The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1884-07-16
DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM.
A Truthful Arrai9nmenC Of the
Republican Part y.
A Clear Out EnuuCiation Of Demo.
cratic Principles.
A Platform That Will Win With
the People.

the People.
The Democratic party ofthe Union
through its representatives in the Ma
tiopal convention assembled; recog
nixe that as the Nation grows older
new issues are born of time and pro
eress. and old issues perish, but the
fundamental principles OF the De.
mocracy, approved by the united
voice of the people, remain, and will
ever remain, as the best and only sc
curities for the continuance of free
government. The preservation OF
personal rights, the equality of all
citizens before the law, the reserved
rights of the States, and the suprem
acy of the Federal Government
within the limits of the Constltu-
ton, will ever form the true basis of
liberties, and can never be shrren
dered without destroying that bal
ance of rights and powers which en-
ables q continent to be developed in
peace and social order, to be main
| tanned by means of local self govern
menr. But it is necessary for the
| practical a~pplicatiOn and enforce
ment of these fundamental prin-
ciples. that the Government should
noralways be controlled bv q po-
liticaI party. Frequent changes OF
administration Is az necessary as
constant recurrence to the popular
will, otherwise abuses grow, and the
Government becomes the instru>
mentality of imposing heavy bur
dens on the many who are governed.
for the benefit of the few who who
govern Public servants thus become
arbitrary rulers. This is now the
condition of the country; hence q
change is demanded. The Republi-
IAN party, so far as principle is con-
cerned, is u "reminiscences in practice.
The frauds and jobbery, which have
been brought to light in every de-
partment of the government, are suf-
ficient to have called for reform with
in the Republican party; yet those in
authority, made reckless by the long
possession of power have succnlbed
to its corrupting influence, and have
placed ia nomination a 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 q fraud which can never be for |
gotten or condoned. Again in 1880
the change demanded by the people
was defeated by the lavish use OF
money contributed by INSCRIPTIONS
contractors and shameless jobbers. !
who had ~bargained for unlawful
or for high Office. The Re-
party, during its ille.al, its
and its bought tenures of pow
er, had steadily decay ed in moral
character and political capacity. Its
platform promises are nov q list OF
It's past failures. 1t demands the
restOr alton of our navy. It has
equandered hundreds of millions to
create q navy that does not exist. 1t
calls on Congress to remove the bur-
under which American ship
ping has been depressed. 1t profess
ses a prefele enc for free institutions.
It organized aud tried t. leealize a
of State elections by Federal
It processes a desire to ele-
vate labor. 1t has subjected Amer
lean workingmen to the competi-
of convict and imported contract
1t processes a gratitude to ali
who were disabled or dit d in the war,
WIDOWS and orphans. 1t left
to a Democratic House of Represent
atives the first effort to equallze both
Dounties ard pensions. 1t proffrred
! pledge to correct the irregularities
Of our tariff. 1t created and has con-
it's own tariff commission,
who confessed the need of more than
70 per cent. reduction. Its Congress
gave q reduction Of less than 4 per
cent. 1t processes the protection of
American manufacturers. It ha>
subjected them to an increasing
Hood of manufactured goods and u
hopeless competition with manu-
'acturing nations. not one of which
axes raw materials. It processes to
all American industries. 1t
las impoverished the many to SUBJ
,idize a few. It processes the protec-
ion to American labor; it has depict
I'd the returns of American agricul
ure, an industry followed by half our
1t processes the equality of
Ill citizens before the law, hy attemp-
to fix the status of colored citi>
ems. The acts of its congress were
,verset by the decisions of its courts.
t "accepts anew the duty of LEADING /,
q the work of progress and reform "
ts caught criminals are permitted to
scaoe through construed DELAYS or
ct0al connivance in the prosecution. I
with corruption, the
utbreaking of exposure no longer I
its moral sense. Its indepen-
lent journals maintain a successful
ontest for authority in its counsels
r q veto on had nominations. That u
change is necessary is proved by an ,
surplus OF more than $780, Il
90, 900 which has yearly been col
,cted from a suffering public. AL c
necessary taxation is an unjus, Z
axation. We denounce the Repub-
can party for having failed to re- d
eve the people from the crushing U
ar taxes, which have paraiyzsd !
usiness, crippled industry aud de- G
rived labor of employment and of a l
lst reward. The Democracy pledges a
self to purify the administration t
ON corruption, to restore economy, Il
} revive the respect for the law and c
reduce taxation to the lowest limit G
)nsistent with q due regard to the +
of tbs faith of the nation a
its creditors and pensioners. G
moving full we'll, however, that p
gislati0n affecting the occupations G
the people should be cautious and u
,nservative in method, not in I'd es