The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1884-07-19
THE DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM
Adopted by the National Convention at Chi
cago, July 10, 1884.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT.

The Democratic party OF the Union, through
its representatives in national convention as
sembled, recognizes that as the nation grows
older new issues are born of time and prog
ress and old issues perish. But the fundamen-
tai 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 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 supremacy of the
federal government within the limits of the
constitution will ever form the true basis OF
our liberties, and can never be surrendered
without destroying that balance Of rights and
powers which enables a CONTINENT TO be devel-
oped in peace and social order to be main
tanned by means of local self-government;
but it is indispensable for the practical apph-
cation and enforcement of these fundamental
principles that the government should not
always be controlled by one political party.
Frequent change of administration is as neces-
sary as constant recurrence to the popular
will. Otherwise abuses grow, and the gov
eminent instead of. being carried on for the
general welfare becomes an fundamentally
for imposing heavy burdens on the many who
are governed for the benefit of the few who
govern. Public servants thus become arbi-
trary rulers.
This is now the condition of the country
hence a change is demanded. The Republi-
can party, so far as principle is concerned, is
Renaissance. In practice it is an organiza-
ton for enriching those who control its ma
chnery. The frauds and jobbery which have
been brought to light in every department of
the government are sufficient to have called
for reform within the Republican party, yet
those in authority, made reckless by the long
possession of power, have succumbed to its
corrupting influence and have placed in NOM
ination ticket against which the Independent
dent portions of the party are in open revolt:
Therefore q 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 condoned.
Again in 1880 the change demanded by the
people was defeated by the lavish use of
money contributed by INSCRIPTIONS contrac-
tors and shameless jobbers who had bargained
for unlawful profits or for high Office. The
Republican party during its legal, its stolen
and its bought tenure of power has steadily
decayed in moral character and political ca
pacity. Its platform promises are now list
of its past failures it demands the restora-
ton of our navy it has squandered hundreds
of millions to create navy that does not ex-
list it calls upon Congress to remove the
burdens under which American shipping has
been depressed; itimposed and has continued
those burdens.
1t professes the policy of reserving the pub
lie lands for small holdings by actual settlers;
it has given away the peoples heritage, till
now few railroads and nonresident aliens,
individual and corporate, possess a larger
area than that of all our farms between the
two seas. 1t processes preference for free
institutions; it organized and tried to legalize
Il control of State elections by federal troops
1t processes d desire to elevate labor; it has
n 10
ton of convict and imported contract labor.
1t processes gratitude to all who were disabled
or died in the war leaving widows and
orphans. 1t left to Democratic House OF
Representatives the first effort to equalize
both bounties and pensioners. 1t proffers
pledge to correct the irregularities of our
tariff; it created and has continued them.
Its own tariff commission confessed the need
of more than 20 per cent. reduction its Con-
gress gave reduction of less than per cent.
1t processes the protection of American
manufactures; it has subjected them to an in
creasing flood of manufactured goods and
hopeless competition with manufacturing ma
tons, not one of which taxes raw materials.
1t processes to protect all American industries;
it has impoverished many to subsidize few;
it Processes protection of American labor; it
has depleted the returns of American agricul-
ture-an industry followed by half our people;
it processes the equality of all men before the
law, attempting to fix the status of colored
citizens; the acts of its Congress were overset
by the decisions of its courts; it accepts anew
the duty of leading in the work of progress
and reform; its caught criminals are permitted
to escape through contrived delays or actual
connivance in the prosecution Honeycombed
with corruption, outbreaking exposures no
longer shock its moral sense. Its honest
. members, its independent journals, no longer
maintain a successful contest for authority i'll
its counsels or a veto upon bad nominations
That change is necessary is proved by an ex
isting surplus of more than 500, 000, 900 which
has yearly been collected from suffering
people.
Unnecessary taxation is unjust taxation.
We denounce the Republican party for having
failed to relieve the people from crushing
war taxes, which have paralyzed business,
crippled industry and deprived labor of en-
ployment and Of just reward. The Democ-
racy pledges itself to purify the administration
from corruption, to restore economy, to re-
vive respect for law, and to reduce taxation
to the lowest limit consistent with due regard
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, not
in advance of public opinion, but responsive
to its demands, the Democratic party is
pledged to revise the tariff in spirit Of fair
ness to all interests.
But in making reduction i'll taxes it is not
proposed to injure any domestic industries,
but rather to promote their healthy growth.
From the foundation of this government taxes
collected at the custom. house have been the
chief source of federal revenue; such they
must continue to be. Moreover, many indus
tries have come to rely upon legislation for
successful continuance, so that any change of
law must be at every step regardful of the
labor and capital thus involved. The process
of reform must be subject in the execution to
this plain dictate of Justice.
All taxation shall be limited to the require
ments of economical government. The ne
cessary reduction in taxation can and must be
effected without depriving American labor Of
the ability to compete successfully with foreign
labor, and without imposing lower rates of
duty than will be ample TO cover any increas-
ed cost of production which may exist in con-
sequence of the higher rate of wages prevail
ing in this country.
Sufficient revenue to pay all the expenses
of the federal government, economically ad-
ministered, including pensions, interest and
principal of the public debt, can be got under
our present system OF taxation from custom
house taxes on fewer imported articles, bear
ing heaviest on articles of luxury, and bear
ing lightest on articles of necessity. We
therefore denounce the abuses of the existing
tariff, and, subject to the preceding limita-
tons, we demand that federal taxation shall
be exclusively for public purposes and shall
not exceed the needs of the government, eco
nonlically administered.
The system of direct taxation known as the
internal revenue; is a war tax, and so long
rs the law continues the money derived there
from should be sacredly devoted to the relief
of the people from the remaining burdens of
the war, and be 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
such pensions as Congress may from time to
time grant to such soldiers, like fund for the
sailors having been already provided, and any