Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1884-07-11
THE DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM.


The Democratic party of the Union, through
liz conservatives in National Contention
assembled. recognizes that as the nation grows
older new issues are born of time and pro-
uress. aud old issues perish. But the iunda-
mental principles of the democracy, ap- |
proyed by the united voice of the people,
remain. and will ever remain as the best and
only security for the continuance OF free
The preservation OF personal
rights: the equality of all citizens before the
law: the reserved rights of the States, and
the supremacy of the federal government
within 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 the continent TO be developed IN
neace. and social order to be maintained by
means of local self government; but IL Is
indispensable for the practical application
and enforcement of these fundamental prln-
ciples that the government should not al
WAYS be controlled by one political party.
Frequent change OF administration Is as
necessary as constant recurrence to the pop
uIar will. Otherwise abuses grow, and the
government, instead of being carried on for
the general welfare, becomes an instrument
tality for imposing heavy burdens on the
MANY who are governed for the benefit of
the lew who govern. Public servants thus
become arbitrary rulers.
This is now the condition OF the country
hence change is demanded.
The republican party, so far as principle
is concerned, is Renaissance. 10 prac-
tice, 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 government are
sufficient to have called for reform within
the republican party yet those in authority,
made reckless by the long possession of
power, have succumbed to its corrupting
influence, and have placed in nomination
| ticket against which the independent por.
| ton of the party are in open revolt. There
fore change is demanded. Such change
| was alike necessary in 1876, but the will of
the people was then defeated by fraud
| which can never be forgotten nor condoned
| Again, in 1880, the change demanded by the
people was defeated by the lavish use Of
money contributed by INSCRIPTIONS con-
tractors and shameless jobbers, who had
bargained for unlawful profits, or for high
office. The republican party during its
legal. its stolen, and its bought tenures Of
power has steadily decayed in moral char
acter and political capacity. Its platform
promises are now list Of past failures 1t
demands the restoration of our navy; it has
souandered hundreds of millions to create q
navy that does not exist. 1t calls upon Con-
press to remove the burdens under which
American shipping has been depressed it
imposes and has continued those burdens.
1t processes the policy Of preserving the pub.
lie lands for small holdings by actual set
tiers; it has given away the peoples
| L Il
resident aliens, individual and corporate,
possess larger area than of all our farms
between the two seas. 1t processes prefer
ence for free institutions it organized and
tried to legaliZe q control Of State elections
by federal troops 1t processes desire to
elevate labor; it has subjected American
workingmen to the competition of convict
and imported contract labor. 1t processes
| gratitude to all who were disabled or died
in the war leaving widows and orphans !; it
left to democratic House of Representa-.
tives the first effort to equaliZe both boun-
ties and pensions. 1t proilers a pledge to
correct the irregularities of our tariff; it
created and has continued them. Its own
tariff commission confessed the need of more
than twenty per cent. reduction its Con-
grcss gave reduction of less than four per
cent. 1t prof cs the protection of American
manufactures it has subjected them to an
increasing flood Of manufactured goods and
hopeless competition with manufacturing
nations, not one Of which takes raw mate
rails. 1t processes to protect all American
industries; it has impoverished many
to substitute few. 1t processes the pro-
lection of American labor; it has de-
pleted the returns Of American agricul-
ture-an industry followed by half of
our people. It processes the equality of
all men before the law; attempting
to fix the status of colored citizens, the acts
of it's Congress were overset by the deci-
sions of its courts Tt accepts anew the
duty of leading in the work of progress and
REFORM" its caught criminals are permitted
to escape through contrived delays or actual
connivance in the prosecution. Honey
combed with corruption, outbreaking ex-
posures no longer shock it's moral sense.
It's honest members, its Independent journ-
ais no longer maintain 81 successful contest
for authority in its counsels, or veto upon
bad nominations. That change is necessary
is proved by an existing surplus of more
than $1OO,0O0,000. which has yearly been
collected from suffering people. UDneces-
sary taxation is unjust taxation. We de-
nounce the republican party for having
failed to relieve the people from crushing
war taxes, which have paralyzed business,
crippled industry and deprived labor of
employment and of just reward.
The democracy pledges itself to purify
the administration from corruption, to re-
store economy to revive respect for law,
and to reduce taxation to the lowest limit
consistent with due regard to the preserva-
ton of the faith of the nation to its cred
itors and pensioners, knowing full well,
however, that legislation affecting the occu-
pations of the people should be cautious
and conservative in method-not in advance
of public opinion, but responsive to its de.
mands. The democratic party is pledged
to revise the tariff in spirit of fairness to
an interests But in making reduction in
taxes, it is not proposed to injure any
domestic Industries, but rather to promote
their healthy growth. From the founda-
ton of this government, taxes collected at
the custom house have been the chief source
Of federal revenue: such they must con-
tinue to be. Moreover, many industries