Daily Los Angeles herald., 1884-09-28
POLITICAL.
The democratic PLATFORM.

as the best and only security 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 s'i'
promary Of the Foiersi Government within the
limits Of the Constitution, will esef form the
true basis Of our liberties and can never be sur.
rendered without destroying that balance Of
rights and powers which enables oontipent 70
be Developed In peace and social order anu 70 De
maintained by means Of local self government
But IL 10 " dispunssbe for the practical applies
ton and enforcement Of those fundamental pm
olples that the Government should not always De
controlled by cue political party. ffeiuen'
change OF administration Is AZ necessary as eyh-
slant recurrence to the popular will. otherwiae
abuses grow aud the OoseTnin ent fundamentally
IL used Tor imposing heavy burdens % the many
who are governed for the benefit Of the lev Nho
govern. Public servants thus become arbitrary
rulers, This IL now the condition OF tine coun'
try, hence a change Ii demanded
Tho Republican party, 80 lar ~ principle IL
concerned IL a rcininiBcenoe In practice, IL II
| an Organization for onriching those who control
| il machinery The frauds and Iobbery which
| have been brought 10 light In every department.
| of the Government are sufficient 10 have called
for reform within the Republican party, yet
those In authority, made reckless by the long
possession Of power. have uiccunbod 70 It's cor
rupting Influence and have placed In nsininatlon
a tlcaet against which the independent portion
of the party are In open revolt. Therefore a
change is demanded. Such change was alike
necessary In 1875, but the will Of the people was
then defeated by a fraud which can never be for
gotten or oondoned Again In 1850 the change
demanded BY the people was defeated by the
lavish use ~ money contributed BY nsorupulous
contractors and shameless Jobbers, who had bar
gained Tor unlawful profits " Tor high office,
The kepublican party, during ITS legal, It's
stoleh an 10 bought tenurez Of power. has atsadi
iy deceyod In moral character and policieal ca.
pacity. Its platform promises are now list o.
Its past failures. II demands the restoration Of
our navy. II has squandefed hundreds Of MI.
| lions 10 create a navy that does not exist. II
calls upon Congress y remove the burdens under
which American shipping has been depressed. II
| imposed and has continued those burdens u
| processes preference Tor free Institutions u
organized aid tried to legalize control Of state
elections by Federal troops. II Processes de
sire TO elevate labor. II has subjected American
workiDgmen TO the competition Of convict and
imported contract labor II Processes gratitude
TO all who were disabled or died In the war eay
| Ing widows and orphans, IL left to Democratic
House Of Representatives the first effort to
| equalze both bountes and pensions II proffer
| cd pledge TO correct the irregularities OF our
| tariff. II created ana has continued them. Its
own Tarin Commission confessed the need Of
| more than 20 per cent. reduction Its Congress
gave a reduction Of less thnn per cent, 1t pro
fesses the protection OF Amarican manufacturers,
| 1t has subjected thoIn to an Increasing Hood OF
manufactured goods and hopeless competition
| WIN manufacturing tiAtibHHt Hot oHt VI WtHCH
taxes raw materials. II Processes to protect all
American Industries. II has impoverished many
TO subsidize u fow. II processes this protection Of
American labor T. has depleted the returns Of
Am rican agricultue,, an industry followed by
half our people, Processes the equality Of all
citizens before the Law. Attempting TO FIX the
| status Of colored citizens, the Acts OF Its Con.
gress wore ovorset by tn, decisions OF its courts.
Its caught criminals are permitted to escape
through contrived delays or actual connivanoe In
| the nlpu aar MT
outrageous exposures no longer shock Its moral
sense. Its honest meQ1bers and its independent
journals no longer maintain successful contest
| for authority In Its connsels or veto on bad
| nominations.
That a change Is necessary Is proved by an ex
isting surplus Of more than 500, 900, 900. which
has yearly boon collected from suffering PEG
pie. Unnecessary taxation Is unjust taxation
We denounco the Republican party for having
failed TO relieve the people from the crushing wal
taxes, which have paraiyzed business. crippled
industry and deprived labor Of employment and
| Of its Just reward.
The Democracy pledges itself TO purify the Ad
| ministrsiion from corruption, TO restore economy
To revive respect for law and 10 reduce taxation
| TO the lowest limit consistent with due regard
to the preservation of tho faith OF the nation Ia
Its creditors and its pensioners, knowing full
well, however, that legislation Affecting the wei
| fare Of the people should be cautious and con.
sentative In method, not In advance Of public
| opinion, but responsive TO Its demands.
| The Democratic party IL pledged to revise the
tariff In spirit of fairness TO all interests, hut
in making a reduction In taxes IL Is not proposed
| to injure any domestic industries, but rather Ia
promote their healthy growth From the foun-
dalton Of this Government, taxes collected at the
custom.house have been the chief source Of Fed.
eral revet ne, and such they must continue to he.
