Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 3.djvu/38

 “The Republican members of Congress are entitled to the thanks of the Nation of their firmness in resisting the conspiracy to turn over the Government to the hands of traitors and their allies and defeating the purpose of a corrupt Executive, thus sustaining the interests of liberty in a great and dangerous crisis in our history.”

The Democratic State Convention assembled at Des Moines on the 26th of June and nominated the following candidates for the various officers: for Governor, Charles Mason of Des Moines County; Lieutenant-Governor, D. M. Harris of Guthrie; Supreme Judge, J. H. Craig of Lee; Attorney-General, W. T. Barker of Dubuque; Superintendent of Public Instruction, Maturin L. Fisher of Clayton.

The important declarations in the platform were as follows:

“Resolved, That each State has the right to order and control its own institutions. Each State has the right to regulate the elective franchise for itself and, as citizens of Iowa, we are opposed to striking the word “white” out of our State Constitution.

“That the existing tariff should be repealed or greatly modified.

“That we favor taxing Government bonds the same as other property.

“That we favor the repeal of the present liquor law of the State and the enactment of a well regulated license law.

“That we are in favor of granting the elective franchise to foreigners who have resided in the State one year and declared their intention to become citizens.

“That the denial of representation to ten States of the Union, through odious military reconstruction, in violation of the Constitution, should meet with the unqualified opposition of every good citizen.”

No convention was held by the Conservative Republican party this year and its members generally united with the Democrats.

The election resulted in the success of the Republican candidates by the following vote: Colonel Samuel Merrill, 89,144 votes; Judge Charles Mason, 62,657:  Merrill’s majority—26,587. The other candidates on the Republican ticket received substantially the same majorities.