Caldwell County

At a meeting of the Democracy of Caldwell county, held at the court-house in Princeton, Jan. 15, 1877, Wm Carter was called to the chair and P. H. Darby was appointed secretary.

On motion of Capt. G. W. Duvall, it was resolved that the chair appoint a committee on resolutions, to consist of seven members.

The chair appointed upon said committee Captain G. W. Duvall, P. H. Darby, J. R. Hewlett, C. T. Allen, M. Dudley, J. H. McChesney and Z. J. Crider.

Said committee reported the following resolutions, which were unanimously adopted, vis.:

Resolved, That we approve the call for a State Democratic convention to be held at Louisville on the 18^th inst., and as delegates to said convention the following gentlemen are appointed and requested to attend on the part of this county: F. W. Darby, A. Harpending, P. H. Darby, J. S. Hawthorne, W. G. Groom, J. B Wadlington, A. H. Towers, J. C. Asher, W. C. Hopper, C. T. Allen, G. W. Duvall, O. P. Eldred, M. Dudley, J. R. Hewlett, W. R. McChesney, J. M. Dawson, and William Carter.

Second—That we believe Samuel J. Tilden and Thomas A. Hendricks are justly entitled to the offices of president and vice president of the United States.

Third—That we believe they can be deprived of said offices only by the most palpable frauds and injustice.

Fourth—That we believe a vile and infamous conspiracy has been formed, and still exists, to declare the defeated Republican candidates elected through fraud and force.

Fifth—That we denounce as revolutionary the proposition to count the electoral votes of Louisiana and Florida for Hayes and Wheeler, when it is undenied and undeniable that Tilden and Hendricks received a majority of the votes actually cast in those States, and we demand of our representatives in Congress such action as will defeat this proposed outrage upon the rights of the people.

Sixth—That we denounce the action of President Grant in sending prominent members of the Republican party only to New Orleans in the interests of “a fair count of the votes actually cast,” and then permitting them to report without saying how the polls stood after “a fair count of the votes actually cast” had been made.”

Seventh—That in our opinion the vice president has the right only to open the certificates concerning the electoral votes of the several States, and that the two houses of Congress have the exclusive right to say what votes shall be counted and what shall not be counted.

Eighth—That we are opposed to any departure from the manner of counting the electoral votes which has been followed since the foundation of the Government, and we look upon propositions coming from any source involving such a departure as revolutionary and subversive of our form of Government.

Ninth—That we denounce the use of the army in elections and in the organization of State Legislatures, and call upon our representatives to do all they can in the way of legislation to prevent the same from being done in future.

Tenth—That we will acquiesce in whatever decision the two houses of Congress may render solving the present trouble, and we trust that some solution may be had which will be just, satisfactory and honorable to all parties.

Eleventh—That we urge upon the House of Representatives to stand up squarely and unflinchingly to their constitutional rights in the present emergency, and in so doing we pledge them our hearty support.

Twelfth—That above all things we want peace and prosperity, but we would scorn to accept either at the cost of the freedom of elections and the sacredness of the ballot-box, the twin-sister pillars of the American republic.

Thirteenth—That whatever steps may be taken to secure a just solution of the present political difficulty, the Northern people must lead, and we promise them our hearty support, let the cost be what it may.

Fourteenth—That a copy of the proceedings of this convention be sent to the editors of the Princeton Banner and Courier-Journal, with a request to publish them, and all other papers in the State are requested to copy.

The meeting adjourned.

Wm. Carter, Chairman

P. H. Darby, Secretary