684 



PENNSYLVANIA. 



ment of claims from the national Treasury to those 

 lately engaged in or sympathizing with the rebellion. 

 No conqueror should be forced to pay indemnity to 

 the conquered, and the presentation of bills demand- 

 ing over $300,000,000 at the present session of a 

 Democratic House is a warning to the country of the 

 cost and danger of retaining in power a party whose 

 chief aim is to make reprisals on the tax-payers for 

 losses which the crime of treason brought upon the 

 Southern people. 



6. That we view with alarm the growing depres- 

 sion of many of the leading trade interests of the 

 State and country, resulting largely, it is believed, 

 from unfair advantages and discriminating rates of 

 freight and transportation privileges given by many 

 of the transportation companies of the State and 



country to a favored few, to the prejudice of our gen 

 eral producing interests, and this Convention ear 

 nestly recommends the enactment of such laws by the 

 State and national Legislatures as will correct this 

 growing evil. 



7. That the Southern Republicans, white and col- 

 ored, have our earnest sympathy in the unequal con- 

 test to which they are subjected for civil liberty and 

 the maintenance of their constitutional privileges; 

 and that, in the interests of their guaranteed rights, 

 we demand from the General Government for them 

 an equal and fair ballot, and that equality before the 

 law which should be the boast of every government. 



8. Resolved, That the administration of Governor 

 Hartranft meets the hearty endorsement and unquali- 

 fied approval of the paity that elected him, and con- 

 tinues to honor him. He has proved himself an able 

 magistrate, a true patriot, and a wise officer, and his 

 party tenders to him the praise due to personal up- 

 rightness, to political devotion, and to official recti- 

 tude. 



The following nominations were then made: 

 For Governor, Henry M. Hoyt ; for Lieutenant- 

 Governor, Charles W. Stone ; for Judge of the 

 Supreme Court, James P. Sterrett; for Secre- 

 tary of Internal Affairs, Aaron K. Dunkel. 



The Democratic Convention assembled at 

 Pittsburg on May 22d, and was organized by 

 the appointment of Charles R. Buckalew as 

 permanent chairman. The platform adopted 

 was as follows : 



The Democracy of Pennsylvania unanimously de- 

 clare : 



That the Republican party, its measures and its 

 men, are responsible for the financial distress, the 

 misery and want that now exist. It has had con- 

 trol of the legislation of the country, and has enact- 

 ed and perpetuated a policy that has enriched the few 

 and impoverished the many. Its system of finance 

 has been one of favors to moneyed monopoly, of un- 

 erjual taxation, of exemption of classes, of high rates 

 of interest and of remorseless contraction, which has 

 destroyed every enterprise that gave employment to 

 labor. Its present hold upon Federal power was se- 



ired by fraud, perjury, and forgery. Its laws are 

 unjust and its practices are immoral. Thev distress 



he people and destroy their substance. The only 

 emedy for these evils is an entire change of policy 

 and the dethronement of those in power; and we 



curity of the noteholder, and protection of the capital 

 invested should be provided for. 



Treasury notes issued in exchange for bonds bear- 

 ing a low rate of interest, is the best form in which 

 the credit of the Government can be given for paper 

 currency. 



Labor and capital have equal demands upon and 

 equal responsibility to law. Commerce and manu- 

 factures should be encouraged, so that steady em- 

 ployment and fair wages may be yielded to labor, 

 while safety of investment and moderate return for 

 its use belong to capital. Violence or breaches of 

 order in support of the real or supposed rights of 

 either should be promptly suppressed by the strong 

 arm of the law. 



The Republican party by its legislation in 1872, 

 which reduced the tariff on bituminous coal from 

 ear- one dollar and twenty-five cents to seventy-fi ve cents 



That further contraction of the volume of United 

 Sfatc i legal-tender notes is unwise and unnecessary. 

 They should be received for customs duties, and re- 

 issued as fast as received. 



Gold silver, and United States legal-tender notes 

 srewith are a just basis for paper circula- 



w d f, ose , connection of the Federal Government 



the business interests of the people, through 



intional banks, tends to monopoly an5 centralization, 



but, in changing the system, uniformity of notes se- 



per ton, and upon iron, steel, wool, metals, paper, 

 glass, leather, and all manufactures of each of them 

 ten per cent., struck a fatal blow at the industries and 

 labor of Pennsylvania. 



people, and they should not be sold to speculators 

 nor granted to railroad or other corporations, but 

 should be reserved as homesteads for actual set- 

 tlers. 



Our public debt should be held at home, and the 

 bonds representing it ought to be of small denomi- 

 nations, in which the savings of the masses may be 

 safely invested. 



Thorough investigation into the electoral fraud of 

 1876 should be made ; fraud should be exposed, truth 

 vindicated, and criminals punished. But we oppose 

 any attack upon the President's title as dangerous to 

 our institutions and fruitless in its results. 



The Republican party, controlling the legislation 

 of the State, has refused to execute many of the re- 

 forms of the new Constitution. Among other tldngp, 

 it has neglected and refused to compel the accept- 

 ance of all of its provisions by the corporations of 

 the State; to prevent undue and unreasonable dis- 

 crimination in charges for transportation for freight 

 and passengers, and without abatement of drawback 

 to any ; to give to all equal means for transporting 

 the raw material of the State in such manner and to 

 such points as they may prefer; and to publish in 

 good faith monthly statements of where the money 

 of the people was kept. The Republican party cre- 

 ates new offices and adds enormous perquisites to 

 others, and fills them with favorites, whose chief 

 dutjr is to manage its political machinery. Its ad- 

 ministration of the State government grows more 

 expensive with each year o f its rule. Legislation 

 has been directed by Republican lobbyists, who in 

 turn manipulate and control the nominations of the 

 Republican party, and its candidates are the crea- 

 tion of a junta, whose decrees are accepted as the 

 irreversible mandates of absolute hereditary power. 

 We denounce these methods, these measures, and 

 these men as unworthy the support of an honest and 

 free people ? and we invite all, of every shade of po- 

 litical opinion, to unite with us in delivering the 

 Commonwealth from their hateful rule. 



The following nominations were made : For 

 Governor, Andrew H. Dill ; for Lieutenant- 

 Governor, John Fertig ; for Judge of the Su- 

 preme Court, Henry P. Ross ; for Secretary of 

 Internal Affairs, J. Simpson Africa. 



The State election was held on November 

 5th, and resulted as follows: For Governor, 

 Hoyt, Republican, 319,190; Dill, Democrat, 

 297,137; Mason, National, 81,758 ; Lane, Pro- 

 hibition, 3,759. The other candidates for State 

 officers received, each, a less vote, Charles 

 W. Stone was elected Lieutenant-Governor; 

 Aaron K. Dunkel, Secretary of Internal Affairs : 



