Daily Los Angeles herald., 1884-07-22
Tn. Democratic PLATFORM.

OluOf new issues arc morn uf ttnc hnd pf0Ufffa
And old issues perish, but the fundamental pEn
cpics Of the Dcmoe faey, approved BY tie uiiI1ed
voice Of the people, main, and Will ever reman
A. the best aud only security for the continue
Of free government; the preservation Of personal
rights the equality Of all citizens before the law
the reserved rights Of the States aud the Ait.
premacy Of the feierai Government within the
limits Of the Constitution. will esor form tho
true basis Of our liberties and can never bs sur.
rendered without destroying that balasee 81
rights and powers which enables a continent to
he Developed In peace and social order and 10 be
maintained by meaBsof LEGAL self government.
But II 4. Il dlspensablo for the practical appca
ton and enforcement Of these fundamental priB-
cplcs that the Government should not always tie
controlled by Que political party. Frequent
change OF Administrative, Is ms necessary AZ con
slant recurrence 10 the popular will. Otherwise
abuses grow aud the govornment fundamentally
Is used Tor imposing heavy burdens on the many
who are governed for the benefit ~ the few who
govern. Public servants thus become arbitrary
rulers. This is now the condition Of the coun-
Try; hence a change Is demanded.
Tho Republican party 90 far as principle 70
concerned, iaa "Reminiscences. In practice, II is
an organization for enriching those who control
lts machinery. The frauds and iobbcry which
have been brosght 10 light In every department
Of the Government are sufficient 10 have called
Tor reform within tho Republican party, yet
those IN authority, made reckless by the long
possession Of power, have succumbed " its
ruptlng influence and have placed In nomination
ticaet against which the independent portion
OF tho party are In open revolt. Therefore
change n demanded. such change was alike
necessary In 1875 but the will Of the people was
then defeated by fraud which can never be tor
gotten or oondonei. Again IN 1880 the change
demanded BY tho people wa. defeated by the
lavish use Of money contributed by unscrupulJus
contractors and shameless iobbers who had bar
gained tor unlawful profits OF Tor high office
The Republican party, during It's legal, its
stolen and its bought tenures OF pogcr has stqadi
~ dec,yed In moral character aud policicai ca
pacity. Its platform promises are now list o.
It's past failures. IL demands the restoration OF
our navy. II has squandered hundreds Of mil
lions 10 create a navy that does not exist. ~
calls upon Congress > remove the burdens under
which Amoi loan shipping has been depressed IL
imposed and has continued those burdens. ~
processes a preference for free institutions. II
organized and tried to legalzo control Of state
| elections by Federal troops. II processes de
sire W elevate labor. II has sub ectej American
wofklDgmen 10 the competition OF convict and
| imported contract labor. IL Processes gratitude
TO all who were disabled or died In tho war. ieay-
| Ing widows aud orphans. 10 left to q Democratic
House Of Representatives the flrst effort to
egu,liso both bountios and pensions II proffer
| cd pledge TO correct thu Irregularities of our
| tariff II created AMI has continued them. Its
own Tariff Commission confessed the need Of
| more than 90 per cent. reduction. Its Congress
gave q reduction OF less than per cent. IL pro-
fessos the protection OF Amarican manufacturers.
| IL has subjected them to an increasing flood of
| manufactured goods and q hopeless competition
with manufacturing nations, not one OF which
taxcs raw materials. " processes 10 prot, ct all
Am, rlonn industries. II has Impoverished many
TO subHidize u few. II processes the protection OF
American labor Il has depleted the returns OF
Am rican agriculture, an industry followed by
half our people. IL processes the equality 81 all
citizens before tho law Attempting TO fix the
status Of colored citizens, the Acts Of It's Con
gress wers oveuet by TIN decisions Of Its courts
its caught criminals are permitted TO escape
through tontriyed delays or actual connvHnce in
the prosecution, lioneyoOmbed with corruption,
outrageous exposures no longer shock It's moral
sense. Its honest members and its Independent
journals no longer maintain u successful contest
Tor authority In its connsels or veto on bad
nominations.
That a change Is necessary Is proved by an OK
listing surplus Of more than si0O. 10000, which
has yearly been collected from a suffering PEG.
pie. Unnecessary taxation H. unjust taxation
We denounce the Republican party for having
failed 10 relieve the people from the crushing war
taxes which have paralyzed business, crippled
industry and deprived labor OF employ ment and
OF II, Iust reward.
The Democracy pledges itself l., purify the Adj
ninistrailon from corruption, TO restore economy
10 revive respect for law, and to reduce taxation
TO the lowest limit consistent with a due regard
to the preservation Of the faith Of the nation to
it's creditors aud its pensioners, knowing full
WELL however, that legislation affecting the wei.
fare Of the people should DO cautious and con-
sentative In method, not in advance OF public
opinion, but responsive IN Its demands
Tho Democratic party Is pledged to revise the
tarilf In spirit Of fairness to all interests, but
IN making reduction In taxes II " not proposed
10 injure any domestic industries, but rather to
promote their healthy growth From the foun-
dalton Of this Government, taxes collected ut the
custom house have been the chief source OF Fed.
ornl rovoi ue and such they must continue to be.
