Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1884-07-18
THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC
PLATFORM.

National Democratic party adopted at the
Chicago convention last week:
The Democratic party of the Union.
through its representatives in National
Convention assembled, recognizes that, as
the nation grows older, new issues are
born of time and progress, and old issues
| perish But the fundamental principles
of the Democracy, approved by the united
voice of the people, remain, and will ever
remain, as the best and only security for
the continuance of free government. The
preservation of personal rights, the equal
ity of all citizens before the law, the re-
served rights of the States, and the su-
! premacy of the Federal Government with
in the limits of the Constitution. will ever
form the true basis of our liberties, and
can never be surrendered without destroy
ing that balance of rights and powers
which enables continent to be developed
in peace, and social order to be maintained
by means of local lf-government.
But it is indispensable for the practical
application and enforcement of these fun
damental principles that the Government
should not always be controlled by one
political party. Frequent change OF adj
ministration is as necessary as constant
recurrence to the popular will. Other
wise abuses grow, and the Government,
instead of being carried on for the general
welfare, becomes an instrumentallty for
imposing heavy burdens on the many who
are governed, for the benefit of the few who
govern. Public servants thus become al.
bitrary rulers.
This is now the condition of the coun-
try-hence a change is demanded. The
Republican party, so far as principle is
concerned, is "reminiscences. In practice
it is an organization for enriching those
who control its machinery. The frauds
and iobbery which have been brought to
light in every department of the Govern
ment are sufficient to have called for re-
form within the Republican party. Yet
those in authority, made reckless by the
long possession of power, have succumbed
to it's corrupting influence, and have placed
in nomination ticket against which the
independent portion of the party are in
open revolt.
Therefore a change is demanded. Such
a change was alike necessary in 1876, but
the will Of the people was then defeated
by a fraud which can never be forgotten
nor condoned. Again, in 1880, the change
demanded by the people was defeated By
TIE lavish use of money contributed by
interruptions contractors and shameless
j bbers who had bargaiued for unlawful
profits or for high Office.
The Republican party, during it's legal,
it's stolen, and it's bought tenures of power,
has steadily decayed in moral character
and political capacity. Its platform prom
ises are now list of its past failures.
It demands the restoration of our navy;
it has squandered hundreds of millions to
create navy that does not exist.
1t calls upon Congress to remove the
burdens under which American shipping
has been depressed; it imposes and has
continued those burdens.
1t processes the policy Of reserving the
public lands for small holdings by actual
settlers; it has given away the peoples
heritage till now few railroads and nom
resident aliens, individual and corporate,
possess larger area than that OF all our
farms between the two seas.
1t processes preference for free insti-
tutions; it organized and tried to legaliae
control of State elections by Fedora
troops.
1t processes desire to elevate labor; it
has subjected American worEingmen to
the competition of convict and imported
contract labor.
It processes gratitude to all who we're
disabled or died in the war, leaving wild
ows and orphans; it left to Democratic
House of Representatives the first effort
to equalize both bounties and pensions.
1t proffers pledge to correct the 1rreg-
! larites of our tariff; it created and has
continued them.
| Its own Tariff Commission confessed
the need of more than twenty per cent.
reduction; its Congress gave reduction
of less than four per cent.
1t processes the protection of American
, manufactures; it has subjected them to an
increasing flood of manufactured goods
and hopeless competition with manufac-
| turing nations, not one of which taxes
raw materials.
1t processes to protect all American In
dustries; it has Impoverished many to
subsidize few.
| 1t processes the protection OF American
labor: it has depleted the returns OF Amer