Daily Los Angeles herald., 1878-06-11
gus Sueeles yerald,
HIS Platform.

Mr.. w. e. Shepherd, editor OF
the Ventura Signal, who is the
Democratic nominee for the Con-
ntItutional Convention from his
county, lays down his principles as
follows. There Is so much sound
sense in some of the grounds which
he assumes that we print his plat
form entire:
No man should be assessed upon
hIe debts. Each taxpayer should
nav only on what he actually owns.
Money should be unrestricted in
it, natural ebb and flow, regulated
alone by the law of supply and de-
mand, but should be made to pay
ifs fair share towards the support OF
the Governmept.
All governments should seek to
do Uthe greatest good to the great
eat number.r To do the greatest
good to the greatest number in Cal
lfornia, the State should insist upon
Its right to enforce such sanitary
and police regulation not in conflict
With the laws of the United States,
as when enforced will result in rid
ding the State of its greatest curse
-coolies, and the gang system OF
cheap labor.
There should be O constitutional
basis for a law clearly defining the
duties Of assessors, so that lands
held in large bodies should be taxed
at their actual value per acre as
small lots are taxed; SO that own
ers Of very large tracts may not
ind IL profitable to hold them, thus
depriving poorer men from being
what they should be, owners as
we'll as tillers Of the soil. Land
monopolists foster and depend
upon the coolie or gang system OF
labor. Land monopolists demand
cheap labor. The land monopoly
IL the source of many of our ills in
California, and the Government, il
it wills to do the greatest good to
the greatest number, must crush it,
The greed which men have to ac'
cumulate the land and water Cl
California, as much Gods own
blessings as air or sunshine, In
tended for mans use and benefit
threatens to bring wretchednes:
and misery, if not revolution, upoI
the people. It must be subdued by
peaceable and legal means, and q
once.
It should be made impossible 70
schemers and jobbing politicians t,
thwart the will of the people, whicl
should be the lasV of the land; ant
attempts to incorporate a theory
into our State government by an,
political jobbers, which would ell
able boards of election to throw
out votes which were cast, or t.
count votes which were not cast, ar
reprehensible, and should be dis
couraged by every lover of Hbert.
as dangerous to the peace of tn
people and to the life of the Re
public.
Our judicial system should be re
organized and made less burden
some and expensive. No MAJ
should be made to attend Court a
q witness or juror without just com
pensation.
State and county officials shoul
be salaried and the salaries shoul
only be adequate to the service
performed. The number of Office
should be reduced.
Habitual drunkenness should u
made specific grounds for impeacl
ment and removal of any Judge, {
any State or county official.
The State government should b
put as nearly as possible upon
secular basis. No part of tn
school fund should be used for tn
purpose of maintaining sectaria
schools or institutions.
No municipality should or ough
to be permitted to incur a bonde'
Indebtedness, except upon direc
vote of the people.
Special legislation should be dis
couraged.
The State should control and reg
ulate fares and freights on carrying
lines, SO that the producing an
laboring classes may not be com
PEELED to pay tribute to corpora
tions, which, when built up a
their expense, become oppressiv
and tyrannizing.
All class legislation should b
avoided, and all demands for legi:
lation in favor of any class shoul
be ignored.