MISSOU:!. 



519 



are demanded to rescue the country front the hand* 



:..i-tt"ii \\hose rule is runrkud l>y inca; 



protliiracy, corruption, mid a lir 1 <( kindred e\iU. 



c tin- dominant party struggling in 



. and cliques, in competition for tin: 



spoils ot otHco, and with no better m<>tivr than the 



retention of power mid place. Confronting them U 



< inocracy, sttroii.,' in honest imrpi'M-, un<l pi-r- 



.liM-ipliiu'. NVhateverl-cfulI*. its organization 



will remain intact and unhroken. But while we do 



I'lernite tlte importance of action, and know 



how Bupincness may be misconstrued, tin 



the other hand, remains tho paralyzing fact that any 



- under present circumstances can he no other 

 than a mocker}'. Tho result would be wholly in the 



- of our opponents, and wo know how this ad- 

 vantage would oo used. We cannot advise the 

 Democracy to go into a single-sided trial of thia 

 character. Participation in a mere form like this can 

 onlv mean acquiescence in fraud and wrong, giving tc 

 a shum election the moral character and external 

 appearance of a real one. At the most it would bo a 

 - I 'p "test by moans of ballots against a tyranny 

 which will not allow itself to be put down b"y such 

 means until there shall be a revolution in the party 

 that now maintains it. 



Meantime the evidence of disunion in tho 

 Republican ranks grew more and more palpa- 

 ble every day. In several of the senatorial 

 districts, separate conventions were held, and' 

 rival candidates put in the field. The general 

 State Convention which, met at Jefferson C'ity, 

 i>n the last day of August, was composed of 

 di'lojrates representing all sections of the party, 

 but there was little hope of consolidating their 

 forces. It was the third day of the convention 

 before the committee on resolutions was pre- 

 pared to report. General Carl Schurz was 

 the chairman of that committee, and on the 

 2d of September a report signed by him and 

 four other members was submitted, as follows: 



Jfaolted, 1. That we congratulate the country on 

 the great blessings developed under the auspices of 



the security of the rights and property of tho people, 

 and the rapid diminution of the national and State 

 debts, under economical administration, and the ex- 

 tension of civil and political rights to those who but 

 yesterday lived among us as slaves. 



2. That we are strongly opposed to all schemes to 

 repudiate any part of our State and national debt, 

 and firmly pledge the good faith of the Republican 

 party to a conscientious discharge of our public obli- 

 gations. 



8. That the Republican party stands pledged to 

 remove all disqualifications and restrictions imposed 

 upon the late rebels in the same measure as the spirit 

 or disloyaltv may die out, and as may be consistent 

 with tho safety of the loyal people ; tnat we consider 

 the time to have come, and we cordially indorse the 

 action of the Legislature of Missouri in submitting to 

 the qualified voters of the State the amendments re- 

 moving all disqualifications from the disfranchised 

 people of Missouri, and conferring equal political 

 rights and privileges on all classes ; and we earnestly 

 recommend them to tho people for their approval and 

 adoption. 



4. That we are opposed to the_ alienation of our 

 public domain to private corporations, to the exclu- 

 sion of actual settlers ; and that the public lands 

 should be held in trust for the landless and laboring- 

 men of the country. 



o. That we are in favor of as rapid a reduction of 

 taxation as will be consistent with the conscientious 



discharge of our public obligations, and inch a re- 

 form in revenue service o will simplify the mode of 

 colleet'mg luxe* and re-luce the number of officials 

 employed f-r that purpose ; and that we are opposed 

 to any' *y utem of taxation which *ill tend to the erc- 

 t 'monopolies, and benefit one industry or in- 

 at the expense of another. 



6. That while as Americans we feel In duty bound 

 to |.n - r. a just and equitable neutrality in the con- 



vr raging in Europe, yet we cannot forget that 

 in our late war the sympathies and material aid of tbo 

 Jet-man states were freely given us, and we do not 

 hesitate to declare our unqualified sympathy with the 



elforts of the Germans to maintain and defend 

 their national unity ; and we condemn the course 

 which the Democratic press of the country has been 

 i.inl is now pursuing in support of a despotic and im- 

 perial dynasty and a causeless war against a people 

 desiring peace and aspiring to perfect liberty. 



7. That we cordially recommend to the people of 

 the State the adoption of the constitutional amend- 

 ment providing against the diversioi. of the public 

 school fund for sectarian purposes. 



The following minority report, signed by 

 three members of the committee, was then 

 presented : 



We, the undersigned, members of the committee 

 on resolutions, concur in the majority report of said 

 committee, except as to the third resolution therein 

 embraced, and recommend the following as a substi- 

 tute for said resolution : 



sohd. That we are in favor of reSnfranchising 

 those justly disfranchised for participation in the 

 late rebellion as soon as it can be done with safety to 

 the State, and that we concur in the propriety of the 

 Legislature having submitted to the whole people 

 of the State the question whether such time has now 

 arrived ; upon which question we recognize the right 

 of any member of the party to vote his honest con- 

 victions. 



One member of the committee offered, as a 

 further minority report, the following addition 

 to the third resolution presented by the ma- 

 jority : 



And be it further rttolred. That, reiving upon the 

 patriotic wisdom and enlightened judgment of tho 

 Republican voters of the State to decide upon the 

 important questions of State policy for the best in- 

 terest of the whole people and for the future peace 

 and prosperity of the btate, and respecting honest, 

 conscientious differences of opinion among our peo- 

 ple, we do not hold support or opposition to these 

 amendments a test of party fealty. 



On the proposition to adopt this as an 

 amendment, a discussion arose, which was par- 

 ticipated in with the utmost warmth by Gen- 

 eral Schnrz and other prominent members of 

 the convention, and finally resulted in tho 

 adoption of the minority report by a vote of 

 439 to 842. 



On tho announcement of this vote tho ut- 

 most excitement and confusion prevailed. 

 When comparative order was restored, Gen- 

 eral McNeill mounted a chair and gave notice 

 " to tho friends of the majority report, as re- 

 ported by the committee of liberal Republi- 

 cans, and to the friends of the enfranchise- 

 ment of the white man, that they will with- 

 draw from this convention to the Senate Cham- 

 ber," whereupon nearly 250 delegates left the 

 convention, headed by Carl Schurz. An at- 

 tempt was afterward made in the regular con- 



