Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1884-08-02
THE PLATFORM.

stmpeu, recognize that rs the nation grow
older new issues are born of time and progress
anu old Issues perish. But the fundamcnt,
principles of the democracy. approved by tn
united voices OF the people, remain snd Will eve
remain rs the best and only security for the con
Itlnuance of free government. The preservation q
personal rights the equality OF all citizens bcior
The law, the reserved rights of the states and tn
| supremacy of the federal government within tn,
limits of the constitution will ever form the tru
basis of our liberties and can never he surrcn
dcrcd without destroying that balance of right.
and powers which enables continent to he de
| velOped in peace, and social order to be main
| tained by means OF local self-gOvernment; but II
| Is indispensable for the practical application
| and enforcement Of these fundamental princi
1 pies that the government: should not always bt
controlled by one political party. Frequent
| slant recurrence to the popular will. Otherwise
abuses grow, and the government. instead Ol
| being carried on for the general welfare, be-
| comes an instrumeniality for imposing heavy
| burdens on the many who are governed, Tor the
| benefit OF the few who govern. Public servants
| thus become arbitrary rulers. This Is now the
| condition Of the country-hcnce a change is de-
| innn'led. The republican party, so far rs prin-
ciple is concerned. is rcn,incsrcnc". In Rr"c-
tice 1t Is an organization for cnrichInS those " no
| cnntrO its machinery. The frauds and jobbery
which have been brought I" light in every de-
partment Of the gove nInnt are to have
called Tor reform within the republican party
Yet those in authority, made reckless by the
long possession Of power. have smccumbed Ia
its cOrrupting influence and have placed IN
nomination II ticket against which the in'lcpend-
ent portion OF the party are in open revolt.
CnASGK DEMANDED.
Therefore Change IL r,iomandcd Such :.
change w:ts alike necessary in lS1G, ut The will
Of the people WIS then defeated by . fraud
which can never be forgotten nor cnndoncd
Again. In 1850. the change demanded by the
mOple was defeated by the lavish use "f money
contributed by INSCRIPTIONS contractors and
shnmcless jObi,ers who had bargantd for I'M
lawful profits or for high Office. The republican
tenures of power has steadily decaved in moral
character and polical canacity. Its platform
promises are now ai'st of its past failures. 1t
demands the IT sturatiOn of our navy; il has
squandertd hundreds or millions TO create u
navy that does not exist. 1t calls upon congress
to remove the buidens under which American
has continued those burdens. 1t Processes the
policy of resrrvin% the public lands for small
holdings by rctual settlers; i has given away
the peoples heritage till now few railroads
and nom- m-rcsd"nt aliens. individual and corpo-
rate, pO-srss n larger area than that OF nlI our
farms between the two scas.
REPUBLICAN, FALSE PRETRNsEs.
1t processes IL preference ior free institutions: j:
it organized and tried to lcguliZe a control of
state elections by federal troops. 1t prOlessrs II
desire to elevate labor; it has subjected AmerI-
and imported contract labor. 1t prOlcsses gratl-
tude to all who were d. ,abled or died in the
war. leaving widows and orphans; it left to IL
democratic house of representatives to equaliZe
both bOunties and pensions. 1t prOiT.ra n pledge
to correct the irregularities of our tariff; it
created and has contil. led them. Its own tariff
commission confc- ID the need of more than 20
per cent. reduction sits congress gave reduction
of less than per cent. 1t processes the prOtee-
tiOn of American n 'nufacturcs, 1t has subjected
them to an increasing food of manufactured
goods and u hopeless competition with manu-
i,icturing nations, not one of which taxes raw
materials. 1t processes to prot; ct all American
industries; it hns Impoverished many to suhsi-
dIZe II few. 1t prOiessts the protection OF Amer
lean labor; it has depleted the returns of Ameri
can agrIcultlre-an industry followed by half
our people 1t processes the equality of all men
before the law attempting to fix the status Of col
citizens the acts OF It's congress Were Overset
by the decisions Of its courts. lt 'accepts anew
the duty of leading in the work of progress and
Its caught criminals are permitted to
escape through cnntrivcd delays or actual con-
nivance IN The prosecution. Honey cy-combed with
OuibreakinG exposures no longer
shock It's moral sense. Its honest membcrs. its
ceasiul contest for authority in lis councils IL
veto upon bal nominations. That change il
s proved by an existing surplus of
more than $lOO, ,OOG, 900. which has yearly been
collected from n suffering people. Unnecessary
taxation is urjust taxation. We denOunce the
republican party for having failed To relieve the
people from crushing war taxes which nave
partiyZed business crippled industry and de-
lIrlv-d labor of employment amt Of just reward.
The democracy Piled res itsct TO purify the adm
from corruption. To restore economy,
10 revive respect for law and To reduce taxation
to the lowest limit consistent with due regard
to the preservation OF the faith OF the nation TO
Its creditors and pensioners.
THE TARIFF PLANK
knowing inll Well. however, that Legislation
Affecting the operations OF the people should he
cautious and conservative In methO,l. not in n,t-
vance of public opinion bil: responsive 10 its de-
mands, III" demecrat,c party is pledge, to re-
wise the tariff in spirit I'll fairness To all inter-
ests. But in making reduction in taxes. it Ia
not proposed to jure any domestic in'illstries,
but rather to promote their hcalthv growth.