Moreover, many industries have come to rely up
on legislation for their successul continuance, 20
Al. I.a
regardful Of the labor and cal ital thus involved
The process Of reform must be subject to the exc
cution Of this plain dictate OF justice, All taxa
ton shall be limited to the requirements Of an
economical Government. The necessary reduc-
ton In taxation can and must bc Effected with
out dcpriying Amerio IN labor of the ability to
ccmpste successfully with foreign lab r, and
without imposing lower rates OF duty than will
be ample to cover any Increased cost OF produce
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 aud principal of
the pbblic debt can be got under our present
| system OF taxation from custom house taxes on
fewer imported articles, bearing heaviest on ar
tcles Of luxury and bearing lightest on articles
OF necessity. We therefore denounce the abuses
Of the exis ing tariff, aud, subject to these lim
| tatiOns, We demand that Fedora taxation shall
he exclusively for public purposes aud shall not
| exceed the needs OF the Government, economi,
| Cally administered
The system of direct tax alton known as the
| internal revenue Isl war t,N and 3, long rs the
law continues the duty derived thorefrom should
be sacrc,lly devoted to the T, lief OF the people
from the r,maininf burdens OF the war and he
made n fund to efray the expense OF the care
and comfort OF worthy soldiers disabled In the
line Of duty In tho wars OF the republic and for
the payment OF sucn pc sions as Congress may
from time to time grant TO such soldiers like
fund for the sailors having been already provid-
ed AMI any surplus should bo 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 hut entanging
ALI moo with tone.
We believe IN honest money, the gold and sill
yer image, and Of the Gu tivaton and rcula-
tion Of u m dium convertible into such money
without loss.
Asserting the equality of all men before the
law, we hold that il is the duty of the Govern.
ment IN Its dealings with the people to mete out
equal and exact Justice TO all eitiscns, OF what
ever nativity, rare, color or persuasion, religious
or political
We helloye in free ballot aud fair count
and We recall TO the memory OF the people the
noble struggle OF the Democrats in the Forty
fifth and Forty sixth Congresses 10y which r.
luctnt Republican opposition was compelled to
assent to legislation making everywhere Illegal
the presence OF troops at the POLLS = the CON
will preserve liberty with orter.
Thc election OF Federal officers for the Terri
tories should he restricted to citizeGs previously
resident therein,
We opppe sumptuary laws, which veN tho citi-
zen and Interfere with Individual liberty.
We favor honest civil service REFORM the COM
pcnsation OF all United States officers bv fixed
salaries, the stpirttion Of Church and Stlte and
the diffusion of Tree education by common scho Is
so that every child In the land may be tau. ht the
Ri hts and uutipN of citizenship.
While Ne favor all legislation which will tend
to the equitable distribution Of property to the
prevention OF monopoly and TO the strict en-.
for ioment Ct inliyihual rights against corporate
abuses, we hold that the welfare q society de.
penis on serupnlgus regard r the rights of
property as defined 10y law. We bei,Ne that Ia
bnf Is best rewarded VIII re II is frecst AM mot
enlightened It should he fostered aud 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 he increased
aud Of all such legislation as will tend to en-
tighten the people as to the true relations of
capital aud labor
Webeieve that the public lands ought. as far
~ possible, to be kept AS homesteads for actual
settlers; that all uneaned lands heret fore inn
prnyidently granted to railroad corporations by
the action OF the Repub lean party, should lie
restored to the public domain and no more
grants shall be made to corporations or be al ow-
ed 10 fall into the ownership Of alien absentees
We are opposed TO all propositions which, up
an any nreteNt, WOULD convert the general GoN-
eminent into machine fol the collection OF tax
81 to be distributed amoug the States or the cit-
zens thereof.
In effect the declaration of the Democratic plat
form Of 1853 that "Tht liberal principle, EN-
bodied by J, fferson in the Declaration OF lndc-
peudence aud sanctioned In the Constitu 10 T..
which make ours the land of liberty and the asy-
lGm OF the oppressed of every nation, have ever
been the cardinal principles In the Democratic
faith We, nevertheless, do not sanction the i'm
poratipu OF foreign labor or the admission Of
seNc races undtted by habits. training. rcligi-
on or kindred, for absorption into the great b dy
OF ourp 'ope. or for the citizenship which our
/ laws confer. American civilization DEMANDS
/ that against the Immigration or Importation of
| Mongolisns 10 these shores our gates be closed,
The democratic party insists that It is the
duty of the Government to protect with equal
| fidelity and vigilance the rights OF its citizcEs
native AID naturalized-at home and abroad,
a to the end that this protection may be as
sured the unitet States papers OF naturalization,
Issued by courts OF conn cte't jurisdiction. must
T., he ~, a