674 



OKEGOK 



in State Convention assembled we adopt the follow- 



iner ; 



T. It is the exclusive function of the General Gov- 

 ernment to coin and create money and regulate its 

 value. All bank issues designed to circulate as money 

 should be suppressed; their circulating medium, 

 whether of metal or paper, should be issued by the 

 Government and made a full legal tender for all 

 debts, duties, and taxes in the United States at its 

 .stamped value. 



2. There shall be no privileged class of creditors. 

 Official salaries, pensions, bonds, and all other debts 

 and obligations, public or private, shall be discharged 

 in legal-tender money of the United States, strictly 

 according to the stipulations of the laws under which 

 they were contracted. 



3. That the coinage of silver be placed on the same 

 footing as that of gold. 



4. Congress shall provide said money adequate to 

 the payment of the national bonds as they become 

 due, to the employment of labor, the equitable dis- 

 tribution of its products, and the requirements of 

 business, fixing a minimum amount per capita to the 

 population as near as may be, and otherwise regulat- 

 ing its volume by wise and equitable provisions of 

 law, so that the rate of interest will secure to labor 

 its just reward. 



5. That said national greenback money shall be 

 interchangeable with the gold and silver coins of the 

 nation, dollar for dollar, for ever. 



6. It is inconsistent with the genius and spirit 

 of popular government that any species of private 

 property should be exempt from bearing its just 

 share of the public burdens ; private and corporate 

 property should be taxed according to its assessed 

 value. 



7. That defalcations, bribery, fraud, stealing, and 

 breach of trust in office shall be declared and ranked 

 in law among the crimes that are infamous, and Con- 

 gress shall provide by law that the penalties of 

 felony be enforced against them. 



8. By petition we ask Congress to amend the 

 treaty with the Chinese Government so as to be a 

 treatyof commerce, and not of immigration. 



9. We demand the repeal of the specific contract 

 law of the State of Oregon. 



10. That we demand of our next Legislature the 

 repeal of the law creating the office of State Printer 

 of Oregon, and that the public printing be let by con- 

 tract to the lowest responsible bidder. 



11. That the lien laws of Oregon be extended to 

 the protection of all laborers. 



12. That we demand the regulation of the portage 

 transportation of freight at the Dalles by stringent 

 legislative enactments, so' as to insure impartiality ; 

 all freight to be moved in the order of its arrival ; 

 and that we request the Legislature of Washington 

 Territory to enact a similar law in reference to the 

 portage at the Cascades. 



13. That we demand the abolition of the grand 

 jury, unless ordered by the court; also, that the 

 public debt of the State shall hereafter be confined 

 strictly within the limits of the Constitution. 



. The Government should by general enact- 



nents encourage the developement of our agricul- 



ralj mineral, mechanical, manufacturing, and com- 



lercial resources. All useless offices should be abol- 



'd and the most rigid economy enforced in every 



branch of the public service. 



The Democratic State Convention assembled 

 at Portland on April 10th, and was organized 

 by the appointment of M. V. Brown as Presi- 

 dent. The following nominations for Congress 



w a ^? Cei ' 8 were made: For Congress, 

 John Whiteaker; for Governor, W. W. Thayer 

 for Secretary of State, Thomas G. Reames 

 for State Treasurer, A. H. Brown; for State 



Printer, A. Noltner; for Superintendent of 

 Public Schools, T. J. Stites. The following 

 platform was then adopted : 



The Democracy of Oregon, in Convention assem- 

 bled, make the following declaration of principles : 



1. That a simple government, honestly and eco- 

 nomically administered, confined in its operations to 

 the administration of justice and the preservation of 

 the public peace, is the only safeguard against the 

 abuses of power to which persons in authority are 

 prone, and the corrupt and lavish appropriation of 

 the public funds to corporations, which has charac- 

 terized the National Administration for the past 

 seventeen years. 



2. That we heartily approve the action of Congress 

 in remonetizing silver. That we believe that all 

 money made or issued by the Government should be 

 of equal value, and that we are in favor of paying all 

 the obligations of the Government in greenbacks, 

 so called, when the pecuniary interest of the people 

 is promoted thereby, except where otherwise ex- 

 pressly provided. 



3. That we icgard the forced resumption of specie 

 payments as greatly aggravating the depression and 

 distress consequent on a long season of inflation and 

 extravagance. We therefore favor the repeal of the 

 act requiring resumption January 1, 1879. 



4. That the gratuity of near twenty-four million 

 dollars now paid the national banks by the Govern- 

 ment is simply levying tribute upon the people for 

 the benefit of the capitalist. We therefore favor the 

 repeal of the law under which they were established 

 and the direct issue by the Government of currency 

 receivable for all public dues sufficient to supply the 

 place of the present bank-note circulation. 



5. That we heartily endorse the effort now being 

 made in Congress to reduce our present tariff list to 

 a strictly revenue standard. That the interests of the 

 great mass of the people of the United States lie in 

 the paths of unrestricted commerce. 



6. That we favor continued agitation on the sub- 

 ject of Mongolian immigration to this country until 

 the Federal Government is moved to modify pur 

 treaties with the Chinese Empire so as to prohibit 

 it, and thus save those of our fellow citizens who 

 depend upon labor for support from unjust and de- 

 grading competition. 



7. That the eighteen years of misrule of the Eepub- 

 lican party is indubitable proof that that party is no 

 longer to be trusted. That much of its legislation 

 in Congress has tended to make the rich richer and 

 the poor poorer, and we arraign that party before the 

 people for its class legislation, for having fostered 

 and upheld rings, for its repeated efforts to over- 

 come the voice of the people by an unjust and uncon- 

 stitutional use of the military arm of the Govern- 

 ment, and for forgeries perpetrated under its official 

 sanction, whereby E. B. Hayes was placed in the 

 Presidential chair contrary to the expressed will of 

 an overwhelming majority of the people of this coun- 

 try. 



8. That we demand such legislation, State and 

 Federal, as will prevent the abuses growing out of 

 compensation for extra services, and will limit the . 

 pav of officials to a single salary; secure the prohi- 

 bition of all perquisites, that fruitful source of cor- 

 ruption whereby the compensation allowed by law to 

 those in public employment is frequently doubled ; 

 the elimination from public affairs of that species of 

 dishonesty known as favoritism, whereby personal 

 friendships are rewarded and personal obligations 

 discharged at the expense of the public, without re- 

 gard to efficiency. 



9. That it is the duty of the State government to 

 maintain its supremacy in regard to the authority 

 not delegated in the Constitution of the United States, 

 and to vindicate its jurisdiction against encroach- 

 ments from any source whatever. That in the ad- 



ments rrom any source whatever. Tnat in tht 

 ministration of State affairs the preservation of 



pri- 



