494 



MICHIGAN. 



years, and all the time in the interest of treason 

 and rebellion against loyalty and patriotism ;_for the 

 promotion of riot, bloodshed, and murder against la-w- 

 and order, and the protection of the innocent, the 

 weak, the helpless; in favor of despotism against 

 liberty ; by this persistent usurpation and wicked- 

 ness he has proved himself one of the greatest crim- 

 inals of the age ; and, with devout thankfulness that 

 his time for further mischief is so short, in any event 

 less than one year, we consign him to the deliberate 

 judgment of impartial history, to the indignation 

 of outraged humanity, and to the righteous retribu- 

 tion of that God who is the Author of all rightful civil 

 government. 



Resolved, That we approve the action of the House 

 of ^Representatives in its recent exercise of its high 

 constitutional prerogative, by the arraignment of An- 

 drew Johnson for high crimes and misdemeanors in 

 office, and believing it to be the constitutional func- 

 tion of the Senate, sitting as a high court of impeach- 

 ment, to finally determine every question _of law and 

 fact arising in the course of the prosecution, we in- 

 voke from all parties a peaceable and law-abiding 

 submission to its judgment in the case. 



Resolved, That we do not and cannot forget the ser- 

 vices rendered by our soldiers in the late war for the 

 Union, and we will ever bear in mind their heroic 

 devotion and wonderful powers, as exhibited on many 

 a well-fought battle-field. 



Resolved, That the reconstruction of the Union on 

 the basis of the equality of all men before the^law, 

 the complete extirpation of slavery, and of the ideas 

 which gave it birth, the speedy restoration of perma- 

 nent peace and prosperity, and the preservation of 

 the public credit and the national faith, are all de- 

 pendent upon the triumph of the national Eepublican 

 party at the coming presidential election. 



Resolved, That we add our voice to the loud acclaim 

 in favor of General Ulysses S. Grant as Eepublican 

 candidate for President, and, while recognizing the 

 ability and public services of others whose names 

 have been presented to the country, we hereby de- 

 clare our preference for Schuyler Colfax, of Indiana, 

 as Vice-President of the United States. 



On the first Monday in April the electors of 

 the State voted upon the question of adopting 

 the revised constitution which had been pre- 

 pared for submission to the people by the con- 

 vention held the preceding summer. The whole 

 number of votes returned to the State canvass- 

 ers the counties of Manitou and Marquette 

 not reporting was as follows : 



For the revised constitution 71,733 



Against the same 110,582 



Majority against 38,849 



At the same time the question whether the 

 Legislature should meet annually, or hold bien- 

 nial sessions only, as now, was voted upon 

 with the following result : 



For annual sessions 24,482 



For biennial sessions 100,314 



Majority against annual sessions 75,832 



The people also at the same election voted 

 upon the question of incorporating in the new 

 constitution, if adopted, a clause similar to the 

 one in the existing constitution, prohibiting 

 the Legislature from passing any law author- 

 izing the grant of licenses to sell intoxicating 

 drinks. The following was the vote : 



For the prohibitory article 72,462 



Against the same 86,143 



Majority against 13,681 



So no change was effected in the constitu- 

 tion by this election. 



The Democratic State Convention, to elect 

 delegates to the National Convention, met at 

 Detroit, May 29th, and adopted the following 

 platform : 



The Democracy of Michigan, in justice to them- 

 selves, and with respect for their Democratic breth- 

 ren of the nation, make the following statement of 

 their views of the political situation, and the issues 

 arising in the approaching presidential campaign : 



Resolved, That the best political administration is 

 that which most fully harmonizes with the funda- 

 mental principles of our government ; which are : 



1. That all power emanates from the people, and 

 must be used by a majority for the benefit of the peo- 

 ple. 



2. That the powers which the people, by written 

 constitutions, have intrusted to the Federal Govern- 

 ment and its several departments, must be strictly 

 construed and sacredly preserved. 



Resolved, That the trust, now as ever, reposed by 

 the Democracy in the intelligence, patriotism, and 

 justice of the people, who are the source of power, 

 and its faithful observance of the limitations of the 

 Constitution, which is the limitation of power, prove 

 its political harmony with the fundamental ideafe of 

 our institutions, and explain its successful adminis- 

 tion of the Government during two-thirds of our na- 

 tional existence. 



Resolved, That, on the contrary, our political antag- 

 onists, who under many names first as Federalists, 

 and then as Eepublicans have, with occasional suc- 

 cess, contended with us for power, have never adapt- 

 ed their policy, when in power, to the primary ideas 

 of our government, and, consequently, as often as 

 tried have failed to administer the government ac- 

 cording to its chartered powers, and to retain the 

 confidence of a distrustful people. 



Resolved, That the difference between American 

 Democracy and Federalism is radical, and as eternal 

 as the laws of mind ; and as long as men segregate, 

 by affinity, into political organization, so long the 

 Democratic policy will, and the Federal Eepublican 

 policy will not, harmonize with our form of govern- 

 ment ; and the adherents of the latter can never es- 

 tablish such harmony until they change their na- 

 tures, or the forms of our government. The first is 

 impossible the last is revolution. 



Resolved, That revolution, therefore, is the logical 

 tendency 'and (if not arrested) the necessary result 

 of Bepublicanism, to which its leaders consciously, 

 and the people unconsciously, are now rapidly ad- 

 van'cing. 



In proof of this, we have the notorious facts that 

 its leaders do not profess to administer the govern- 

 ment as it is, but as they think it ought to be ; that 

 they find their authority, not in the written right 

 given by the people, but in abstract right or " higher 

 law," and justify their action to the people, whose 

 trust they have betrayed, by insulting professions of 

 a desire to promote the general welfare." 



The following facts from its history also prove its 

 consistent disregard of the people and their organic 

 law, and its steady tendency toward consolidated 

 power. In former times it passed alien and sedition 

 laws, established and defended bank monopolies, put 

 in form high and > oppressive tariffs, and organized to 

 deprive the foreigner of all political rights. While, 

 during our recent fearful ^struggle to preserve _ the 

 Union, it took from loyal citizens, guilty of no crime, 

 life, liberty, and property, without due process of 

 law ; it muzzled the press ; it suppressed and pun- 

 ished free speech ; it squandered our money to pam- 

 per and corrupt its favorites; it placed heavy and 

 unequal' bur dens on the poor ; it exempted the rich 

 from military service, and the bondholder from taxes ; 

 it paid government indebtedness to the rich with gold, 



