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UNITED STATES. 



act was passed by Congress, that a majority 

 of the votes cast should be sufficient for the 

 adoption of such constitutions. Under this 

 act, the States of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, 

 Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, and South 

 Carolina, ratified the constitutions respectively 

 recommended by their conventions. Further 

 acts were then passed recognizing these States 

 as members of the Union. The States of Missis- 

 sippi, Texas, and Virginia, failed to complete 

 their reorganization during the year. A joint 

 resolution was also passed by Congress, which 

 excluded these three States from a vote in the 

 presidential election which took place during 

 the year. 



The preparations for this election were early 

 commenced. The National Committee of the 

 Republican party issued their call for a con- 

 vention to nominate candidates for the presi- 

 dency and vice-presidency in February, and 

 designated Chicago as the place and May 20th 

 as the date for such convention. Each State 

 in the United States was authorized to be repre- 

 sented in said convention by a number of dele- 

 gates equal to twice the number of Senators 

 and Representatives to which such State is en- 

 titled in Congress. 



A call was also issued from an adjourned con- 

 ference of Union soldiers and sailors for a con- 

 vention of the same at Chicago on May 19th. 

 Each State and each congressional district was 

 entitled to twenty delegates in the convention. 



The National Democratic Committee, on 

 February 22d, issued a call for a National Dem- 

 ocratic Convention to be held in New York on 

 July 4th. The basis of representation was 

 made the same as that for the Republican Con- 

 vention. At the same time, a call was issued 

 for a Soldiers and Sailors' Convention, to be 

 held at the same place and time, " to advise and 

 cooperate with the Democratic party in pre- 

 senting to the nation a candidate for President." 



On May 19th, the soldiers and sailors, .after 

 an imposing march through the streets, assem- 

 bled in convention in Chicago, and organ- 

 ized by the appointment of John A. Logan, 

 of Illinois, as president, who declined in favor 

 of Governor Fairchild, of Wisconsin. The 

 States of Rhode Island, New York, Massachu- 

 setts, Tennessee, New Hampshire, Delaware, 

 Connecticut, New Jersey, Louisiana, California, 

 Georgia, Vermont, Kentucky, "West Virginia, 

 Ohio, Arkansas, Mississippi, Maine, Nebraska, 

 Missouri, Dakota, Alabama, and Illinois, were 

 represented by large delegations. 



The following resolutions were adopted: 



Resolved, That the soldiers and sailors, steadfast 

 as ever to the Union and its flag, fully recognize the 

 claims of General U. S. Grant to the confidence of the 

 American people, and, believing that the victories 

 acheived under his guidance in war will be now illus- 

 trated by him in times of peace by such measures as 

 shall secure the fruits of our exertions and a restora- 

 tion of the Union upon a loyal basis, we declare it as 

 our deliberate conviction that he is the choice of the 

 soldiers and sailors of the Union for the office of 

 President of the United States. 



Resolved, That in the maintenance of those princi- 



ples which underlie our Government, and for which 

 we fought during four years of war, we pledge our 

 earnest and active support to the Republican party as 

 the only political organization which, in our judg- 

 ment, is true to the principles of loyalty, liberty, 

 and equality before the law. 



Resolved, That, speaking for ourselves, and the sol- 

 diers and sailors who imperilled their lives to preserve 

 the Union, we believe that the impeachment of An- 

 drew Johnson by the House of Representatives for 

 high crimes and misdemeanors in office, and his trial 

 before the United States Senate, have presented un- 

 mistakable proofs of his guilt, and that, whatever may 

 be the judgment of the tribunal before which he is 

 arraigned, the verdict of the people is " guilty ; " and 

 we regard any Senator who has voted for acquittal 

 as falling short of the proper discharge of his duty in 

 this hour of the nation's trial, and unworthy of the 



Resolved, That the soldiers and sailors recognize 

 no difference between native and adopted citizens, 

 and they; demand that the Government protect natu- 

 ralized citizens abroad, as well as those of native 

 birth. 



The National Republican Convention assem- 

 bled on the next day, May 20th, and organized 

 by the appointment of Joseph R. Hawley, of 

 Connecticut, as permanent president. On the 

 next day the following declaration of princi- 

 ples was adopted : 



1. We congratulate the country on the assured suc- 

 cess of the reconstruction project^ of Congress, as 

 evinced by the adoption in a majority of the States, 

 lately in rebellion, of constitutions securing equal 

 civil and politcal rights to all, and regard it as the 

 duty of the Government to sustain these institutions, 

 and to prevent the people of such States from being 

 remitted to a state of anarchy. 



2. The guarantee by Congress of equal suffrage to 

 all loyal men at the South was demanded by every 

 consideration of public safety, of gratitude, and of 

 justice, and must be maintained, while the question 

 of suffrage in all the loyal States properly belongs to 

 the people of these States. 



3. We denounce all forms of repudiation as a na- 

 tional crime, and the national honor requires the 

 payment of the public indebtedness in the utmost 

 good faith to all creditors at home and abroad ; not 

 only according to the letter, but the spirit of the law 

 under which it was contracted. 



4. It is due to the labor of the nation that taxation 

 should be equalized and reduced as rapidly as na- 

 tional facility will admit. 



5. The national debt, contracted as it has been for 

 the preservation of the Union for all time to come, 

 should be extended over a fair period for redemption, 

 and it is the duty of Congress to reduce the rate of in- 

 terest thereon whenever it can honestly be done. 



6. That the best policy to dimmish our burden of 

 debt is to so improve our credit that capitalists will 

 seek to loan us money at lower rates of interest than 

 we now pay, and must continue to pay so long as re- 

 pudiation, partial or total, open or covert, is threat- 

 ened or suspected. 



7. The Government of the United States should 

 be administered with the strictest economy, and the 

 corruptions which have been so shamefully nursed 

 and fostered by Andrew Johnson call loudly for a 

 radical reform. 



8. We profoundly deplore the untimely and tragic 

 death of Abraham Lincoln, and regret the accession 

 of Andrew Johnson to the presidency, who has acted 

 treacherously to the people who elected him and the 

 cause he was pledged to support ; has usurped high 

 legislative and judicial functions ; has refused to ex- 

 ecute the laws ; has used his high office to induce 

 other officers to ignore and violate the laws ; has em- 

 ployed his executive power to render insecure the 



