1. Resolved, That it is the highest duty of every
American citizen to maintain against all their enemies, the integrity of the
Union and the paramount authority of the Constitution and laws of the United
States; and that, laying aside all differences of political opinion, we pledge
ourselves as Union men, animated by a common sentiment and aiming at a common
object, to do everything in our power to aid the government in quelling by
force of arms the rebellion now raging against its authority, and in bringing
to the punishment due to their crimes the rebels and traitors arrayed against
it.
2. Resolved, That we approve the determination of the
government of the United States not to compromise with rebels, or to offer them
any terms of peace except such as may be based upon an unconditional surrender
of their hostility and a return to their just allegiance to the Constitution
and laws of the United States; and that we call upon the government to maintain
this position and to prosecute the war with the utmost possible vigor, to the
complete suppression of the rebellion, in full reliance upon the
self-sacrificing patriotism, the heroic valor, and the undying devotion of the American
people to the country and its free institutions.
3. Resolved, That as slavery was the cause and now
constitutes the strength of this rebellion, and as it must be always and everywhere
hostile to the principles of, republican government, justice and the national
safety demand its utter and complete extirpation from the soil of the republic;
and that while we uphold and maintain the acts and proclamations by which the
government, in its own defense, has aimed a deathblow at this gigantic evil, we
are in favor, furthermore, of such an amendment to the Constitution, to be made
by the people in conformity with its provisions, as shall terminate and forever
prohibit the existence of slavery within the limits of the jurisdiction of the
United States.
4. Resolved, That the thanks of the American people
are due to the soldiers and sailors of the army and navy who have periled their
lives in defense of the country and in vindication of the honor of its flag;
that the nation owes to them some permanent recognition of their patriotism and
their valor, and ample and permanent provision for those of their survivors who
have received disabling and honorable wounds in the service of the country; and
that the memories of those who have fallen in its defense shall be held in
grateful and everlasting remembrance.
5. Resolved, That we approve and applaud the
practical wisdom, the unselfish patriotism, and the unswerving fidelity to the
Constitution and the principles of American liberty with which Abraham Lincoln
has discharged, under circumstances of unparalleled difficulty, the great
duties and responsibilities of the presidential office; that we approve and
indorse, as demanded by the emergency and essential to the preservation of the
nation, and as within the provisions of the Constitution, the measures and acts
which he has adopted to defend the nation against its open and secret foes;
that we approve especially the proclamation of emancipation and the employment
as Union soldiers of men heretofore held in slavery; and that we have full
confidence in his determination to carry these and all other constitutional
measures essential to the salvation of the country into full and complete
effect.
6. Resolved, That we deem it essential to the general
welfare that harmony should prevail in the national councils, and we regard as
worthy of public confidence and official trust those only who cordially indorse
the principles proclaimed in these resolutions, and which should characterize
the administration of the government.
7. Resolved, That the government owes to all men
employed in its armies, without regard to distinction of color, the full
protection of the laws of war; and that any violation of these laws, or of the
usages of civilized nations in time of war, by the rebels now in arms, should
be made the subject of prompt and full redress.
8. Resolved, That foreign immigration, which in the
past has added so much to the wealth, development of resources, and increase of
power to the nation — the asylum of the oppressed of all nations — should he
fostered and encouraged by a liberal and just policy.
9. Resolved, That we are in favor of the speedy
construction of the railroad to the Pacific coast.
10. Resolved, That the national faith, pledged for
the redemption of the public debt, must be kept inviolate, and that for this
purpose we recommend economy and rigid responsibility in the public
expenditures, and a vigorous and just system of taxation; and that it is the
duty of every loyal state to sustain the credit and promote the use of the national
currency.
11. Resolved, That we approve the position taken by
the government, that the people of the United States can never regard with
indifference the attempt of any European power to overthrow by force, or to
supplant by fraud, the institutions of any republican government on the western
continent; and that they will view with extreme jealousy, as menacing to the
peace and independence of their own country, the efforts of any such power to
obtain new footholds for monarchical governments, sustained by foreign military
force, in near proximity to the United States.
SOURCE: Thomas Hudson McKee, The National Conventions and Platforms of All Political Parties, 1789 to
1904, 5th Edition Revised and Enlarged, p. 124-6
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