, 1875-04-17
PLATFORM OF THE AMERICAN ooMMUN-
I9Ta.


The "Notionnl Industrial Congress" II vo
may Judge from tho tenor Of the resolutions
adopted ut Indianapolis tho other dny, Is
really the name for a central association Of
American Communists. II there wero no
constituency for the doctrines thcTo promul-
gascd except tho handful Of obscure fanatics
who assembled, the matter would not bo &C.
rious. Tho trouble ia that n very largo por-
ton Of these tencta find m approval from in
terested classes, and repetition Of thom In n
respectable form and by reputable gather-
ing increases tho danger. We have already re-
ferrcd to the financial vngaries aud nbsurtities
of the Convention, condensed in goneral do
mand for IN unlimited rnper currency based
on the intangible moonsl,ine which they dull,
"faith and RESOURCES" of tho nation. Wo
wish 10 direct public attention to somo OF the
other demands not any moro reasonable. Wo
quote extracts from tho platform, which de-
mantls, arnong other things:
!. Tho atolstnent Of The contraet system on Ea-
tiounl, 1Iate, aud municipal work.
Wo refer tho people Of Chicago 10 the now
Custom.H House now in process OF construction
under tho system tho Communists demand.
In addition to Receiving ton hours pay for
eight loslzs' work, tho actual 1ahor performed
is not more than huff as much as TINT done
for private persons. This Government build
ing, In consequence Of tile ahirking and "old
sogczing," Is costing the country two pricen
to erect It, and the extra cost is coming out
Of the pockets of the business and industrial
classes.
T. A cheap form Of transportation, 70 facilitate cx-
change Of commodities.
The urangers have been all over this qucs-
ton. Congress has been a1l over It. Every
body hns been MI over 1t, We have scarcely
heard of anything else for tho lust three or
four yoars. And, attor all tho discussion and
legislation on the subject, tho whole country,
including the Grangcrs, has settled down to
the conviction that, under our form Of
Government, no better system can be devised
than to loave private business Of all kinds 10
private enterprise. Tho competition Of the
Baltimore l. Ohio Railrond on tho
ono hand, and the safeguard Of tho
Eric Cana1 and the inland lakes on the other,
nro saving more to tho American people in
the cost OF transportation than all tho legisla-
tive devices tint have been invented to secure
choap transportation. Fortunately, the
popular mania On this subject had expended
itself before any Of tho proaigate schemes
introduced into the late Congress could bo
formulated, aud the country will now escape
tho chagrin OF failure and the waste Of
enormous gums Of money sure to follow any
attempt to span tho continent with Govern
ment railroads.
g. Tbs substitution Of arbitration for str1kos WHICH,
to meet on equal grounds.
The 1nck Of intellectual RESOURCES in this
's Industrial Congress "as conspicuous
everywhere, but nowhere more conspicuous
than above. It has long tnce been conceded
that arbitration is much better solution Of
differences between employers and employees
than strikes and locE-outs, md this plan is
already adopted whenever both parties car, DO
induced to agrce to it. But, il 1t was the
purpose OF tho j" Congress- to promote md
further this plan, why was not some practica-
able syatem suggested which would substitute
arbitration for strikos7 Simply to recommend
it, where all parties arc willing and agreed, is
worry much like a formal declaration that
peace is preferable to war.
L. Tho prohibition Of tho importation a5 all eerpfis
raees and the discrimination ef al subsidies granted
To national veaeoia bringing them to our shoses.
The j" Industrial Congress" was composed
Of act Of people who evidently havant been
reading much Of late years. II they had,
they would know that there has been no i'm
portation Of seryi1o races in this country
,;rao ana uhor FIN onno3;S,,t{n1o1 .~o1,;E;