The Portland daily press., 1872-06-10
A Remarkable Feature Of the Philadel-
a5 He phia Platform. .yrl ~ f..y

A Remarkable feature OF tne fnilauel-
H5 Hu phia Platform. .yql ~ s.y
The repeated and emphatic recognition of
Labor is the distinguishing characteristic of
the Philadelphia resolutions. The Repub-
lcan party has been so fortunate as to be
able at the expiration of almost every period
of four years to point to the successful carry
ing out of the progressive and humane prin-
ciples formulated for the first time in the reso-
buttons of its last national convention In
1856 it was declared to be the right and duty
of Congress to exclude from the territories
'thOSe twin relics of barbarism, slavery and
polygamy;" but failing to obtain control Of
3 the government, the party was of course un-
able at that time to do what justice and rea-
son so clearly demanded. In 1850, however,
it advanced a single step, and denied the au-
thority of Congress, of a territorial legisla-
ture or of any individuals to give legal exist
ence to slavery in any territory of the United
States. In 1864 slavery had been excluded
from the territories, and the Republican Con-
vention declared for its unconditional and in
slant abolition everywhere. In 1868, slavery
DCCu duOllSuCu, party PucuCu
bravely ON and demanded equality of civil
and political rights. These having now been
attained, so far as constitutions and laws can
avail, the convention held at Philadelphia
last Thursday, recognizing the fact that the
vital spark had departed from the Republican
party when it ceased to be progressive, adopt
ed series of resolutions in which the rights
of labor are set forth with more fullness and
precision than ever before in the platform of
great national party. Among the resolu-
tions having reference to the rights of labor
ers we class the sixth, which opposes further
grants of land to corporations and monopo-
lies, and demands that the national domain be
set apart for the people," The fact is that the
bestowal of the public lands on great corpor-
ations is one of the most Objectionable meth
DDS of creating an oligarchy of wealth by
robbing the laboring poor. We regard the
decisive stand taken at Philadelphia against
land grants as one of the most important
events in our recent political history. There
will now be less danger than formerly that
all which is truly democratic in our political
system will gradually be neutralized by the
existence Of overshadowing monopo.ies and
accumulations of wealth in the hands of the
few Hit -Lla -.li.at .l'rlt
The seventh resolution favors the continu-
ed reduction of the national debt, the practi-
cal abolition of the internal revenue faxes and
the adjustment of the tariff with view pri-
marty to securing remunerdtiue wages to
labor. If mere protectionist argument
were meant to be embraced in this language
we should regard it as of but little impor-
lance, but if we understand the paragraph in
which it occurs, it is a declaration in favor of
tariff for reUenae. d ll -aqe5i. si.i 5a-|
The tenth resolution directed against the
Thanking privilege may also be placed in the
same category. All special privileges and
immunities conferred on favored few are
in derogation of the rights of the many. '7u'
The eleventh resolution refers directly to
the labor question, and while claiming for
capital full production and the amplest field
it demands for labor a Just share of the mutu-
al profit of these tao great SERVANTS of civiE-
zGtion. Here, as elsewhere, the language of
the platform is not the most Fictitious that
can be imagined, but the meaning is just
what every thoughtful laboring man must de-
sire. What working men really want is not,
as an ultimate result, ANY given rate of wages,
or any specific number of hours of leisure,
but fair share Of the products Of their toll,
SO that they may have in their hands the set
Element of the secondary questions that now
engroSs so much attention. fs lI4,sIzJI ,,rr
ID The fourteenth resolution views with sat
isfaction" the admission of woman to wider
fields ofinfuence. This is the most favora-
bic language toward the claims of women ev-
er Incorporated into a national platform.
This bears directly on the labor question.
The inadequacy of the wages of women oper-
atiyes and laborers in every field of industry,
is the most shameful of all the wrongs that
labor endures. And it has become nearly
certain that women will never obtain justice
in this particular until their becoming part |
OF the body polite, with votes and public sta
ton, makes it seem desirable to conciIiate
them. 3s ID lEraJL4 ile lol es..... ss.,.-,.
These five distinct ayowals ofsympathy with
the labor movement, together with the nomi-
nation ofthatman for the Weep Presidency who
is himself a working-man, and who is perhaps
the most conspicuous advocate of the labor
cause in the United States, fully commit the
Republican party to the most necessary and
most inevitable of the reforms. "a -