The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-07-17

4uo lOllUWluS P'dtOiM hoo 1OP0A'S>
by the Committee to the National Dem
ocratic Convention in Chicago and adop
ted:
THE PLATFORM.
The Democratic party of the Union
through its representatives in Nationa
Convention assembled, recognizes that a
the nation grows older new issues ar
born of time and progress and old issues
perish, but the fundamental principles o
the Democracy, approved by the unitet
voice Of the people, remain, and wi!
ever remain, as the best and only securi
ty for the continuance of free govern
ment, the preservation of personal rights
the equality of all citizens before TIT
law, the reserved rights of the States ant
the supremacy of the Federal Govern
ment within the limits of the Constitu
tion, will ever form the true basis OF oul
liberties and can never be surrendered
without destroying that balance of righ
and power which enables the continen
to be developed in peace and social ordel
to be maintained by means of local self
governments. But it is indispensable
for the practical application and enforce
ment of these fundamental principles
that the Government should not always
be controlled by one political party. A
frequent change of administration is as
necessary as constant recurrence to the
popular will; otherwise abuses grow
and the Government, instead OF being
carried on for the general welfare, be-
comes an instrumentality for imposing
heavy burdens upon the many who are
governed for the benefit of the few who
govern. Public servants thus become
arbitrary rulers. This is now the con-
dition Of the country. Hence change
IS demanded. The Republican party, SC
far as principle is concerned, Is remln'
iscence. In practice, it is an organiza'
ton for enrichipg those who control lts
machinery. The frauds and robbery
which have been brought to light in
every department of the Government are
sufficient to have called for reform with
in the Republican party. Yet those IN
.ssiuthority, made reckless by long posses
sion of power, have succumbed to its
corrupting influence and have placed IN
nomination a ticket against which the
independent portion of the party are IN
open revolt. Therefore change is de-
manded. Such change was alike neces
sary in 1876, but the will of the people
was then defeated by fraud which car
never be forgotten nor condoned. Again
n 1880. the change demanded by the
people was defeated by the lavish use Of
money contributed by unscrupulous con,
tractors and shameless jobbers, who had
barl,gained for unlawful profits or for high
Offices. The Republican party, during
its legal, its stolen and its bought tenureE
Of power, has steadily deeayed in mora!
character and political capacity. !ts
platform promises are now d list OF Its
past failures. It demands the restoration
of our navy it has squandered hundreds
of millions to create a navy that does
not exist. It calls upon Congress to re-
move the burdens under which American
shipping has been; depressed it timposed
and has continued these burdens. II
processes the policy of reserying puolic
lands for small holdings BY actual set.
tiers; it has given away the peoples
heritage until now few railroads and
non. resident aliens, individual and cor,
porate. possess larger area than that o1
all of our farms between the two seas
It processes preference for free institu-
tions it organized and tried to legalize
the control Of State elections by Federal
troops. II processes a desire 10 elevate
labor; it has subjected the American
w,orkingman to competition of convict
and imported contract labor. 1t profes'
ses gratitude 10 all who were disabled OF
died in war, leaving widows and orphans
It left to a Democratic House OF Repre-
sentatives the first effort to equalize both
bounties and pensions. It profers q
pledge to correct the irregularities of ou.
tariff: it created and has continued
them: its own Tariff Commission con-
fessed the need of more than 20 per cent
reduction its Congress gave reduction
of less than 4 per cent. 1t processes
protection Of American manufactures
it has subjected them to an increasing
flood of manufactured goods and hope
less competition with manufacturing
nations, not one of which taxes raw ma
terials. It processes to protect all Amer;
ican industries; it has impoverished
many to subsldize a few. 1t processes
protection of American labor; it has
depleted the revenues of American agrl.
culture, an industry followed by half Of
our people. It processes the equality ol
all men before the law, attempting to fz
the status of colored citizens; the Acts
of its Congress were overset by decisions
of its Courts. 1t accepts anew the duty
of leading in the work of progress aud
reform its caught criminals are permit
ted to escape through contrived delays OF
actual connivance in their prosecution
Honey combed with corruption, the out
breaking of exposure no longer shock its
moral sense. ITS honest members, its
independent journals, no longer maintain
a successful contest for authority in Its
counsels. or veto upon its bad nomlna'
tions. That change is necessary is
proved by an existing surplus of more
than s100, 100000, which has yearly been
collected from suffering people. I'm
necessary taxation is unjust taxation
We denounce the Republican party fol
having failed to relieve the people from
the crushing war. taxes which have par,
alyzed business, crippled industry and
deprived labor of employment and Of
lust reward. The Democracy pledges
itself to purify the administration from
corruption, to restore economy, to revive
respect for law and to reduce taxation tc
the lowest limit consistent with a due
regard to the preservation of the faith o.
the nation to its creditors and pensioners
knowing full we'll, however, that legis'
lation affecting the occupations OF the
people should be cautious and conserva
tive, in method, not in advance of public
opinion, but responsive to its demands
The Democratic party is pledged to re-
wise the tariff in q spirit of fairness to
all interests but in making reduction
in taxes it is not proposed to iDjure any
domestic industries, bat rather to pro-
mote their healthy growth: From the
foundation of this Government the taxes