Official proceedings of the National Democratic convention, held at New York, July 4-9, 1868.: Reported by George Wakeman, official reporter of the Convention.

OFFICIAL PROCEEDlNGS OF THE
secured to the humblest men the rights of property, of persons, and of con science. Is immigration encouraged by trampling that Constitution in the
dust; treating it with contempt; shackling the Judiciary; insultiig the Exec utive, and giving all the world to understand that the great guaranities
of political and social rights are destroyed I (Great applause.) But the
crowning indictment against the follies and crimes of those in power is in
these words: "' That we recognize the great principles laid down in the im mortal Declaration of Independence as the true foundation of Demnocratic
government, and we hail with gladness every effort towards making these
principles a living reality on every inch of American soil." If within the
limits of tenl States of this Union, an American citizen, stung by a sense of
his wrongs, should publicly and truthfully denounce the men in power be cause, in the very language of this Declaration of Independence," They have
erected a mutitude of new offices, and sent forth swarms of officers to harass our
people and eat out their substance," he would, in all human probability, be
dragged to a prison. Or if, in the indignant language of our fathers, he
should exclaim, " 77They have affected to render the military independent of, and
superior to, the civil power; they have abolished the free system of English laws,
and established herein an arbitrary government"-for the offence of asserting
these principles he would be tried and punished by a military tribunal.
(Great cheering.) Having declared that the principles of the Declaration of
Independence should be made a "living reality on every inch of Amuerical soil,"
they put in nomination a military chieftain who stands at thle hea(l of that
system of despotisms that crushes beneath its feet the greatest principles of
the Declaration of Independence. (Cheers.) To-day, in some States, it is
held by military orders to be a crime to speak out the indignation and contempt which burn within the bosoms of patriotic men. If to-morrow a military order should be put forth in that State where the ashes of Washington
are entombed, that it should be an offence to declare that the military should
ever be subordinate to the civil authority,- to speak out the sentiment that
it was a disgrace to our country to let the hordes of officials eat up the substance of the people, -he who uttered these words would be dragged to
prison from the very grave where lie the remains of the author of the Declaration of Independence - (Loud cheers) - from this outrage there could be
no appeal to the courts; and the Republican candidate for the presidency has
accepted a position which makes the rights and liberties of a large share of
our people dependent upon his will. (Applause.) In view of these things,
can there be one man in this Convention who can let a personal ambition, a
passion, a prejudice, turn him aside one hair's breadth in his efforts to wipe
out the wrongs and outrages which disgrace our country? (Cheers.) Can
there be one man here whose heart is so dead to all that is great and noble in
patriotism that he will not gladly sacrifice all other things for the sake of his
country, its liberties, and its greatness? Can we suffer any prejudices, growing
out of past differences of opinion, to hinder us from uniting now with all who
will act with us to save our country? (Cheers.j We meet to-day to see
what measures can be taken to arrest the dangers which threaten our country. and to retrieve it from the evils and burdens resulting from bad government and unwise counsels. I thank God that the strife of arms has ceased,
and that once more in the great conventions of our party we can call through
the whole roll of States and find men to answer for each. (Tremendous and
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