Moreover, many industries have come to rely up
on legislation for their successful continuance, 40
| that any change OF the law must be at every step
| regardful OF the labor and capital thus involved
The process Of reform must be subject to the exc
cutlon OF this plain dictate OF justice. All taxa.
ton shall be limited to the r,quirer'"'lis OF an
economical Government. The nettsss reduo-
| tion In taxation can and must be tffsc with
out dcpriving American labor Of ,.s Dity TO
| compete successfully with foreign tabor, and
without imposing lower rates OF duty than will
| be ample to cover any Increased cost OF produc.
| ton which may exist In consequence Of the
higher rate of wages prevailing In this country
Sufficient revenue to pay all the expenses Of the
Federal Government. economically Administered,
| including pensions and interest and principal OF
| the pbbc debt, can be got under our present
| system OF taxation from custom house taxes on
fewer imported articles, bearing heaviest on ar
tlcles ct luxury and bearing lightest on articles
| OF necessity. We therefore denounco thesbuses
OF the exis ing tariff and, subject TO these lm-
tations, we demand that Federal taxation shall
be exclusively for public purposes and shall not
exceed the needs OF the Government, eoonoml.
cally administered
Ihc system OF uifect taNhtion known rs the
internal revenue Isl war tax and 80 long as the
law continues the duty derived thoretrom should
be sacredly devoted to the relief OF the people
from the remaining burdens OF the war and he
made fund to defray the expense Of the care
and comfort OF worthy soldiers disabled In the
line OF duty In the wars OF the republic and for
the payment OF stcn pei sions ms Congress may
from time TO time grant to such soldiers, u like
fund for the sailors having been already provid-
cd, and any surplus should be paid into the
Treasury.
We favor an American continental policy,
based on more intimate commercial and political
relations with the fifteen sister republics Of
North, Central and South America. but ENHANCING
alliance with none.
We believe In honest money! the gold and sill.
yer coinage, and OF the cultivation and circula.
ton Of M dunn convertible into such money,
without loss.
Asserting the equality Of all men before the
law we hold that 1t IL the duty OF the Govern.
nent in Its dealings with the people to mete out
equal and exact Justice to all citizens, Of what
ever nativity, race, color or persuasion, religious
OF politcal
and we recall TO the memory OF the people the
noble struggle Of the Democrats in the Forty
fifth and Forty sixth Congresses, by which a re-
luctant Republican opposition was compelled TO
assent to legislation making everywhere illegal
elusive proof that Democratic administration
will preserve liberty with order.
The election Of Federal officers for the Terri
tories should be restricted to citizens previously
resident therein.
We oppose sumptuary laws which vex the citi
zen and interfere with Individual liberty.
We favor honest civil service reform, the com.
pensation OF all United States officers by fixed
salaries, the separation Of Church and State and
the diffusion OF free education by common schools
so that every child in the land may be taught the
RI hts and duties of citizenship
While we favor all legislation which will tend
to the equitable distribution OF property, to the
prevention of monopoly and TO the strict en-
forcenent of individual rights against corporate
abuses, we hold that the welfare OF society de-
ponds on serupulous regard for the rights OF
property as defined by law We believe that Ia.
Dor is best rewarded whore IL is freest and most
enlightened, II should be fostered and cherish.
ed. We favor the repeal OF all laws restoring the
free action OF labor and the enactment OF laws
by which labor organizations may be Increased
and of all such legislation as will tend To en-
tighten the people AZ to the true rotations of
capital and labor.
We believe that the public lands ought as far |
as possible, to be kept as homcsteads for actual |
settlers, that all uneaned lands heretofore i'm |
providently granted 10 railroad corporations by |
the action OF the Repub lean party should be |
restored to the public domain and no more
grants shall be made to corporations or be allow.
ed to fall into the ownership OF alien absentees.
We are opposed to all propositions which up.
on any pretext, would convert the general Gov.
cfHnheit INTO machine fOf tine collection OF tax
Is to be distributed amoug the States or the citi.
zens thereof.
In effect the declaration Of the Democratic plat.
form OF 1856 that "Tht liberal principle en-
bodied by Jefferson in the Declaration OF hide.
pendence and sanctioned in the Constitution
which make ours the land OF liberty and the asy.
lum OF the oppressed OF every nation, have ever
been the cardinal principles in the Democratic
Isith. We, nevertheless, do not sanction the i'm.
portation OF foreign labor or the admission of
mnAffHI hah1ta ftafn Il |
IN or kindred, for absorption into the great body
1f our people, or for the citizenship which our
avs confer. American civilization demands
hat against the immigration importation of
hongolians TO these shores our gates be closed
The Democratic party insists that it is the
iuty OF the Government to protect with equal
idelity and vigilance the rights OF its citizens
native and naturalized-at home and abroad
md TO the end that this protection may be az.
ured. the United States papers Of naturalization
ssued by courts Of competent jurisdiction must
'e respected BY the executive and Legislative de.
'artments of our own Government and by all