Year: 1872

The Cincinnati Convention was pre-
eminehtly a collection of sore-heads and
obscure individuals ambitious of notori-
ETY.. Its prime movers were completely
left ott in the cold, except b. Gratz Brown
and Frank Blair. The platform adopted
is too long-winded and lengthy for pub
lication, especially when It's intrinsic mer-
its are considered Taken as Il whole it is
simply tissue Of unmeaning platltudes,
lacking in painness of expression, and
evidently framed for the sole purpose Of
not alternating votes If it does not catch
them. As we understand it, there are
but two issues presented First, General
Amnesty Second, One Term for Presi-
dent. On the first point, President Grant
anticipated them several months by re-
commencing 10 Congress legislation for
that purpose. On the second point, the
American People have established the
precedent that Chief Magistrate shall
be reelected just Ms often as he suits them.
To say that no citizen shall hold office
more than one term, reflects upon the
capacity of the voters TO select their rulers
and is an abandonment of "A belief in the
safety of "a Government by the people
for the people" There is no necessity for
any such restriction. 1t is frequently the
ca.c that by chance or by well-dcvised
schemes comparatively unknown persons
are paced in official position. To be re-
elected there must be no well-founded
grounds Of complaint. The American
people are too intelligent and too Jealous
in such matters to choose a fellow-citze
three times to the same Office, except in
an extraordinary case. OF this our Ma
tional, State and local history furnishes a
convincing demonstration. Only one
President was ever rendered the third
term Of office. Need we state that he
was George Washington ?


What Il foundation is this upon which
to build party Tested by the light Of
candid, philosophical investigation, it is
u
upon the powers of the people to choose
their own Chief Magistrate, and to the
same extent an assertion that they are
incapable of choosing to their best advant-
age. Talk about Capitalization this is n
long stride towards it. When we begin
to limit the expression Of the popular
IL az
must not choose the same man twice !;
next, they must take him from partic-
ular class next, only certain classes Of
citizens shah have voice in the matter


After that an oiigarchy results As a mat
ter of course then comes a tyrant rev
olution follows, with anarchy and blood
shed its attendant ministers, and lastly
despotism reigns supreme over what was
once n free, prosperous and intelligent
By the guiding light Of history we can
look backward into the far past. We
can perceive, if We do not willtulIy shut
our eyes to the truth, the rock upon which
all Governments nave gone To wreck.
The United States are based upon the
fundamental doctrine that the people are
capable Of self government. Deny this
proposition and Repubicansm is an ad-
mitted failure. This is the doctrine and
the only lasting issue presented by the
Cincinnati Platform. We denounce it rs



II dangerous political hercsy. In this re-
public of ours, unless we adopt the saying
cor popuH coc Del as our motto, we are
at sea without chart or compass. When
the time arrives that 1.-THE sober second
thought Of the American people cannot
be relied upon us the unerrng tribunal of
last resort, then goOd-by to popular gov
ernment in these United States Of America.