472 



MARYLAND. 



pressed by a gigantic national debt, and that we 

 insist that the tariff be so regulated as to provide 

 only a sufficient revenue for general uses, and not 

 for the purpose of enriching the few at the expense 

 of the many. 



Resolved, That agriculture, manufactures, and 

 commerce, should be the equal care of well-regu- 

 lated governments ; obstructions to any of them 

 should be removed, but no favoritism should be 

 extended to either at the expense of the others ; that 

 labor and capital are mutually dependent, and equal 

 justice demands that legislation should, as far as 

 practicable, harmonize their conflicts, and prevent 

 the one from oppressing or obtaining undue ad- 

 vantage over the other ; that we protest against the 

 multiplication of Federal offices, the assignment to 

 them of unusually high salaries, and the abuse of 

 Federal patronage, which tends to dwarf the States 

 and corrupt free institutions. 



Resolved, That we protest against any increase of 

 the circulating currency, but demand that such 

 measures be adopted by Congress as will result in 

 the resumption of specie payments at the earliest 

 possible moment. 



Resolved, That we are opposed to the granting of 

 subsidies to railway or steamship companies, or other 

 monopolies, as unwarrantable in law, corrupting in 

 tendency, and utterly subversive of the principles 

 of good republican government. 



Resolved, That we point with just pride to the 

 administration of our State affairs by the Demo- 

 cratic-Conservative party, in the firm maintenance 

 of the law, for the pure administration of justice, 

 for the advancement of public education, and for 

 its strong support of our admirable system of pub- 

 lic schools ; for the financial skill displayed in 

 keeping the evidences of our State debt in such high 

 rank among public securities, and for the general 

 good order prevailing throughout the limits of the 

 State. 



Resolved, That in the nominees of this convention 

 the people will find gentlemen fit for the. various 

 positions for which they are named, whose past 

 fidelity in public station is a pledge for the proper 

 discharge of any new duties imposed on them ; and 

 we appeal to men of all shades of party opinion, for 

 their support of these candidates, who embody iu 

 themselves those cardinal characteristics of faithful 

 officials, "honesty and capacity," and we hereby 

 pledge our most earnest efforts to secure their elec- 

 tion at the polls. 



^ After the action of the Democratic Conven- 

 tion, a movement in opposition was set on 

 foot under the name of the "Citizens' Reform 

 party." Several meetings were held in its 

 interest, and various organizations of a secret 

 character, alleged to be pledged to opposition 

 to Roman Catholic power and influence, allied 

 themselves with it. The avowed basis of the 

 reform movement was the determination to 

 secure a correction of abuses, extravagance, 

 and irregularities in the State administration. 



The Republican State Convention, which first 

 met at Westminster, on the 8th of September, 

 adjourned after adopting the following resolu- 

 tion : 



Whereat, We have seen with profound satisfaction 

 the uprising of the great masses of the people of 

 Maryland, without regard to previous party ties, 

 whose only object is to secure honest and equal gov- 

 ernme-nt, and we shall best show our devotion to the 

 highest public good by declaring our desire to co- 

 therefore heartily with such movement: 



Resolved. That a committee of one from each 

 eounty and one from eaclx legislative district of Bal- 



timore City be appointed by the delegates of each 

 county and district to center with all organized 

 friends of reform, with the view to the selection of 

 candidates for Governor, Attorney-General, and Con- 

 troller, and that said committee shall report the 

 result of their consultation for the action of this con- 

 vention at an adjourned meeting to be held in Balti- 

 more, on Wednesday, September 22d, at 12 M. 



The committee of conference was appointed 

 and immediately entered into consultation with 

 representatives of the Citizens' party. When 

 the convention reassembled at Baltimore on 

 the 22d, the following report was made by this 

 committee and unanimously accepted : 



Your committee found that the " original friends 

 of reform" consisted of the organization known as 

 the " Citizens' Reform party," and the committee 

 appointed by the meeting held at the Masonic Tem- 

 ple, Baltimore, on the 7th of September, known as 

 the " Merchants' Committee." After a full, frank, 

 and harmonious conference with the committees of 

 said organizations, and the interchange of opinion 

 very freely among the members of your committee 

 at several sessions of their own body, the committees 

 of the two reform organizations and your committee 

 have agreed on the selection for the following can- 

 didates for Governor, Attorney-General, and Con- 

 troller, as a reform ticket : For Governor, J. Morrison 

 Harris ; Attorney-General, S. Teackle Wallis ; Con- 

 troller, Edward Wilkins. 



Your committee recommend the acceptance of this 

 ticket, and the recommendation of it to the support 

 of the voters of the Republican party, and propose to 

 the convention the adoption of the accompanying 

 resolution : 



Resolved, That the report of the committee ap- 

 pointed to confer with the organized friends of re- 

 form is hereby accepted and adopted, and the reform 

 ticket reported by them to the convention, consist- 

 ing of J. Morrison Harris for Governor, S. Teackle 

 Wallis for Attorney-General, and Edward Wilkins 

 for Controller, is hereby recommended to the cordial 

 support of the Republican voters of the State. 



The following was adopted as the platform 

 of the convention : 



We, the representatives of the Republican party 

 of the State of Maryland, in convention assembled, 

 while adhering to those principles which that party 

 has in the past so triumphantly vindicated before the 

 American people, nevertheless being satisfied that it 

 is the first and most imperative duty of every Re- 

 publican to cooperate with those patriotic citizens 

 of Maryland, who have so nobly ignored party ties 

 and party questions, and are engaged in an earnest 

 effort to restore honest and pure government to our 

 State, do, therefore, declare and resolve that we are 

 earnestly in favor of an honest and economical ad- 

 ministration of the Government, both State and na- 

 tional, of the fulfillment of every pledge as to the 

 payment of our State and Federal obligations, of the 

 return to specie payment at the earliest practicable 

 moment, and the cessation of all further expansion 

 of 'the currency; the equal taxation of all property 

 of whatever kind in the State ; the appropriation of 

 State money for State purposes only, and the im- 

 provement and liberal support of the school system ; 

 that we deprecate the corruption existing in the ad- 

 ministrations of the State government of Maryland, 

 and hail with joy the uprising of the people to de- 

 stroy the rings and cliques that have fastened their 

 fangs on the vitals of the State ; and we do hereby 

 pledge ourselves to expose, denounce, and punish 

 venality and corruption among public officials wher- 

 ever and whenever it may be discovered, and to this 

 end we invite the cordial cooperation of all Republi- 

 cans^ throughout the State, with those who have 

 nominated and secured the acceptance of J. Morrison 



