River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1884-07-17
THIRD DAY.

continued, Mr. .Mansur of Missouri seconded
| the nomination of Thurman of Ohio Mr.
Powell of Ohio presented the name of Gov
| Hoadly, VIM. A. Wallace of Pa presented the
name of Speaker Randall A great many
speeches were made for and against
| the various candidates. The clerk then
read the list of candidates in NOM
nation, and ii was to have been ex
pected, Cleyeland's name met the
| highest response, where applause was Law
| shly given to all except Hoadly Tennessee
renewed the motion to adjourn till p. m, and
| a substitute which instructed the committee on
resolutions to report at that time being accepted,
was adopted without dissent the convention
having been in session for three hours and
| quarter
IN the evening, Col Morrison, the commit
tee presented the platform as follows.
THE PLATFORM.
Morrison of Illinois, chairman of the commit
| tee on resolutions, stepped to the platform to
present the report of that committee. His ap-
| pearance was greeted with cheers. The platform
was read by of the reading clerks as follows:
The Democratic party of the Union through
| its representatives in national convention as
| sembled, recognizes that the nation grows
older new issues are born of time and progress,
and old issues perish: but the fundamental
| principles OF the Democracy approved by the
| united voice of the people remain and will ever
remain as the best and only security for the con-
| tinuance of free government. The preservation
of personal rights, the equality OF all citizens be-
fore the law, the reserved rights of the states,
| ana tine supremacy OIL buc ltueIdl SUNcIDlIitut
within the limits Of the constitution will ever
/ form the true basis of liberties, and can
never be surrendered without destroying that
balance of rights and powers which enables
continent to be developed in peace and social
order to be maintained by means of loyal self
government, but it is indispensable for the prac-
tical application and enforcement of these fun
damental principles that the govern
| ment should not always be controlled
/ bY political party. Frequent change
of administration is necessary constant
\ recurrence to the popular will. Otherwise
| abuses grow, and the government, instead of
being carried on for the general welfare, becomes
an instTumentality for imposing heavy burdens
on the many who are governed for the benefit
of the few who govern. Public servants thus be-
come arbitrary rulers This is now the condition
of the country. Hence change is demanded.
The Republican party, so far as principle Is con-
organization for enriching those who control its
machinery. The frauds and jobbery which have
| been brought to light in every depart
/ to have called for reform within the Republican
party, vet those in authority made reckless by
| the long possession of power, have succumbed to
its corrupting influence and have placed i'll
nomination ticket against which the indepen-
| dent portion of the party are In open revolt.
| Therefore 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 condoDed. Again In 1850
the change demanded by the people was defeated
/ by the lavish of money contributed by un-
| scrupulous contractors and shameless Jobbers
I who had bargained for unlawful profits, or for
| high office
The Republican party, during its Illegal, its
stolen and its bought tenures OF power, has
steadily decayed in morality, character, and po-
! litieal capacity. It's platform promises are now
| list of its present failures. 1t demands the
| restoration of our navy; 1t has squandercd hun
| dreds of millions to create navy that does not
| exist. It calls upon congress to remove the
| burdens under which American shipping has
| been depressed: it imposes and has continued
| those burdens 1t proposes the policy of reserv
ing the public lands for small holding by actual
settlers; il has given away the peoples heritage
4 a fpxEra railroads and nonresident aliens.
| individual and corporate, possess larger area
l than that of all our farmers between the two
| seas, II processes preference for free lnstltu-
| tons; it organized and tried to control state
| elections by federal troops 1t processes desire
| to elevate labor: it has subjected American
| working men to the competition of convict and
imported contract labor. 1t processes gratitude
| to all who disabled or died in the war leav-
| ing widows and orphans; it left to Democratic
house of renTesentatyes the first effort to equal
| iZe both bounties and pensions 1t proffers a
pledge to correct the Irregularities of our tariff
il creates and has continued them. Its own tariff
| commission confessed the need of more than 20
/ per cent reduction. Its congress gave reduce
| tion of less than per cent. 1t processes the
| protection of American manufacturers: 1t
| has subjected them to an unnecessary food of
| manufacturing nations not one OF which taxes
| raw materials. 1t proposes to protect all Amer
lean industries il has impoverished many to sub
sidize a few. It processes the protection OF Amer
lean labor; it has depleted the returns of Ameri-
| can agriculture, an industry followed by half
! our people. 1t processes the equality OF all men
before the law. Attempting TO nix the status OF
colOred citizens the acts OF its congress were re-
| versed by the decisions Of its courts. 1t accepts
anew the duty of leading in the work of progress
| and reform; its criminals are permitted
| TO escape through contrived delays or
actual connivance in the prosecution. 1t is reek-
| ing with corruption. outbreak1ng exposures no
| longer shock its moral sense. Its honest menu
bers. its Journals, no longer malnta n success
fu contest for authority in its Counsels or veto
| upon bad nominations That a change Is neces-
sary is proved by an existing surplus OF more
than 500. 0O0, 900, which has yearly been col
| lected from suffering people. Unnecessary
| taxation is unjust taxation. We denounGe the
| Republican party for having failed TO relieve the
| people from the crushing war taxes which have
/ paralyzed business, crippled industry, and de-
| prived labor of employment and just reward.
| The Democracy pledges itself TO purify the al
| ministration from corruption, to restore econo-
my. to restore respect for law and to reduce tax
alton to the lowest limit consistent with due re-
! gard to the preservation of the faith OF the
nation to its creditors and pensioners, knowing
| full well. however that legislation affecting the
| occupations of the people should be cautious
| and conservative in method and not in advance
| of public opinion but responsive to its demands
| The Democratic party Is pledged to revise the
tarth in a spirit of fairness to all interests
But in making reduction in taxes 1t is not
| proposed to injure any domestic industries. but
| rather to promote their healthy growth. From
the foundation of the government taxes collected
| az the custom house have been the source of
federal revenue Such they must continue TO
| be. Moreover many industries have come TO relJ
| npon legislation for successful continuance, so
that any change of law must be at every step
regardtul Of the labor and capital thus involved.
execution to this plain dictate Of justice All
taxation shall be limited to the requirements OF
| economical government. The necessary reduction
In taxation can and must be effected without de-
prfvinc American labor of the ability to compete
successfully with foreign labor. and without i'm
posing lower rates of duty than Will be ample to
J cover any increased cost OF production which
may exist in consequence of the higher rate OF
| wages prevailing in this country. Sufhcient
| revenue to pay expenses OF the federal govern
ment economically administered, including pen
sions, interest and principal of the public debt,
can be. under our present system OF taxation
| from custom house taxes on fewer imported
articles. bearing heaviest on articles OF luxury.
and bearing iightoSt on articles OF necessity,
/ Wettherefore denounee the
ABUSES OF THE EXISTING TARIFF,
and subject 10 the preceding limitations. we
demand that federal taxation shall be excHs-
lively for public purposes and shall not exceed
the needs of the government economically adj
rninistered. The system of direct taxation
known As the internal revenue is . war tax; 50
long as the law continues the money derived
therefrom should be devoted 10 the relief Of the
people from the remaining burdens of the war
aud be uaade fund to defray the expense of the
care and comfort OF worthy soldiers disabled in
time OF dnty in the Of the republic, and for
the payment of such pensions as congress may
from time TO time grant to such soldiers, ike
| fund for the sailors having beam already nro-