Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1874-06-18
The independent Party.

which met in Indianapolis, on the 10th
inst, adopted u platform, and nominated
State Ticket. Only about one half OF
the Counties were represented.
The Patrons of uusbandry in some
portions of the State were opposed to or
ganizing a political party, and refused TO
cooperate with the Convention.
The following is the Platform:
The Committee on Resolutions at this
time reported the following platform. IL
was read section by section, and the Con-
ventlon gave its assent as each plank was
read. Atterward it was adopted az u
whole without debate. The following is
the text:
The Farmers, Convention i'm making
this call and presIlning to enter into COM
petition with cxixing parties, il is meet
that We should Sd TO the world our rca.
sons as Meh as tn0Tt tncdies We propose
for The wIOngs of VIZ we complain.
Stating then with the maxim that oar
lGovcrnhleHt is fohrdcd IA the sovereign
~ aAsl sensent OF the go~s-1a..i. ami its
purpose is TO protect property aud erturCe
natural rights, VIC acknow ledge the
broad principle that difference Of opinion
is no crime and hold that progress toward
truth Is made by differences of Opinion.
while the fault lies in bitterness of con-
trovcrsy. We desire a proper equality,
equity and fairness; protection for the
weak; restraint upon the strong. In
short, justly distributed powers. These
are American IDEAS; the very essence of
American independence, and to advocate
The contrary Is unworthy OF the SONS and
daughters of an American Republic. For
our business interests We desire 10 bring
producers and consumers, farmers and
manufacturers into the most direct and
friendly relations possible. We waee no
aggressive warfare against any either in
tIreSts whatever; on the contrary, all our
acts and all our efforts, So lar as business
Is concerned, are not only for The benefit
OF the producer and consumer, but also
for all other legitimate interests that tend
to bringing these two parties into speedy
anu economical contact. Hence We hold
that transportation companies of every
kind are necessary to our success; that
their interests are intimately connccted
with our interests, and Harmonious ac-
ton Is mutually advantageous. We shall
therefore, advocate for every State the in
crease i'll every practicable way of ali Ia
ciiities for transporting cheaply To the
seaOoard Or between home producers and
consumers all the productions OF our
country. We adopt it as our fixed pur-
pose 10 open out the channels in natures
great arteries that the life bloou of com
merce may flow freely. We are not enc
mics of failiod,, navigable and irrigating
canals, nor of any corporation that will
advance our industrial i,.terests, but are
friendly to all laboring classes. But we
hold that all class legislation whereby
these original and common clements, or
the proceeds ofthe same. enhaDced by i'm
telligent labor, are perverted from their
original design aud made to inure to the
benefit of non-prodIcers and to the injury
of producers is wrong, and subyersive of
the purposes of good Government; that
all able-bodied, intelligent persons should
contribute to the common stock by use
full industry sum or quantity equal TO
their own support, and legislation should
tend as far as possible TO the equitable
distribution of the surplus products. If
these propositions are true our Govern
ment is wholly perverted from its true de-
sign, and the sacred names of Democracy
and Republicanism are synonyms OF des-
potism, and the parties represented here
by as now organized are engines of oppres
sion, crushing out the lives of the people |
We need only point 10 the facts that
in this beneficient country of unlimited |
resources with the land annually groaning
beneath the products of human effort, the |
mass of the people have no supply beyond
their daily wants; compelled from unjust
conditions in sickness and mistortunate
to become paupcrs.
Paupcrism and crime are the perplex- |
ing questions of all modern statesman
ship, and it is with these we have to deal |
how far these evils are connected with the |
abuses inflicted III labor superficial state
manship seems not to perceive Chattel |
slavery has been abolished, but the rights |
and relations of labor stand Just where |
they did before the emancipation in re-
spect to the division of its products. The |
difference lies only in the methods of alb |
stracting the results and concentrating
them in the hands of few capitalists. |
Capi al is now the master and dictates the |
terms and thus al laborers are practically |
placed in the came condition of the slave
before his emancipation. In thus placing |
them the interest Of all laborers becomes