86 



CALIFORNIA. 



in its principles is the only security of national ex- 

 istence, prosperity, and honor. 



Resolved, That in suppressing the great rebellion, 

 begun and prosecuted by one wing of the Demo- 

 cratic party, countenanced and aided by the other, 

 and in destroying slavery and preserving the nation, 

 the Republican party justly earned the gratitude of 

 the lovers of liberty and good government every- 

 where ; yet as a political party it cannot long endure 

 and receive popular support solely on renown al- 

 ready achieved, however brilliant, but mustgo^for- 

 ward and courageously deal with other questions 

 now demanding consideration, and that among such 

 questions there is none more pressing or important 

 than reform in the civil service of the Government, 

 and the complete extirpation of the spoils system, in- 

 augurated by the Democratic party. 



Resolved, That we both admire and approve the 

 action of those who have been, and are still, engaged 

 in the prosecution and punishment of official dis- 

 honesty ; that we are in favor of an economical 

 administration of the Government by honest, faith- 

 ful, and capable officers. 



Resolved, That the Republican party of California 

 deprecates now, as it has done at all times in the 

 past, the presence among us of hordes of servile 

 Chinese, inimical to our advancement as a nation ; 

 that, while the Democratic party has repeatedly re- 

 solved against the introduction of these people, it 

 lias never taken action to prevent it ; that we fully 

 indorse the course of our representatives, to whom 

 is due the credit of the only laws of reform upon 

 this subject ; that we are in favor of such a modifi- 

 cation of the existing treaty with China as will effect- 

 ually prevent any further influx of these people 

 into our State. 



Resolved, That we favor a return to metallic cur- 

 rency, and the restoration of the silver coin of the 

 United States to its constitutional equality with gold 

 as a legal tender. 



Resolved, That the funded debt of the nation, the 

 principal and interest of which was by law made 

 payable in gold, should be so paid, and that any and 

 every scheme of repudiation, direct or indirect, 

 meets th3 hearty condemnation of the Republicans 

 of California. 



Resolved, That the Democracy of this State is not 

 to be trusted as a national party with the possession 

 of tho presidential office or of Congress, because of 

 its purpose to add hundreds of millions to the 

 national debt, for pensions to Confederate soldiers, 

 claims for cotton, legally and justly confiscated, and, 

 in the end, over a thousand millions as compensation 

 for the loss of slaves of the South ; the allowance of 

 which would most surely result in another war, since 

 loyal Union men will never peaceably consent to be 

 taxed to pay treason for its losses. 



After the delegates had been appointed, the 

 following additional resolutions were adopted: 

 Resolved, That while the Republican party con- 

 tains many men who, by their recognized ability and 

 devotion to the principles of the party, have proved 

 themselves worthy of public support and confidence, 

 and capable of filling honorably the highest office in 

 the gift of the people, the Republican party of Cali- 

 fornia especially recognizes in the Hon. James G. 

 Blaine an eminently able and tried exponent of the 

 principles of the party, of large experience in public 

 life, of the purest public and private character, and 

 possessing in a marked degree those personal quali- 

 ties which would do honor to the office of President 

 of the United States. 



Resolved, That while thus expressing our prefer- 

 ence for the Hon. James G. Blaine, yet, having con- 

 fidence in the intelligence and patriotism of our 

 delegates to the National Convention, we leave them 

 unembarrassed by instructions, and free to exercise 

 their own deliberate choice in the convention, as 

 the interests of the country may in their judgment 

 *jem to demand. 



The Democratic Convention was held in San 

 Francisco, on the 24th and 25th of May. A 

 State Central Committee and delegates to the 

 St. Louis Convention were chosen. The plat- 

 form enunciated the following principles : 



1. Fidelity to all the provisions of the Constitu- 

 tion of the United States. 



2. The perpetual union of all the States, with local 

 self-government in every section. 



3. Civil-service reform and the restoration of the 

 tests of honesty, fidelity, and capacity, in the quali- 

 fication of public officers. 



4. Retrenchment and economy in the Federal, 

 State, and municipal administration, lessening the 

 burdens on labor oy the reduction of offices and 

 taxation. 



5. The exposure and speedy punishment by penal 

 laws of the corruption and peculation in the ad- 

 ministration of public aifairs. 



6. The private use and appropriation of public 

 funds by official custodians means embezzlement 

 and robbery. Official accountability exacted and 

 enforced by a better administration of the civil and 

 criminal laws. 



7. State corporations supervisable by and subor- 

 dinate to State legislation in the interests of the 

 people. 



8. Free schools, exempt from all sectarian control, 

 and a free press, accountable for abuses to the civil 

 and criminal laws. 



9. The preservation of the public faith and credit, 

 and the honest payment of the public debt. 



-10. The money of the Constitution, gold and sil- 

 ver, the only legal tender. 



11. A tariff for purposes of revenue only. 



12. No Chinese immigration. It is so thoroughly 

 obnoxious to our people and institutions that its 

 prohibition is imperatively demanded, and all the 

 powers of the Government should be exerted to that 

 end. 



A resolution was adopted, declaring that the 

 vote of the State in the National Convention 

 should be cast by a majority of the delegates. 

 Then the following was adopted by acclama- 

 tion, under a suspension of rules: 



Whereas, The Hon. Samuel J. Tilden, Governor of 

 the State of New York, by his manly defense of _the 

 people against the corrupt schemes of political trick- 

 sters, has proved himself to be a true reformer and a 

 fit champion of the people in conflict with official 

 corruption, and by his bold advocacy of the hard- 

 money circulating medium of our country he has 

 made himself an unobjectionable leader of the Dem- 

 ocratic party : therefore, be it 



Resolved, That his nomination as President of the 

 United States by the National Democratic Conven- 

 tion would be acceptable to the Democratic party of 

 California as a glorious victory in the cause of hon- 

 est government. 



A decision was rendered by the Supreme 

 Court of the State on the llth of February, 

 in the case of the People vs. the Hibernia Sav- 

 ings and Loan Society, to the effect that mort- 

 gages and credits are not subject to taxation. 

 The constitution of the State provides that 

 " taxation shall be equal and uniform through- 

 out the State. All property in this State shall 

 be taxed in proportion to its value, to be ascer- 

 tained as directed by law ; but assessors and 

 collectors of town, county, and State taxes 

 shall be elected by the qualified electors of the 

 district, county, or town in which the property 

 taxed for State, county, or town purposes is 

 situated." The political code of the State re- 



