Democratic Sentinel, Volume 3, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 June 1879 — OHIO DEMOCRACY. [ARTICLE]

OHIO DEMOCRACY.

Platform Adopted at the Recent State Convention. Resolved, That the Democracy of Ohio demand free and fair elections, and to that end denounce all interference with elections by the military power. That the experience of this and other countries has abundantly proved that the presence of troops at the polls is destructive of freedom of elections, and is incompatible with the existence of free institutions. That the laws enacted by Congress, which, under pretense of regulating the manner of Congressional elections, interfere with the election of State officers, and overthrow the laws of the States governing the choice of such officers, are unconstitutional, and for that reason ought to be repealed. That thev are also instrumentalities of fraud, force and corruption, by which the party in power uses the money of the people to corrupt, and thousands of irresponsible officers to harass and coerce, the voter’s, and especially by force and fraud to deprive our naturalized citizens of the right to vote, and for these reasons also said laws ought to be immediately repealed. Resolved, That impartial juries are essential to the administration of justice, and thereby to the preservation of liberty. That no man can be secure in his person or property when the juries are packed and controlled by the Government police and for partisan purposes; that, tinder the Federal jury laws now in existence, juries may be, and have been, so packed and controlled, and that the highest interests of Justice and free government require tlrat these aws be changed so as to secure fair, iihpartial and independent juries in the Federal courts. Resolved, That the Republican minority in Congress, by refusing to vote supplies to maintain the Government, unless the majority would agree to the use of troops at the polls, and also the maintenance of the unconstitutional, corrupting, violent and unjust election laws aforesaid, and the President of the United States, by his unprecedented use of the veto power in order to perpetuate said laws and the use of armed men at the polls, have shown a spirit of faction and a devotion to party success instead of the welfare of the country, and the preservation of its constitution and liberties, that demand the condemnation of the whole American people. Resolved, That President Hayes, by his frequent interposition of the veto, in order to defeat legislation that was plainly constitutional, that in no way interfered with the independence of any other department of the Government, and had received the most mature consideration of Congress, has shown Utter disregard of the considerations and principles that in- . duced the insertion of the veto power in the constitution, and a like disregard of the wishes and welfare of the people. Resolved, That we declare it as the sense of the Democracy of Ohio that not a dollar should be appropriated by Congress to pay soldiers, Marshals, Deputy Marshals, or Supervisors of Election to interfere with or control elections.

Resolveel, That the efforts of the Republican party to open and keep alive the war feeling between the North and South are to be condemned by every lover of his country. . Resolved, That we reaffirm the financial principles heretofore advocated by the Democratic party of Ohio, that the issue of money in any form and the regulation thereof belong to the General Government alone, and ought not to be delegated or intrusted to individuals or corporations; that we, therefore, oppose the perpetuation of the present national-bank system as a means of control over the currency of tho country, and demand the gradual substitution of treasury notes for national-bank currency, to be made receivable for all dues, and a legaltender equality with coin, such Government issues to be regulated upon the principles established by legislation or organic law, so as to secure the greatest possible stability of value. Resolved, That after changing the valuation of all property from the scale of paper money, by which the heavy burden of debts now resting upon the people were created, to the former level of gold and silver, the change then made in the metallic standard itself by the demonetization of silver was a monstrous fraud upon the people, cunningly devised in the interest of the holders of bonds, that should be condemned as a violation of every principle of honest dealing' 4 , and a covert assault upon the fundamental

rights of property, Mid we, therefore, demand the full restoration of silver to its original place as a metal, the same as gold. Resolved, That the rapid increase of the in-terest-bearing debt of the Government under the present administration ought to excite the serious apprehension of the people. We demand that the further increase in the bonded debt in time of peace be stopped, and it put in process of extinction. Resolved, That the attack made upon the State Legislature in the Republican platform is wholly undeserved, and that the Legislaturein its arduous work of codifying the laws of the State, and in the reduction of fees and salaries of county officers, and the passage of a law to protect the ballot and prevent bribery at elections—deserves the commendation of the people of the State. Resolved, That it is the duty of our Government to maintain to its fullest extent the doctrine that a man may, in good faith, change his habitation and become a arizen of any country. We should protect, in every part of the world, all our naturalized citizens as we would our native-born, and should resist all improper claims upon them by governments to which they no longer owe allegiance. We demand that existing treaties with all foreign governments be rigidly enforced, and that early steps betaken to obtain from the German empire the fullest recognition of the rights of expatriation, of the rights of our naturalized atizens returning or having property there, by a modification of the treaty existing between ns.