OHIO. 



611 



public confidence as such ; that it is now only an Ad- 

 ministration or Grant party, dating back to March 4, 

 1869, and to be judged by its record since ; and that 

 upon that record, totally hostile to the doctrines and 

 policy herein maintained, and wholly committed to 

 the policies and doctrines herein denounced, it de- 

 serves the emphatic condemnation of the people. 



The Democratic State Convention assembled 

 in Columbus, June 1st, and nominated the fol- 

 lowing ticket : for Governor, George W. Mc- 

 Cook ; Lieutenant-Governor, Samuel F. Hunt ; 

 Supreme Judge, G. W. Geddes; Auditor of 

 State, Joseph E. Cockerill ; Treasurer of State, 

 Gustav Bruehl; Attorney - General, Edward 

 S. Wallace; State Commissioner of Common 

 Schools, William W. Eoss; Clerk of Supreme 

 Court, Charles Patterson; member of Board 

 of Public Works, Arthur Hughes. 



The following resolutions were adopted : 

 Hesolved, by the Democracy of Ohio 



1. That, denouncing the extraordinary means by 

 which they were brought about, we recognize as ac- 

 complished facts the three amendments to the Con- 

 stitution recently declared adopted, and consider the 

 same as no longer political issues before the country. 



2. "We demand that the rule of strict construction 

 as proclaimed by the Democratic fathers, accepted 

 by the statesmen of all parties previous to the war, 

 and embodied in the tenth amendment to the Con- 

 stitution, be^rigorously applied now to the Constitu- 

 tion as it is, including the three recent amendments 

 above referred to, and insist that these amendments 

 shall not be held to have in any respect altered or 

 modified the original theory and character of the 

 Federal Government, but only to have enlarged the 

 powers delegated to it, and to that extent and no 

 more to have abridged the reserved rights of the 

 States; and that, as thus construed, the Democratic 

 party pledges itself to a full, faithful, and absolute 

 execution and enforcement of the Constitution as it 

 now is, so as to secure equal rights to all persons 

 under it without distinction of race, color, or con- 

 dition. 



3. That _the absolute equality of each and every 

 State within the Union is a fundamental principle of 

 the Federal Government. 



4. That we will always cherish and uphold the 

 American system of State and local government for 

 State and local purposes, and a General Government 

 for general purposes only, and are unalterably op- 

 posed to all attempts at centralization or consolida- 

 tion of power in the hands of the General Govern- 

 ment, and the more especially when such attempts 

 are in the form of usurpation by any department of 

 that Government ; and further, that we adhere firm- 

 ly to the principle of maintaining a perfect inde- 

 pendence between coordinate departments of the 

 Government, the legislative, the executive, and the 

 judicial, condemning all encroachments by one upon 

 the functions of the other. 



5. While the fundamental law as expressed in the 

 Constitution is necessarily paramount until abro- 

 gated as prescribed by that instrument, all legisla- 

 tion is in its nature and purpose temporary and sub- 

 ject to change, modification, or repeal, at the will of 

 a majority of the people, expressed through the law- 

 making power, and that the pretence that any act of 

 Congress, not executed and spent, or any legislative 

 policy of a party, is an absolute finality, is totally 

 inconsistent with the whole theory of a republican 

 government, and that it is the unquestionable right 

 of the people, of themselves and through their rep- 

 resentatives, at each successive election, and in each 

 successive Congress, to judge of what legislation is 

 necessary and proper or appropriate to carry into 

 execution, and enforce the constitutional powers, 

 rights, and duties, of the Federal Government. 



[For the 6th, 7th, and 8th resolutions, see the 7th, 

 16th, and 17th in the preceding platform.] 



9. That we are in favor of a strictly revenue tariff 

 conformed to theory and principles of all other just 

 and wise tax-laws, and opposed to the protection the- 

 ory, so called. 



10. That the profligate corruption and wanton ex- 

 travagance which pervade every department of the 

 Federal Government, the sacrifice of the interest of 

 labor to aggrandize a handful of aristocrats, the 

 wicked deprivation of the people of their rightful 

 heritage in public lands which have been made gifts 

 to railroad and other monopolists, the payment of 

 more than twenty million dollars premium during 

 the Administration of President Grant, in Govern- 

 ment bonds payable at par, for the maintenance, at 

 an annual cost to the people, of nearly thirty million 

 dollars, of an unconstitutional, oppressive, and ex- 

 tortionate system of banking, whereby money is 

 made scarce and interest high, are abuses which call 

 for wise and thorough remedies. 



11. That we are in favor of strict economy, and of 

 a large reduction in the expenditures of the Federal 

 and State Governments ; of the civil service reform ; 

 the collection of internal revenue by the State author- 

 ities, thereby returning to honest labor the myriads 

 of tax-gatherers who eat up the substance of the land ; 

 and of the speedy trial, conviction, and punishment, 

 of the thieves who have stolen the taxes paid by the 

 people. 



12. That, while we reject repudiation, we equally 

 reject the proposition to pay bondholders more than 

 the contract demands; that if bondholders have 

 rights, so have the tax-payers, and we insist upon jus- 

 tice being done to both; that the creditor is entitled 

 to be paid in the same currency he loaned to the Gov- 

 ernment ; that when he loaned greenbacks, he should 

 be paid in greenbacks, unless the contract otherwise 

 provides, and when he loaned gold he should be paid 

 in gold ; that, to guard against too great expansion, 

 greenbacks should be made convertible into three 

 per cent, bonds, at the option of the note-holders, 

 said bonds to be redeemed in greenbacks on de- 



such a policy would secure a uniform currency and 

 stop gambling in gold, and thereby elevate the credit 

 of the Government. 



13. That, with the watchword of reform, we confi- 

 dently go to the country ; that we believe the inter- 

 ests of the great body of the people are the same ; 

 that, without regard to past political associations, 

 they are friends of free government ; that they are 

 equally honest,, brave, and patriotic, and we appeal 

 to them as to our brothers and countrymen, to aid us 

 to obtain relief from the grievous abuses which in- 

 jure and oppress every one except the wrong-doers 

 and oppressors themselves. 



14. Upon State issues we resolve that we are in 

 favor of calling a convention as provided for by Article 

 III. of the State constitution. 



The Eepublican State Convention met in 

 Columbus, June 21st, and put in nomination 

 the following ticket : For Governor, Edward 

 F. Noyes; Lieutenant-Governor, Jacob Muel- 

 ler; Judge of Supreme Court, William H. 

 West; Auditor of State, James Williams; 

 Treasurer of State, Isaac Welch; Attorney- 

 General, Francis B. Pond; State Commis- 

 sioner of Common Schools, Thomas W. Har- 

 vey ; Clerk of Supreme Court, Eodney Foos ; 

 member of Board of Public Works, Stephen 

 E. Hosmer. The following platform of prin- 

 ciples was adopted : 



Resolved, by the Eepublicans of Ohio in conven- 

 tion assembled, as follows : 



