A Good Platform

The Democratie party of New York renew their Bdelity tothe principie! set forth by the ííationaJ Deanocratic Gonvention at St. Louis, and approvSj by decisive popular majorities m the 1 idential election in 1876. The vfctory Uien won was i;i the name of and for the sake of reform. The people were defrauded of that victory by a false count of the electoral votos. Reform throughout the Federal administration is stilian imperatlve necessity. Ityei remains for the truly nationaï party to restore the national govrnment to fraternal spirit, the eonxtitutional principies, the frugal expenditures and administratiye purity of the fathers of tli e repnblic. But tlie Democratie party of NeT York also d telare their solid convktion that tbe s tecess of tbat cpaspirac) against the people's constitutional sovereignty, wh ch by forgeries, bribes and violenee in effect disfranchised 4,300,000 voting citizens, a large oaajorite of all, and whichby a false count of the electoral vol es reversed tbe resnlt of the last Presidencial election. compels the next to turn apon a single commandin issue. That issue precedes anddwarfs every other. It imposee a more sacred duty.trpon the people of thisTJnion than ever addressed the consciences of a nation of freemen. That duty is to vindícate the right of the people to elective self-government. That is whetber this generation shall condemn or sanction the wrong-doing of those Republican party leaders who four years afro frnstrated the people's delibirate will and cheated thern of their sovereienty. Whether we shaL preserve and transmit to coming generations our own glörioua politica! heritage, or paralyze the causo of popular sovereignty liere and throughont the worid-. Despite a century of broadening precedente, despite the guarantees oí the Declaration of Independencè, of every T)i 1 1 of righta of the Federal Constitiítion, and of every State Consütntion, estaolishing the rigbt of the people to govern themseives, and to change their merjibers at willT tbose party leaders nevertheless foisted a defeated candidato into the chair of the Chief Magis;racy, there to administer the, governnent aexording to a policy condemned y the people. Every one oí the eonrivers. abettors, advocates and apoloïists, all were straighfcway sewarded for :heir severul shavcs in (he conspíracy of fraud by t'ie foremqst beneflcaries of ,hat unexampled political crime. Republics cannot Bhirk the caro or heir own destinies. A govemment of the people. for the peopie must be a tovernment by the people. ïhe lawïul exercise and orderly transfer of the leople's power througn snccessive administratio'is of the government prescribed by t ie peaple's choice is a fundamental eondition of the representatives of a Democratie republie. It is the political object for which constitutlons and lnws are framed. It is t'ie ihsl of popular rights, for besides beinq; the greatest of tlicm it is the one without which the others cnnnot exist. Tt is that f or which a republie is anywhere preferred above a monarchy where the transfer is by hereditary succession, as ati escape fromiisurpedmagistracies and civil wars. It is the buuBtance of civil liberty. As for the Democracy, the people's rule, the people's right to rule, is the ver? breath of its lite. This. then. is the momeütous issue, i the right of the people to exercise and enjoy an elective self-government without impediment by force or fraud from any quarter. least óf all by fraud and force from their temporary bul discarded servants. Shall the conspiracy of 1S76 be sanctioned as a precedent by the inipunity of its authors and the subrnission of its victimsV lts victims are the honest citizens of all political p;rties. To destrov and stigmatize that corruptin precedent by inflicting a fatal blow upon the Repnblican party. whose recognized and rewarded leaders were Eiiiltv of it, is the supreme dutvof the American people. Neglected now, in the nature of tlie case it is lost forever. Not noy to make that crime odious is to invite its repetition. Tlie pollutinp; infamy, unpunished, sanetionod. must go on demoralizing all politicaJ partios, putting tbeir leadership at the mercy 01 brigands and inflieting their healthful contentiona witli disease and deatb. The character, the future of this republic are all atstake in the next Presidential election. The Democratie party of Xew York addto their condetnnation of the electoral conspiracy of ISTfi an emphatic declaration of their cqntinued confTdence in the character, ability and Btnesa of that disti iguished citizen of Xcw Vork wiio was tnen elected to the highesrt ofBce in th i people's gif t, aml who was in his ow i person the object of the joint attack on his own party, his fellow-citizens and the cause of Government. The blow which deprived the country of its chosen nrler was ainvid nol so mucb at him as at the Democratie millions wlio stood behind him. While making 110 instructions as to canrtidates. and committing to óur delegates, as heretofore, the duty of joining ia the deliberations of the National Convention, we respectfnlly sugest to our bvethren of other States that the distnity and welfare of the party and nation 'demand of them that they take such action as shall be rt preseni Uiis great issue to the people. Higher than al] other party duties as is the solemn obligation to give to thefree roters of the land an op]orlunity to pass their judgment apon this monstrous crime asainst popular riclits, on any Buch issue the State of Xew York will spi'iik witb no doubtful voice. The Democratie party of New York hereby re-adopt their resolutions adopted in the state conventions of 1864, 1872 and 1871). as follows: Beêolved, That the delegation to the Democratie National 't nventien to be appointed are hereby instructed to enter that convention as a unit. and unite ii'"1 vol e as a unit x) the wil] of thé maj irity or the members thereof, and in c se any of its members shall be appoi ted a delégate by any other organizati m and shall notf.iriliwitl), in writing, decline such appointment, his seat sball be regarded as vacated and the deleates shall proceed to till the same, and aro hereby also empowered to supply all vacancips bv tleath, absence, resignation or otherwse. Anctj Whereas, The Democratie; party of t.his State has in th ) tour last nat i -i m 1 contests instructe 1 iísdelegations to th. Democratie National Convention to enter the convention as a unit for the parpose of protectinfi itself thereby against fictitious and fraudulent contests of the seats of regularly appointed dlelegates; therefora, ' mixed, That in case any attempt shoulil be made to dismember or divide the deleqration by contesting the seats of a portion of the delegates, and any of the d ilegati i appointed by this convention should countenance such in tempt by assuminz lo act separately from the majority of the delegation appninto'l by lliis convention, or to enter the National ('onvention separately from sucb majority, or shoulil fail te co-operate with such majority. the seats of sucli delegates shall be deemed to be vacated.