The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1883-06-27
A Democratic Platform.

The New York World has laid an egg
out of which it expects to hatch DEM
ocratic President next year. 1t is in the
shape of what it calls "a short plat
form," and the newspaper hen is so
much delighted over the production
that it performs the cackle solo every
day and prints the platform over again.
This is it:
I. Tax Injuries.
2. Tax inheritances.
9. Tax large incomes. -4E
T. Tax monopohes-
Tar the privileged corporations.
g. A tariff for revenue.
z Reform the Civil Service
Punish corrupt ofhce-holders-
10. Punish employers who coerce their en-
| ployes in elections.
Democrats from Maine to Califor-
nia," SAYS the World, s'can stand on
this platform" which is perhaps true,
assuming that they can stand anywhere
s.It is short" continues the World, "but
there is room on it for everybody"
which also seems to be true, for this
short platform has no meaning. Let
us take up the paragraphs seriatim:
| /. "Tax luxuries certainly; but what
are luxuries? To the Maine Democrat
whisky is luxury of the choicest kind,
but is it to be taxedp That would be
Il
| Kentucky. To the average New York
Democrat water would be a luxury, or
at any rate a very great rarity, and shall
| water be taxed? Luxuries cannot be
defined
2. TAX xinher1tancesn- whose ben
| eft? To help pay the National debtp
For the use of the Statep To swell the
income of the county where probate is
hadP To benefit the treasury of the
city, or town, or village in which the
late owner of the property died, or in
which the heir or devisee ivesp This
plank is not sufficiently seasoned to be
Of any use in working platform.
8. TAX large incomes"-yes, but
what is a large incomep Twenty-Five
hundred dollars a year would seem
$25, 900 would seem q small one to 9TH
ers. The proprietor of the World prob
ably would not consider $4,000 large
income, but there are men in his en-
ploy who would reckon one thousand
dollars a large income. This plank
rests upon nothing at either end.
TAX monopolies"-yea, drive
them out of existence. A grocer COM
plains that his rival has monopoly of
the trade in butter. Tax the rival. A
Congressman complains that his col
league has a monopoly of the
appointments. Tax the colleague.
An expressman grumbles be
cause another man with wagon car
ries all the goods from a GER
tain shipping house. Tax the
other man with a wagon A commits
sion man on Woodbridge street has
some fine day. Tax him. A certain
farmer has monopoly of fne-wooled
sheep in his county. Levy taxes on
him. A stage-coach line has the mo-
nopoly of carrying passengers between
two villages simply because nobody
dares to risk the loss of money by put
ting another line on the route. Tax the
monopolist. A railroad company ha.
monopoly of carrying passengers and
freight across the State, for the reason
that nobody with sufficient means cares
to build a competing line. Tax the rail
road. Where is the taxing to end and
who will know when the monopolists
, are all disposed OFF
5. "Tax the privileged corporations
but what corporation is not "privi
legedP" There is always a privilege tc
/ do the work for which a charter was
: granted. Here, again, we need a def
, milton. The words sound well but dc
, not seem to mean anything.
6. ga tariff for revenue' is the one
} thing upon which publicists of every
shade of opinion on political finance are
, agreed. Whether considerations of pro
lection shall come in alongside of the
. revenue is another question, and ont
which the World in its wisdom does no
, | raise.
=, q. Reform the Civil Services
. | say we all of us; but not by merely
, turning Republicans out of Office anC
turning Democrats in. What sort o
+ reform beyond this does the Worlt
) have on its mind?
! s. Punish corrupt office-holders,
, which idea must have been sug
! gested by the spectacle at Washington
, about these days, of Republican Ad
do precisely that thing. This is a goot
i rule which, if enforced, would great.
! trouble the psfty to which the Worlt
: belongs. A good place to try it expert
; mentally is New York City.
: 9. "Punish corrupt vote-buying" Il
: also a good Sunday-school maxim, bu
it is calculated to cut off the privat.
. revenue of a good many Democrats
4 about election time. 1t had better b,
left out of the Worlds platform.
10 Punish employers who coerc'
their employees in elections" This i
meant to tickle the ears of the ground
! lings without having any real signifi
= canoe at all. No one who has watchet
the course of the Trade Unionists fo
1 the last few years can be under an,
I great apprehension that the employe
( likely to be coerced Just at present.
Upon the whole, the World platform
is ga world too wide' for any usefu
: purpose. All creation can stand on it
t to be sure, but it might just as well b
standing on bare ground.-Detroit Pos
l and Tribune.