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Show AN OLD ISSUE. "Imperialism" Resorted to by Democrats Demo-crats When Short of Real Issues. To those not familiar with political history, the present bugaboo of,Demo; cratic Imperialism may seem an entirely en-tirely new question in American politics. poli-tics. But such Is not the case. Whenever It has been lacking In other Issues to attract the attention of the country, the Democratic party has always fallen back upon the issue of Imperialism. Here Is a quotation from the Democratic Demo-cratic platform of 1868: "In demanding these measures and reforms, we arraign the Radical party for Its disregard of right and unparalleled unpar-alleled oppression and tyranny which have marked its career. After the most solemn and unanimous pledge of both houses of Congress to prosecute the war exclusively for the maintenance of the government and the preservation of the Union under the constitution, it has repeatedly violated the most sacred sa-cred pledge under which alone was rallied ral-lied that noble volunteer army which carried our flag to victory. Instead of restoring the Union, it has, so far as in its power, dissolved it, and subjected ten states, in time of profound peace, to military despotism and negro supremacy. su-premacy. It has nullified there the right of trial by jury; it has abolfehed the habeas corpus, that most sacred writ of liberty; it has overthrown the freedom of speech and press; it has substituted arbitrary seizures and arrests ar-rests and military trials and secret star-chamber inquisitions for the constitutional con-stitutional tribuanls; it has disregarded in time of peace the right of the people peo-ple to be free from searches and seizures; seiz-ures; It has entered the post and telegraph tele-graph offices, and even the private rooms of individuals and seized their private papers and letters without any specific charge or notice of affidavit, as required by the organic law. It has converted the American capital into a bantfle; It has established a system of spies and official espionage to which no constitutional monarchy of Europe would now dare to resort "It has abolished the right of appeal on important constitutional questions to the supreme judicial tribunals, and .threatens to curtail or destroy its original orig-inal jurisdiction, which is Irrevocably vested by the constitution; while the learned chief justice has been subjected sub-jected to the most atrocious calumnies, merely because he would not prostitute prosti-tute his high office to the support of the false and partisan charges preferred pre-ferred against the President Its corruption cor-ruption and extravagance have exceeded ex-ceeded anything known in history; and, by Its frauds and monopolies, it has nearly doubled the burden of the debt created by the war. It has stripped the President of his constitutional power pow-er of appointment even of his own Cabinet. "Under Its repeated assaults the pillars pil-lars of the government are rocking on their base; and should It succeed In November No-vember next, and Inaugurate its president presi-dent we will meet as a subjected and conquered people, amid the ruins of liberty lib-erty and the scattered fragments of the constitution." |