manifesto
tions of narrow or proscriptive feeling, NO
sacrifice of the cause to CRAFTY personal
ambition or resentment, and let the best
men be chosen for candidates; and we
may hope to see our country redeemed
from misrule. And in this connection we
beg leave to say word to our fellow w-citi-
zens of the Southern States. Do not risk
the loss of Senators or Representatives by
electlng men who cannot take the test oath
or who are under the disability imposed
by the Fourteenth Amendment, whatever
may be said as to the validity of that
amendment or the test acts you may rest
assured that Senators elected by the vote
of members of Legislatures who are held
by the Radicals to be thus disqualified
will not be permitted to take their seats
and that members of the House of Repre-.
sentatives thus disqualified will also be ex.
cluded. 1t is the plainest dictate of prac
tical wisdom not to incur any such risks
We hope soon to see the day when all dis
abilities will be removed but in thu
meantime do not, we entreat you, lose thu
opportunity to strengthen the Democrat,
and Conservative force in Congress, anC
the possibility, nay, probability of obtain
ing a majority in the next House of Rep
rescntativcs, by putting it in the power o
our adversaries to overthrow or disregarc
: your elections. Signed