678 



PENNSYLVANIA. 



shall be maintained, and that associated labor shall 

 have all the rights and privileges permitted to asso- 

 ciated capital. 



An additional resolution was adopted de- 

 claring that all pay shall be upon a basis of 

 eight hours constituting a day's labor. 



The Independent Republicans assembled in 

 State Convention in Philadelphia, on the 24th 

 of May, and put forth a ticket consisting of the 

 following names: For Governor, Senator John 

 Stewart; Lieutenant-Governor, Levi Bird Duff, 

 of Alleghany County; Secretary of Internal 

 Affairs, Major G. W. Merrick, of Tioga; for 

 Congressman-at-large, Colonel William Mc- 

 Michael ; for Judge of Supreme Court, George 

 Junkin. 



The following is the platform adopted by the 

 convention : 



The Eepublicans of Pennsylvania who will not sur- 

 render their political rightsj and who maintain the 

 exercise of their own conscience and judgment con- 

 cerning public affairs, haying assembled in State con- 

 vention, make the following declaration of principles 

 and purposes : 



1. We declare our attachment to the principles of 

 the Eepublican party freedom, wisdom, nationality, 

 equal rights before the law, maintenance of the pub- 

 lic faith, protection to home industry and we demand 

 the record which has been so nobly made shall be 

 wisely and fearlessly perpetuated. 



2. We declare the nomination and election of James 

 A. Garfleld to the presidency signified to us the tri- 

 umph of true reform in the civil service, and enlarged 

 liberty of action for the masses of the Eepublican party 

 in the" nomination of candidates and the conduct of 

 their party affairs, and we deplore the overwhelming 

 evidence presented to us in Pennsylvania that the 

 calamity of his assassination has been followed by the 

 overthrow of these reforms in the hands of his suc- 

 cessor. 



3. We denounce the system which makes " patron- 

 age " and " spoils " out of public offices ; we denounce 

 the practice giving them to political managers for use 

 in advancing personal and political ends ; we denounce 

 the removal of faithful ana competent officers in the 

 absence of public reason ; we denounce the practice of 

 levying assessments and demanding contributions for 

 party use from public officials ; we denounce severally 

 and collectively the evils and corruptions which ac- 

 company the conduct of the Government as the 

 "spoils'" system, and which are inseparable from 

 such method of administration ; and we denounce the 

 system of" boss rule " and " machine " control,which, 

 when tamely endured, makes leaders autocrats, and 

 reduces the mass of citizenship into political bondage. 



4. We declare our purpose to take up the work 

 which fell when Garfield fell. We demand, in place 

 of the "spoils system," the reformation of the civil 

 service by law, so that appointive places therein may 

 be freely open to all fit and industrious citizens, and 

 removals therefrom shall be only for good and suffi- 

 cient public cause. We demand instead of the prosti- 

 tution of the public service to private uses, its recog- 

 nition as a high and honorable trust to be adminis- 

 tered for the people's benefit, with efficiency, economy, 

 and integrity. We demand, instead of the insolence, 

 the proscription, and tyranny of " bossism " and " ma- 

 chine" rule, the free and conscientious exercise of 

 private judgment in political affairs, and faithful dis- 

 charge, by those who assume representative trusts, of 

 the expressed will of the people. 



5. We declare in favor of the following party re- 

 forms : First, that delegates to State Conventions be 

 chosen by the people in the manner in which the can- 

 didates for General Assembly are chosen ; second, that 

 representation in State Conventions be by counties, 



dan apportioned according to their Eepublican vote ; 

 third, that State Conventions shall not be held with- 

 out at least sixty days' notice, nor earlier than the 

 second Wednesday of July, except in presidential 

 years ; fourth, that Eepublicans who voted for the 

 Eepublican candidate for President at the presidential 

 election next preceding shall be entitled to join in the 

 choice of delegates to the State and National Conven- 

 tions. 



The Democratic State Convention met in 

 Harrisburg, on the 28th and 29th of June, and 

 nominated the following ticket: For Govern- 

 or, Robert E. Pattison; Lieutenant-Governor, 

 Chauncey F. Black ; Supreme Judge, Silas M. 

 Clark ; Secretary of Internal Affairs, J. Simp- 

 son Africa; Congressman-at-large, Mortimer 

 F. Elliott. 



The following platform was adopted : 



The Democratic party of Pennsylvania, holding fast 

 to the faith that all power not delegated by the Con- 

 stitution is reserved to the States and the people : 



Upholding the sanctity of personal liberty, the se- 

 curity of personal property, and the rights of local self- 

 government ; demanding honesty and economy in the 

 administration of government and the enforcement of 

 all the provisions of the Constitution by the Legisla- 

 ture and the courts of this Commonwealth ; declaring 

 against monopolies and in sympathy with labor seek- 

 ing its protection, and in favor of the protection of the 

 industrial interests of Pennsylvania, at this time do 

 solemnly protest against evils which the policy and 

 practices of the Eepublican party, and the insolence 

 of its long possession of office, have thus brought upon 

 the country ; therefore 



1. We do protest against what is called the boss 

 system and the plundering of office-holders by assess- 

 ments of money for political purposes ; public offices 

 are the property of no party, but are open to every 

 citizen, honestj capable, and faithful to the Constitu- 

 tion, qualifications which Jefferson declared were the 

 requisites for office. 



2. We protest against the spoils system ; it is a 

 prostitution of the offices of the peoplej so that they 

 become the mere perquisites of the politician. 



3. We denounce all repudiation, State and Federal, 

 because it is dishonest and destructive of that public 

 morality upon which are founded the existence and 

 perpetuity of our free institutions ; it should be made 

 odious, and the political party that aids it with alliance 

 and abets it with office deserves public condemnation. 



4. We denounce spoliation of the State Treasury, 

 and immunity by pardon of those convicted of crimes 

 whose acts are flagrant subversions of official trusts 

 and wrongs done the people. 



5. We believe the Eepublican party, as now organ- 

 ized and controlled, is based on fraud, force, and cor- 

 ruption, and there can be no hope for true reform ex- 

 cept by the ballot-box excluding it from place and 

 power. 



6. The Democratic party demands of the Legisla- 

 ture an honest, just, and true apportionment. 



7. Upon these declarations we invite the co-opera- 

 tion of all honest citizens who, with us, desire the re- 

 establishment of honest government. 



ROBERT EMORY PATTISON was born December 

 8, 1850, at Quantico, Somerset County, Mary- 

 land. His father, the Rev. R. H. Pattison, was 

 ordered to Philadelphia by the Methodist Epis- 

 copal Conference when the son had reached 

 his sixth year. There the latter passed through 

 the successive grades of the common schools, 

 and the Penn Grammar and Central High 

 School. He became a law-student in 1869, 

 and in 1872 commenced the practice of law, 

 and was married. In 1877 he was elected 



