CONNECTICUT. 



203 



Resolved, That our Government, recognizing no dis- 

 tinction between native-born and adopted citizens, 

 should demand of other nations the immediate and 

 unconditional release of all citizens of the United 

 States illegally held in military service, or in custody 

 for pretended political oftences not committed on 

 their soil ; and it is the duty of the Government to 

 enforce that demand, if necessary, witli all the power 

 of the nation. 



Resolved, That the thanks of the American people 

 are due to the Union soldiers who perilled their lives 

 in defence of their country and in vindication of the 

 honor of its flag ; that the nation owes to them, and to 

 the widows and orphan children of those who fell in 

 battle, adequate aid and protectipn ; and that the 

 memories of those who have fallen in its defence shall 

 be held in grateful and everlasting remembrance. 



Resolved, That, on behalf of the loyal people of Con- 

 necticut, we do hereby present as our and their first 

 choice for next President of the United States, Gen- 

 eral Ulysses S. Grant ; that we recognize in him not 

 only the gallant soldier, who led our armies to vic- 

 tory and maintained the Union in its integrity, but 

 also the wise statesman, true to the interests or the 

 people, daily striving to reduce the public expendi- 

 ture, more solicitous for the permanent prosperity of 

 the country than for personal or party success, while 

 at the same time he stands pledged, by his recorded 

 sentiments and historic deeds, to secure and maintain 

 on enduring foundations the principles of the loyal 

 men of the nation who sustained the Government and 

 honor of our flag against treason and armed rebellion. 



The Democratic State Convention assembled 

 at New Haven on January 29th, and nominated 

 James E. English for Governor ; Ephraim H. 

 Hyde, for Lieut.-Governor ; Leverett E. Pease, 

 for Secretary of State ; Edward S. Mosely, 

 Treasurer ; and Jesse Olney, Comptroller. 



The following resolutions were then adopted 

 as expressive of the views of the party: 



Resolved, That the present so-called Congress, con- 

 sisting for the most part of men who have perverted 

 the very objects of a Federal Legislature, by refusing 

 representation to ten of the States of the Union, is, by 

 reason of its existence in its present form, a revolu- 

 tionary body, whose usurpation challenges the oppo- 

 sition of every constitution-loving citizen. 



Resolved, That this assemblage have usurped the 

 authority of the Executive, and so have broken down 

 the balance of power established by the fathers. They 

 are now planning to rob the Judiciary of its powers, in 

 order that it may^ be prevented from deciding in favor 

 of the Constitution ; they have deprived the legis- 

 lative body of its own integrity, by so reducing its 

 numbers as to enable the usurping remainder to carry 

 out their destructive plans; they have denied the 

 sovereign power of all the States, by placing a por- 

 tion of them under military despotism ; they have 

 erected a number of new offices and sent to a portion 

 of the republic a swarm of officers to harass the peo- 

 ple, and they are now loading with taxes the citizens 

 of the North for the purpose of enslaving their breth- 

 ren of the South ; they have in many instances abol- 

 ished the right of trial by jury and the right of 

 habeas corpus, and by military force have overthrown 

 the civil power and deprived our people of their lib- 

 erties ; they have made war on the Constitution, on 

 every department of the Government, on the States, 

 and on the people, and have enslaved the white man 

 in order to give the ballot to the negro. 



Resolved, That the continued and increasing wick- 

 edness and usurpation of this fractional Congress 

 have aroused a popular indignation so just, so deep, 

 and so universal, that the doom of the tyrants is al- 

 ready written, and the prophecy of their destruction 

 is sure to be accomplished at the ballot-box. 



Resolved, That the unconstitutional legislation 

 which we denounce, while it is established for the 



presumed benefit of the negro, is deranging business, 

 paralyzing industry, ruining the merchant and the 

 manufacturer, and depriving the laborer of employ- 

 ment. 



Resolved, That we are in favor of redeeming all our 

 pecuniary obligations and of paying the public debt 

 m the manner provided by law, and that we there- 

 fore feel the necessity of reducing a system of taxa- 

 tion more onerous than that of England or France, 

 and organized in part for the destruction of State 

 sovereignty. The Democratic party are not in favor 

 of repudiating either the debt or the Constitution of 

 the country, and would therefore reduce the taxes as 

 well as restore the liberties of the people. 



Resolved, That the Democratic party^ are the friends 

 of equal taxation^ and will use all constitutional means 

 to accomplish this desirable result. 



Resolved, That the rights of our naturalized citi- 

 zens, while sojourning in foreign countries, should be 

 defended and maintained against every violation with 

 all the power of the Federal Government ; and that, 

 in the language of Governor English, "the Govern- 

 ment should indicate in unmistakable terms its pur- 

 pose to respect the rights of all citizens alike." 



Resolved, That we are opposed to forcing negro suf- 

 frage on other States, or to establishing it in our own. 

 We are opposed to the first, because we have no right 

 to interfere with the domestic affairs of other sover- 

 eignties ; we are opposed to the second, because the 

 introduction of this inferior element would only lead 

 to demoralization. 



Resolved, That all experience has shown the evil 

 consequences and the futility of passing laws to abol- 

 ish the social habits of the people ; that such laws 

 violate the liberty of private judgment, are essentially 

 tyrannical, impossible to execute, and, so far as they 

 are attempted to be enforced, increase the very evil 

 they pretend to remove. 



Resolved, That, for his various vetoes and messages 

 protesting against the illegal acts of a dismembered 

 Congress, and nobly sustaining the organic law of 

 the Kepublic, Andrew Johnson both merits and re- 

 ceives the sincere thanks of the American people. 



Resolved, That in this crisis of the country, when 

 all true patriots should unite their votes and influ- 

 ence, we cordially invite all conservative men to act 

 with us in upholding the rights of the States and the 

 integrity of the Eepublic. 



The election was held on the first Monday 

 in April, with the following result : The whole 

 vote for Governor was 99,325, of which James 

 E. English received 50,541, and Marshall Jew- 

 ell 48,777. The majority for English was 

 1,765. The Legislature, which was elected at 

 the same time, was composed of 12 Kepubli- 

 cans and 9 Democrats in the Senate, and 129 

 Eepublicans and 118 Democrats in the House. 



The conventions for the nomination of presi- 

 dential electors were subsequently held, and at 

 the election in November the Republicans had 

 a majority of votes. The whole vote given 

 was 98,241, of which the Eepuhlican electors 

 received 50,641, and the Democratic electors 

 47,600 Republican majority, 3,041. 



The interest in the public schools of the 

 State has been "rapidly increasing, as indicated 

 by the amount contributed to their .support. 

 This had increased, during the year previous, 

 from $704,986 to $983,806, being more than a 

 quarter of a million of dollars. During the 

 past three years, the amount raised in the 

 State for school purposes has- more than dou- 

 bled. In consequence of the action of the 

 Legislature in withholding any funds from the 