From the foundation of this government taxes
collected mt the custOm-house have been the chief
source OF federal revenue. Such they must con-
time to be. Moreover, many industries have
come TO rely upon Legislation for successful con-
SD that any change of law must be at
every step regar'itul of the labor and capital
thus involved the process of reform must he
subject IN the execution TO this plain dictate Of
Justice. A taxation shall be iirniied to the re-
quircments of economical government The
reduction in taxation can and must
be effected without depriving American labor
OF the ability To compete succe ,slullv with for
eign labor. and without imposing lower rates of
duty than will he ample to cover any Increased
Cost OF production which may exist in cOnsr-
qIlemce of the higher rate OF wages prevailing in
this country. Sufficient revenue to pay all the
expenses of the federal government ecnnomi-
cally adm ninistere,i. inc'n'iing pensions. inter-
est and principal of the public debt. can be gOt
under our present system of taxation. from Gus
tOm-hOIaes taxes on fewer imported articles,
hearing heaviest on articles OF luxury and bear
ing lightcst ON articles Of necessity We th,rc-
fore denOunce the abuses of the cxisIng tariff;
and, subject to the preceding limitations, We
demand that federal taxation shall he exclusive
ly fer public purposes, and shall not exceed the
nee d5 of the government economically a,imin1s-
tered. The system OF direct taxation known
u X,
long as the law continues, the money levied
therefrOm should he sncre,lly devoted to the
lief of the people from the remaing burdens of
the war and be made i fund TO ilrfray the expense
OF the care and comfort OF worthy soldiers tiisa-
bled in line OF duty in the wars OF the republic,
anu for the pay ytnen. of such pensions ns con-
Rress may from time to time grant TO such sol
dicrs-a like fund for the sailors having hccn al
ready prOvided-and nny surplus should be paid
into the treasury.
THE DEMOCRACY RELIEVES IN HONEST MONEY.
We favor IN American continental policy
based upon more intimate commercial and pO-
liiical relations with the fifteen sister republics
oi North. Central and South America, but EN-
tanglIng alliances with none. We believe in
honest money, the gold and silver coinage of the
constitution, and u circulating medium convert
ible into such money without loss. Asserting
the equality all men before the law, we hold
that il is the "dty OF the government in its deal
ings with the people to mcte out equal and ex-
act Justice to nj citizens. of whatever nativity,
race. color or persuasion, religious or political.
We believe in free ballot and fair count, and
We recall to the memory of the people the noble
struggle of the democrats IN the Forty filth am,
Forly-siNth congresses by which Il reluctant re-
publican opposition was compelled to assent to
Legislation making everywhere illegal the pres
proof that democratic administration will pre-
serve liberty with order. The selection OF fed
eral officers for the territories should be
stricted TO citizens previously resident therein.
HONEST CIvIL-sERvICE KEtoHM.
We oppose aumptuary laws which vex the
citizen and interfere with individual liberty;
we favor honest civil service reform. and the
compensation of all United States officers by
hxcd Salaries; the separation of church and
state, AMI the diffusion of lrcc education by
common schools. SO that every child in the Ian,i
may he taught the RIG" and duties of citizen
ship. While we favor all legislation which will
tend to the equitable disIr button of property to
the prevention of monopoly and TO the slrisI en-
forcement OF individus's rights against corpO-
rate abuses, We hold that the welfare of sncety
depends upon arrupul0lIs regard for the rights
OF property ns defined by law.
PROTECTION TO LABOR.
We believe that labor il best rewarded where
1t Is ireest and most enlightened. II sh"nid
therefore BE- ioster,d and cherished. We favor
the repeal OF all laws Ic.triciin" the tree
nj labor and the enactment Of Laws by when
labor hrganiz iiions may ir iuc"rr"rnIed and
OF all such legislation viii tend To cnliglit-n
th, people as 10 th. ir," rrin:inns "t capital and
Labor We believe that the public land ought,
as far as rosr'hie, I" te kept ~ i"n"stcn,s Tor
actual -eLiier,; That MI nnrurn"d lands hcrrIu-
fore improvihrntiy granted In railroad cnrpnr;i-
tons by the action ni the republican parry
should he restored To the ruhi,: ;nniin and
that no NOR" grants "i iani shall b" made To
corporations or be allowed Ia fall INTO tn. own
nli propositions wi,ch upon any r,c,rNt would
convert the - neral government mo u machine
for collecting IaA,s 10 be distributed among t.r
states or the cItiZrn3 thereof
OPPOSED TO IMPORTED rAUrER LAnCR.
In rcailiI ming The declaration OF the demo-
cratic platform o; l>56. that the iihrrI rriiI-
pies .mlbolrt by ia il'.rsun IN the I).cinrlI ion
of Independence, :,n'i ~muciionea IN the :unsfit-
utIOn which makes nu'S The Land ui liberty and
the asS lun "f the "ppr"ssci OF every nation,
have ever been cardinal priHcIprs III the ti'I,ir-
cratic faith We nevertheless dn not sanction ii,c
importation of foreign labor The admission of
hervilr races unified BY habits training re-
ligion or kindred for absorption INTO the great
body OF our pcopl", or for Tie citizenship which
our laws confer American civilization demands
That against the Immigration or importation OF