658 



OREGON. 



preceding each State election, to examine the rival 

 tickets to see if true temperance candidates have 

 been put in nomination for office, especially for the 

 Legislature. 



Resolved, That, in case it is found that true temper- 

 ance candidates have been put in nomination by both 

 Democrats and Republicans, we do not consider it 

 necessary to nominate any separate ticket ; and in 

 case it is deemed that only one of the rival candi- 

 dates for an office will honestly favor our cause, that 

 that one be designated as our candidate ; and in case 

 no truly temperance candidate has been nominated 

 for any important office, that an independent candi- 

 date be put in the field, in whom we have full confi- 

 dence. 



The following were also adopted, after a 

 warm debate : 



W7tereas. This Alliance realizes the power of the 

 ballot in all public reforms ; and 



Whereas, Women are everywhere recognized as 

 legitimate auxiliaries in the temperance movement, 

 and have proved themselves active and efficient 

 members of this Alliance, and have here freely ex- 

 ercised their right to vote ; therefore 



Resolved, That we urge upon the Legislature of the 

 State of Oregon the necessity of passing an act in- 

 structing the judges of elections to receive the votes 

 of women upon the subject of temperance, under 

 the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments, in their 

 various precincts. 



A bill was drawn up and unanimously 

 adopted, to be submitted to the Legislature, as 

 an amendment to the existing license laws. 



The Eepublican State Convention was held 

 at Portland, on the 20th of March. No State 

 officers were to be nominated. J. G. "Wilson 

 was nominated for Representative in Congress, 

 and delegates to the National Convention were 

 named, and a ticket for presidential electors 

 adopted. A platform was adopted, which 

 lauded the achievements of the national Ad- 

 ministration and of the Republican party, and 

 contained the following declarations : 



We admit of no distinctions between citizens, 

 whether of native or foreign birth ; and therefore 

 we favor the granting of full amnesty to the people 

 of those States lately in rebellion; and we here 

 pledge the full and effective protection of our civil 

 laws to all persons voluntarily coming to or residing 

 in our land. 



We favor the encouragement of railroads by the 

 General Government of the United States, and hold 

 that such disposition should be made of .the public 

 lands as shall secure the same to actual settlers only, 

 in quantities not exceeding 160 acres. 



That while we are in favor of a revenue for the 

 support of the General Government, by duties upon 

 imports, sound policy requires such adjustment of 

 those duties on imports as to encourage the devel- 

 opment of the industrial interest of the whole coun- 

 try ; and we recommend that policy of national ex- 

 change which secures to the working-men liberal 

 wages ; to agriculture, remunerative prices ; to me- 

 chanics and manufacturers an adequate reward for 

 their skill, labor, and enterprise, and to the nation 

 commercial prosperity and independence. 



We believe that popular education is the soleHrue 

 basis and hope of a free government, and shall ever 

 oppose any diversion of, or interference with, the 

 common-school funds or lands in this State, for any 

 other than their legitimate purpose ; and we condemn 

 the act of favoritism by the last Legislature, where- 

 by $200,000, taken from the school fund, were grant- 

 ed to a corporation consisting mainly of Democratic 

 leaders and party favorites, for the construction of a 

 work which another corporation, entirely sound and 



responsible, offered to construct for $75,000 less ; and 

 that we are in favor of the passage by the Legisla- 

 ture _of an efficient school law, such as shall secure to 

 all citizens of our State a good common-school edu- 

 cation. 



We find no terms sufficiently strong to express 

 our disapproval of those acts of the last Legislature 

 whereby the swamp-lands belonging to this State 

 have been taken from the needy settlers, and given 

 without limit or proper competition in price to the 

 land grabber ancf speculator; whereby the emolu- 

 ments and salaries of State officers have been un- 

 constitutionally increased, and the taxes increased 

 thousands of dollars by the creation of new and un- 

 necessary offices and salaries, for the purpose of pro- 

 viding' for party favorites ; and whereby the citizens 

 of our metropolis have been deprived of and denied 

 the right of controlling their police authority. And 

 we equally condemn the administration of our State 

 officers and laws as extravagant, reckless, illegal, and 

 destructive, and we rightfully charge all these re- 

 sults as the acts of the Democratic party. 



That the Eepublican party of this State are in fa- 

 vor of the General Government extending aid tow- 

 ard building a railroad from Portland, Oregon, to 

 Salt Lake City, and from Jackson County to Hum- 

 boldt, and we hereby pledge our party representa- 

 tives to the support of the same. 



That the indiscriminate licensing of persons to 

 sell spirituous liquors without being placed under 

 proper responsibilities for the abuse thereof, having 

 been found by experience to promote the growth 01 

 crime and pauperism, and thereby to seriously in- 

 crease the rate of taxation, the Republican party rec- 

 ognizes the right and duty of the law-making power 

 to prevent and limit the evils and abuses ot such 

 sale, so far as concerns the public good, and is con-, 

 sistent with individual liberty, by refusing to li- 

 cense other than law-abiding and responsible per- 

 sons, who can furnish sufficient sureties for good 

 conduct. 



That the Republican party of Oregon is in favor 

 of obtaining assistance from the General Govern- 

 ment for the construction of a wagon-road from the 

 city of Portland to the Dalles, recognizing this as a 

 most important and necessary improvement for the 

 State. 



We hail the " new departure " of the late Demo- 

 cratic party, taken by the action of their conventions 

 in seven States, as an affirmation of the principles 

 for which the Republican party has contended for 

 the last ten years ; and in the ' r passive policy " of 

 that party, already assumed in several of the States, 

 we recognize an acknowledgment of their hopeless- 

 ness of success in the coming Presidential campaign. 



The Democratic Convention was held at 

 Dalles, on the 10th of April. John Burnett 

 was nominated for Congress, and the follow- 

 ing platform adopted : 



Resolved, I. That we, the Democratic party of the 

 State of Oregonj are pledged to a strict construction 

 of the Constitution, the restoration and preservation 

 of the rights of the States to regulate their internal 

 affairs, and especially the elective franchise, tree 

 from the control or interference of the General Gov- 

 ernment; the protection of individual rights in ac- 

 cordance with the fundamental laws of the land, 

 including the rights to the writ ofltabeas corpus, trial 

 by jurv, and freedom from unreasonable searches 

 and seizures. 



2. That we are opposed to every species of cor- 

 ruption in all departments of the municipal, State, 

 and national Governments. 



3. That our motto is. no privileged classes and no 

 privileged capital. , 



4. That we are in favor of a tariff to raise money 

 only for the necessary expenses of the Federal Gov- 

 ernment, and not for the benefit of monopolists. 



5. That we view with alarm the flagrant and open 



