408 



INDIANA. 



principles of the party and the equal right of 

 all voters to exercise their suffrage without in- 

 terference. The second declared the duty of 

 the Government to execute all laws intended 

 to secure the rights of citizens. The third was 

 directed against the doctrine of State rights. 

 The fourth and fifth were as follows : 



4. While we believe that the national Govern- 

 ment is entirely independent of the States, when 

 acting within its own proper circle, we also believe 

 that the State governments are entirely independent 

 of the national when acting within their own proper 

 circles; arid we will maintain this independence of 

 both, to the end that harmony may exist between 

 them, that the national welfare may be advanced, 

 and that the States may be secured in the exercise 

 of ample jurisdiction over all their domestic affairs, 

 so that they may be enabled to develop their ma- 

 terial interests and employ all the means necessary 

 to the intellectual and moral enlightenment of the 

 people. 



5. We are willing and anxious to restore entirely 

 amicable relations between the people of the North- 

 ern and those of the Southern States who were en- 

 gaged in the rebellion, and with a view thereto are 

 ready to forgive and grant amnesty to all those who 

 desire to be forgiven and amnestied ; but we are 

 neither ready nor willing to extend this forgiveness 

 arid amnesty to those who remain unrepentant for 

 their attempt to destroy the Union, or to place the 

 rebellion arid those who fought on its side upon an 

 equality with the cause of the Union and the gallant 

 Boldiers who defended it ; we believe that the war 

 for the Union was right, and the rebellion wrong, 

 and that thus it should forever stand in history. 



The sixth condemned the discharge of Union 

 soldiers from public offices. The seventh was 

 as follows : 



7. "We believe that, in conducting the civil service, 

 men should be selected for office on account of their 

 qualifications, integrity, and moral character, and 

 not on account of mere party service, in order that 

 thereby the public business may tie faithfully con- 

 ducted, administrative economy secured, and that it 

 shall not be brought in "conflict with the freedom 

 of elections." 



The eighth declares the duty of the Govern- 

 ment to provide by necessary laws for the pres- 

 ervation and enforcement of " equal justice." 

 Then came the following : 



9. We insist on perfect religions freedom, and free- 

 dom of conscience to every individual ; are opposed 

 to any interference whatever with the church by the 

 state, or with the state by the church, or to any 

 union between them; and in our opinion it is in- 

 compatible with American citizenship to pay alle- 

 giance to any foreign power, civil or ecclesiastical, 

 which asserts the right to include the action of civil 

 government within the domain of religion and 

 morals ; because ours is a "government of the peo- 

 ple, by the people, and for the people," and must 

 not be subject to, or interfered with by, any authority 

 not directly responsible to them. 



10. A country so bountifullv supplied as ours is 

 with all the sources of wealth possessing unsur- 

 passed capacity for production, every necessary fa- 

 cility for the growth of mechanic and manufacturing 

 arts, and all the agencies of labor needs only the 

 fostering aid of Government to establish its material 

 prosperity upon a durable basis ; in our opinion, 

 therefore, it is the duty of the Government so to 

 regulate its revenue system as to give all needful en- 

 couragement to our agricultural, mechanical, and 

 mining and manufacturing enterprise, so thnt^ har- 

 monious relations may be permanently established 



between labor and capital, and just remuneration be 

 secured to both. 



11. In our opinion it is the duty of the Govern- 

 ment, in passing laws for raising revenue, so to lay 

 taxes as to give the greatest possible exemption to 

 articles of primary necessity, and to place them 

 most heavily upon luxuries und the wealth of the 

 country. 



12. We believe that it is the duty of the Govern- 

 ment, in furnishing a national currency, so to regu- 

 late it as to provide for its ultimate redemption in 

 gold and silver; that any attempt to hasten this 

 period more rapidly than it shall be brought about 

 by the laws of trade and commerce is inexpedient; 

 therefore, in our opinion, so much of the so-called 

 resumption act as fixes the time lor the resumption 

 of specie payments should be repealed ; and after 

 such repeal the currency should remain undisturbed 

 neither contracted nor expanded we being as- 

 sured that the financial troubles of the country, 

 when relieved from interference, will be speedily 

 and permanently cured by the operation of the nat- 

 ural laws of trade, and by preserving that course of 

 policy which the Republican party lias constantly 

 maintained of steadily looking to an ultimate re- 

 sumption of specie payments. 



13. The greenback currency "was created by the 

 Republican party as a matter of absolute necessity, 

 to carry the Government successfully through the 

 war of the rebellion, and save the life of the nation. 

 It met the fierce opposition of the Democratic party 

 on the declared ground that it was unconstitutional 

 and would prove worthless, and if this opposition 

 had been successful the war would have resulted in 

 the independence of the Southern Confederacy. If 

 the Democratic party was sincere in this opposition, 

 one of its objects in now seeking to obtain posses- 

 sion of the Government must be to destroy this 

 currency, along with that furnished by the national 

 banks, so that the country may be compelled to re- 

 turn to the system of local and irresponsible bank- 

 ing which existed under the Administration of Mr. 

 Buchanan; and, therefore, as it is necessary that 

 this cunency shall be maintained in order to save 

 the country from this most ruinous system of local 

 and irresponsible banking, and from consequent 

 financial embarrassments, its best interests require 

 that it shall be left in the hands of its friends, and 

 not be turned over to its enemies. 



The next resolution draws a comparison be- 

 tween the management of the financial in- 

 terests of the nation prior to 1861 nnd since, 

 to the great advantage of the latter period. 

 The next declares opposition to the payment 

 of the "rebel debt" and compensation _ for 

 emancipated slaves. Then follow declarations 

 in favor of economy in administration, free 

 education for all, the moral and intellectual 

 development of the people, and faithful care 

 for the soldiers and sailors of the civil war. 

 The closing resolutions were the following: 



20. The Administration of Genernl Grant commands 

 our fullest confidence and approbation our respect 

 for him as a man of unspotted honor and as a states- 

 man of wisdom and prudence, and o.ur admiration 

 for his high qualities as a soldier remains unabated 

 and we especially commend him for the example he 

 will leave to his successors of removing from office 

 those of his own appointment when he has found 

 them to be unfaithful, and of causing those who 

 have proved dishonest to be so prosecuted that " no 

 guilty man should escape." 



21. In our opinion, the Hon. Oliver F. Morton pos- 

 sesses in an eminent degree the ability and qualities 

 which fit him for the office of President of the United 

 States. During his service as Governor of this State, 



