634 



PENNSYLVANIA. 



and after the oft-repeated declarations of its leaders 

 in both Houses of Congress that no faction could 

 cavil at its decisions, we witness, with profound as- 

 tonishment, the assaults of that party upon the 

 august tribunal of its own creation, because its de- 

 cisions disappointed their expectations of official 

 patronage. Such assaults, so far as they seek to im- 

 pair the confidence of the people in the just title of 

 the President to his high office, are equally childish 

 and foolish, but may become extremely mischievous 

 in assisting to diminish the popular respect for the 

 decisions of lawful tribunals. 



3. We respectfully, but earnestly, entreat all mem- 

 bers of the national and State Legislatures to assist 

 the return of prosperity to this great country by 

 adopting such measures to that end as are in their 

 power; to devote less attention to partisan strife, 

 and more attention to the business interests of the 

 country, in order that wise and proper laws may be 

 passed to lessen the burdens of labor and increase 

 its rewards; to encourage and restore to activity 

 legitimate industrial enterprises, and to enable the 

 country to find a foreign market for its surplus prod- 

 ucts and manufactures. 



4. That the Republican party, in passing the 

 Homestead Law, inaugurated and is firmly commit- 

 ted to the policy that the public lands belong to the 

 people and should be sacredly reserved to actual 

 settlers, free of cost to whoever will occupy them in 

 good faith, and that all laws permitting the acqui- 

 sition of more than 160 acres of such public land, by 

 any one person, should be repealed. 



5. That we are opposed to the policy, heretofore 

 prevailing, of renewing patents by act of Con- 

 gress, and we . favor such a revision of the patent 

 laws as will hereafter prevent the renewal of any 

 patent. 



6. That the long and successful existence under 

 the laws of Congress of the double coin standard 

 warrants us in demanding an early repeal of the 

 legislation which demonetized silver and established 

 an almost exclusive gold standard; and we therefore 

 favor a return to the free use and unrestricted coin- 

 age of the dollar of 1793, and its restoration to the 

 position it held as a legal tender during the eighty 

 years of our national existence, thus preserving the 

 equality of the commercial value of the silver dol- 

 lar with the gold dollar, keeping both in circu- 

 lation. 



7. That the administration of Governor Hartranft 

 calls for our warmest approbation. He has estab- 

 lished a State policy whicn has justly endeared him 

 to the people of this Commonwealth, and has am- 

 ply justified the confidence placed in him. The 

 steady reduction of the State debt during his ad- 

 ministration, and the successful refunding of a large 

 portion of tne debt at a lower rate of interest, are 

 the best possible evidences that the State has been 

 well and economically governed, and that the people 

 have everything to hope from a continuance of the 

 Republican party in power. 



8. We are in favor of law and against lawlessness 

 and anarchy, with all their attendant horrors and 

 crimes. Equal rights in making laws impose equal 

 duties in obeying them when made ; and we tender 

 our hearty thanks to Governor Hartranft and the of- 

 ficers and soldiers of his command for the prompt 

 and, we hope, the effectual suppression of the law- 

 less disturbances which recently occurred in this 

 State. 



9. That we hold in equal respect the right of capi- 

 tal to control its investments, and of labor to deter- 

 mine the value of its service ; that we deprecate any. 

 assertion by violence of the rights of either, and we 

 assert it as the duty of all citizens to hold their re- 

 spective rights within the just limitations of the law, 

 and that any attempt to coerce either by unlawful 

 means should be promptly repressed by such lawful 

 authority as exigency demands. 



10. That the Democratic party of Pennsylvania is 



afraid to express a decided opinion on any question 

 of present political importance, except in its open 

 declaration of free trade, and that it still cherishes 

 the delusion that expressions of political opinions 

 ought either to mean anything or nothing, as may 

 best tend to secure the restoration of that party to 

 the control of the offices and the treasury of the 

 Commonwealth. We are confident that the intelli- 

 gent citizens of this great State will continue to in- 

 trust the conduct of its affairs to the party which has 

 been zealous in the maintenance of its credit, vigi- 

 lant in defense of its honor, prompt in the enforce- 

 ment of its laws, and whose past administration of 

 its Government nas been honest and competent, and 

 fearlessly faithful to the best interests of all men, of 

 whatever class, race, or condition, within her bor- 

 ders. 



11. That we renew our oft-repeated declarations in 

 favor of adequate protection to American industry, 

 and now that manufacturers are languishing, ana 

 workingmen are out of employment, the common 

 interest demands a still closer adherence to the pro- 

 tective policy which the Republicans of Pennsyl- 

 vania have always sustained. The country has never 

 yet prospered under free trade, as it never can or 

 will ; and as all tariffs are levied primarily for reve- 

 nue, it would be a bad government which is not just 

 enough to its people to arrange its revenue imposts 

 so as to encourage and build up the growth of home 

 manufacture. 



12. That we favor such legislation in State affairs 

 as will, first, substitute adequate salaries for fees as 

 a compensation for county officers ; second, secure 

 our municipalities from the dangers that attend the 

 existing facilities for contracting debt ; and, third, 

 provide adequate guards against a recurrence of the 

 frequent and large losses to which the people who 

 do business with banks and banking institutions 

 have heretofore been subject. 



The Workingmen and Labor Reformers' As- 

 sociation, under the title of " The United La- 

 bor Party," held their convention at Harris- 

 burg on September 10th, about 30 delegates 

 from various localities being present. The 

 nominations made by this party were as fol- 

 lows : For Judge of the Supreme Court, Wil- 

 liam L. Elwell, of Columbia County, who sub- 

 sequently declined ; for Auditor-General, John 

 M. Davis, of Pittsburgh ; for State Treasurer, 

 James L. Wright, of Philadelphia. 



The following platform was adopted : 



Whereas, After an experience of over one hundred 

 years under a Government intended by its founders 

 to advance the interests of humanity as is so clearly 

 set forth in the Declaration of Independence, we as 

 a people find ourselves in worse bondage and suf- 

 fering under greater ills in this the first year of the 

 second century of the American Republic than our 

 forefathers labored under, when, through oppres- 

 sion, they were compelled to declare their inde- 

 pendence and throw off the yoke of tyranny. 



And whereas, Believing, as they did, that a gov- 

 ernment should be of the people, for the people, and 

 to be administered for all the people, and that, when 

 a government or a system becomes oppressive to the 

 majority of the people, they have a natural right to 

 so change and alter it as to them may seem proper, 

 to effect the safety and happiness of the majority. 

 These truths we hold to be self-evident. 



And whereas, Society having by mutual consent 

 agreed to be governed by laws, and as the laws, as 

 now constituted, are unjust in an eminent degree, 

 and in many respects antagonistic to the best inter- 

 ests of mankind, as the results so far so clearly 

 prove : it therefore becomes the duty as well as the 

 right of the people to so alter, amend, or abolish 



