UNITED STATES. 



703 



demanding for its suppression effective legal prohi- 

 bition, both by the State and national Legislature. 



3. That in view of this, that inasmuch as the ex- 

 isting political parties either oppose or ignore this 

 great and paramount Question, and absolutely refuse 

 to do any thing toward the suppression of the rum- 

 traffic, which is robbing the nation of its brightest 

 intellects, destroying internal prosperity, and rapidly 

 undermining its very foundations, we are driven by 

 an imperative sense of duty to sever our connection 

 with these political parties, and organize ourselves 

 into a National Temperance party, having for its 

 primary object the entire suppression of the traffic in 

 intoxicating drinks. 



4. That while we adopt the name of the National 

 Temperance party, as expressive of our primary ob- 

 ject, and while we denounce all repudiation of the 

 public debt, and pledge fidelity to the principles of 

 the Declaration of Independence and the Federal 

 Constitution, we deem it inexpedient to give promi- 

 nence to other political issues. 



5. That a Central Executive Committee, of one from 

 each State and Territory and the District of Colum- 

 bia, be appointed by the Chair, whose duty it shall 

 be to take such action as, in their judgment, will 

 best promote the interests of the party. 



The action of this convention was not gen- 

 erally heeded by temperance advocates in the 

 several States. 



A National Capital Convention assembled at 

 St. Louis, on October 21st. Its object was by 

 political agitation to effect a removal of the 

 national capital from Washington to some 

 city in the valley of the Mississippi. The fol- 

 lowing were among the resolutions adopted : 



Whereas, The present site of the national capital 

 was selected as the most central point, when the peo- 

 ple of this republic, only a few millions in numoer, 

 inhabited only a narrow strip of country along the 

 Atlantic coast ; and 



Whereas, The population of this republic has in- 

 creased thirteen-fold since then, and spread over a 

 vast continent, of which the States in existence when 

 the seat of government was located form only the 

 eastern edge : and 



Whereas, The present location of the national cap- 

 ital is notoriously inconvenient in times of peace, and, 

 as the darkest pages of our national history demon- 

 strate, in times of war or domestic turbulence is so 

 dangerously exposed as to require vast armaments and 

 untold millions of money for its special defence ; and 



Whereas, All the reasons which caused the location 

 of the seat of government where it now is, have, by 

 the enormous development of the country, and a cor- 

 responding change in the wants of the people, be- 

 come utterly obsolete : therefore, 



illy-located capital for three-quarters of a century, 

 patiently waiting for the Western territory of the 

 Union to be peopled and organized into States, and 

 until the centre of population, area, and wealth .could 

 "be determined, when a permanent place of residence 

 for the government could be selected. That time has 

 now come. All sectional issues are settled ; all dan- 

 gerous domestic variances disposed of; a new era has 

 been entered upon, and a new departure taken. 



Resolved, That, in the language of James Madison, 

 in the Congress of 1789, u an equal attention to the 

 rights of the community is the basis of republics. If 

 we consider the effects of legislative power on the 

 aggregate community we must feel equal inducement 

 to look to the centre in order to find the proper seat 

 of government." This equal attention has not been 

 and cannot be given to the interests and rights of the 

 people so long as the capital is located in an inconven- 

 ient portion of the Union. 



Resolved, That the natural, convenient, and inevi- 

 table place for the capital of the republic is in the 



heart of this valley, where the centre of population, 

 wealth, and power, is irresistibly gravitating; .where 

 the Government, surrounded by numerous millions of 

 brave and Union-loving citizens, would be forever 

 safe against foreign foes or sectional seditions, and 

 where \t would need neither armaments nor standing 

 armies for its protection. 



Resolved, That, while advocating the removal of the 

 seat of government to the Mississippi Valley, we do 

 not mean to serve the interests of any particular local- 

 ity, but that we urge Congress to appoint a commis- 

 sion for the purpose of selecting a convenient site for 

 the national capital in this great valley of the Missis- 

 sippi, pledging ourselves to be satisfied with and to 

 abide by the decision to be arrived at by the national 

 Legislature. 



Resolved, That in urging the removal of the national 

 capital from its present inconvenient, out-of-the-way, 

 and exposed location in the far East, we are in ear- 

 nest, and that we shall not cease in our efforts until 

 that end is accomplished, firmly believing that the 

 absolute necessity for the removal will become more 

 and more apparent every day, and the majority of the 

 American people will not long permit their interests 

 and convenience to be disregarded. 



Resolved, That, the removal of the national capital 

 being only a question of time, we emphatically oppose 

 and condemn all expenditures of money for enlarge- 

 ment of Government buildings and the erection of 

 new ones at the present seat of the national Govern- 

 ment, as a useless and wanton waste of the property 

 of the people. 



A National Woman Suffrage Convention as- 

 sembled at Cleveland, Ohio, on November 24th. 

 One hundred and eighty-three delegates were 

 present from sixteen States. The object of the 

 convention was to form a national organiza- 

 tion as a consummation of the work which had 

 been undertaken during the year to form an 

 association in each State. A constitution was 

 prepared and adopted, and Eev. Henry Ward 

 Beecher was chosen the president of the new 

 organization. 



A convention to consider the subject of the 

 importation of Chinese labor was held at Mem- 

 phis, Tennessee, on July 13th, at which a large 

 amount of information on the subject was pre- 

 sented. 



A National Colored Labor Convention as- 

 sembled in Washington on December 10th. 

 During the session a delegation was sent to 

 the President of the United States, headed by 

 James II. Harris, of North Carolina. 



After each member had been introduced, 

 Mr. Harris said : 



Mr. President: In obedience to a resolution passed 

 at the National Labor Convention that has been in 

 session in this city for the last five days, we are 

 here to tender the thanks of the colored people of the 

 United States for your recognition of their right to 

 positions of honor and trust in the several depart- 

 ments of the Government ; the colored mechanics 

 are especially indebted for the recognition of their 

 right to work in the navy-yards and other depart- 

 ments where skilled labor is employed. I am in- 

 structed to pledge the support of the colored men of 

 the East, West, North, and South, to your Adminis- 

 tration, because they believe that in the position 

 you have taken you are carrying out the fundamental 

 principles of the Eepublican party. 



The President replied : 



I think your movement in organizing your labor is 

 in the right direction. I am willing to do any thing 

 in my power to protect and advance the condition of 



