APPENDIX III THE FIRST POLITICAL PARTY PLATFORM Adopted by the National Republican Convention of young men on May 10, 1832. This convention met at Washington, D. C., May 7-12, 1832. On motion of Mr. Flagg, of South Carolina, seconded by Mr. Perkins, of Connecticut, it was Resolved, That a committee, consisting of one individual from each State represented in this Convention, and the District of Columbia, be appointed to draft resolutions upon such subjects as shall be deemed proper to be acted upon by this Convention. The following gentlemen were accordingly selected for this pur pose: Messrs. William Paine, of Maine; E. Seymour, of Vermont; T. Darling, of New Hampshire; Thomas Kinnicutt, of Massachusetts; James Anthony, of Rhode Island; C. M. Emerson, of Connecticut ; C. Morgan, jun., of New York; J. D. Miller, of New Jersey; E. T. McDowell, of Pennsylvania; Evan H. Thomas, of Delaware; Thomas G. Pratt, of Maryland; Andrew Hunter, of Virginia; Henry C. Flagg, of South Carolina; S. Brown, of Louisiana; William N. Bullitt, of Kentucky; Edward H. Cumming, of Ohio; Thomas P. Coleman, of the District of Columbia. Mr. Kinnicutt, of Massachusetts, from the Committee on Resolutions, reported the following: 1. Resolved, That, in the opinion of this Convention, although the fundamental principles adopted by our fathers, as a basis upon which to rear the superstructure of American independence, can never be annihilated, yet the time has come when nothing short of the united energies of all the friends of the American Republic can be relied on, to sustain and perpetuate that hallowed work. 2. Resolved, That an adequate protection to American industry is indispensable to the prosperity of the country; and that an abandonment of the policy at this period would be attended with consequences ruinous to the best interests of the nation. 3. Resolved, That a uniform system of internal improvements sustained and supported by the General Government, is calculated to secure, in the highest degree, the harmony, the strength, and the permanency of the Republic. 4. Resolved, That the Supreme Court of the United States is the only tribunal recognized by the constitution for deciding, in the last resort, all questions arising under the constitution and laws of the United States, and that, upon the preservation of the authority and jurisdiction of that court inviolate, depends the existence of the Union. 5. Resolved, That the Senate of the United States is preeminently a conservative branch of the Federal Government; that, upon a fearless and independent exercise of its constitutional functions, depends the existence of the nicely balanced powers of that Government; and that all attempts to overawe its deliberations, by the public press, or by the national Executive, deserve the indignant reprobation of every American citizen. 6. Resolved, That the political course of the present Executive has given us no pledge that he will defend and support these great principles of American policy and of the constitution; but, on the contrary, has convinced us that he will abandon them whenever the purposes of party require. 7. Resolved, That the indiscriminate removal of public officers, for a mere difference of political opinion, is a gross abuse of power; and that the doctrine lately "boldly preached" in the Senate of the United States, that to the "victor belong the spoils of the enemy," is detrimental to the interests, corrupting to the morals, and dangerous to the liberties of the People of this country. 8. Resolved, That we hold the disposition shown by the present national administration, to accept the advice of the King of Holland, touching the northeastern boundary line of the United States, and thus to transfer a portion of the territory and citizens of a State of this Union to a foreign power, to manifest a total destitution of patriotic American feeling; in as much as we consider the life, liberty, property, and citizenship of every inhabitant of every State, as entitled to the national protection. 9. Resolved, That the arrangement between the United States and Great Britain relative to the colonial trade, made in pursuance of the instructions of the late Secretary of State was procured in a manner derogatory to the national character, and is injurious to this country in its practical results. 10. Resolved, That it is the duty of every citizen of this Republic, who regards the honor, the prosperity, and the preservation of our Union, to oppose, by every honorable measure, the re-election of ANDREW JACKSON, and to promote the election of HENRY CLAY, of Kentucky, and JOHN SERGEANT, of Pennsylvania, as President and Vice President of the United States.1 1 From "Proceedings of the National Republican Convention of Young Men, which assembled in the City of Washington, May 7, 1832." Printed, Gales and Seaton, Washington, 1832. In History Pamphlets, vol. 293, No. 18, Johns Hopkins University Library. 1 The above figures and estimates are based chiefly on Niles' Register, vol. xliii, pp. 135-251 passim. 2 Antimasonic vote in New York is combined with the National Republican, as the two parties chose the same ticket of electors. a Estimate of vote. No ticket in the field. 170 BIBLIOGRAPHY SOURCES Manuscripts The Papers of Nicholas Biddle. The Papers of Andrew Jackson Donelson. 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