Daily Los Angeles herald., 1884-09-03
POLITICAL.
The Democratic PLATFORM.

voice Of the people, remain, and Will ever remain
"a the best and only security for the contlnuanc,
Of free government; the preservation Of persona
rights the equality Of all citizens before the law
the reserved rights Of the States and the ~.
prefDaey u the feieral Government within The
limits Of the Constitution, ~ill ssur form Tho
true basis Of our liberties and can never be sur
rendered without destroying that balance o
rights and po~ers which enables a contiront n
be developed Ia peace and social order and 10 bs
maintained by means of local self government
But Il 10 |. .dispeBsable for the practical spplloa
ton and enforcement os these fundamental prin
eiples that tho Government should not always Dc
controlled by one political party. Frequent
change Of adminatfatio u M necessary ~ con
slant recurroncs 70 the popular will. othofe I've
abuses grew and tho Government lnstruinontality
Is used Tor imposing heavy burdens on the ma ny
who are governed for the benefit Of the fow who
govern. Public servants thus become arbitrary
rulers This Is now the condition OF the coun-
try; hence change In demanded.
The Republican party, 20 lar as principle ~
concerned, IL reminiscence. In practice, 10 u
an organization for enrching those who control
lis machinery. The frauds and jobbery which
have been brosght 70 light ln every department.
OF the Government arc sufficient To have called
for reform within the Republican party. yet
those ia authority, nisde reckless by the long
possession of power, have aucciimbed 10 It's cor.
rupttng inilr ence and have placed In namination
a ticset sgainst which the indepsndent portion
OF the party are 10 open revolt. Therefore a
change Il demanded. Such change was alike
necessary IN 1870, but the will Of the people was
then defeated by fraud which can never be Tor.
gotten or oondoDedi Again In 1880 the change
demanded BY the people was defeated by the
lavish Of m aney contributed b, unscru lulous
contractors and shameless Jobbcrs who had bar
gained for unlawful profits or for high Office,
The Republican party. during It's legal, its
stolen and ita bought teDures Of power has staadi
ly decayed In moral character and poiicical en-.
panity. Its platform promises are now a list %
It's past failures. II demands the restoration Df
our navy II has squanderod hundreds Of nil
Hons TO create u navy that does not exist II
calls upon Congress remove the burdens under
which American shipping has been depressed. u
imposed and has continued those burdens II
Processes a preference for free institutions II
organized and tried to iogalizo control OF State
elections by Federal troops. II processes de
sire to elevate labor II has subjected American
workngnen to the composition OF convict and
imported contract labor II Processes gratitude
TO all who were disabled or died In the war. loay-
ing widows and orphans II left 10 Democratic
House Of Representatives the first effort ~
equ slize both bountles and pensions. II pr0ffer
cd pledge 10 correct the irregularities of our
tariff II created AMI has continued them. Its
own Tariff Commission confessed the need Of
more than 20 per cent reduction. Its Congress
gave n reduction Of less than per cent II pro-
fesses the protection Of Amarican manufacturer
II has subjected them TO an increasing Hood OF
with manufacturing nations. not one Of which
taxes raw materials IL Processes TO protect all
American industries. II has Impoverished many
10 subsidize few. 1t Processes the protection Of
American labor has depleted the returns Of
American agfcn w an industry followed by
half our people, p'ofesses the equality Of all
citizens before the Law Attempting TO fix the
status Of colored citizens, the Acts Of It's Con.
gress were overset by TIN decisions Of its courts.
Its caught criminals are permitted TO escape
ri
the prosecution, Honeycombed with corruption,
outrageous exposures no longer shock It's moral
sense. Its honest members and its independent
Journals no longer maintain n successful contest
Tor authority In Its connscls or veto on bad
nominations.
That change is necessary Is proved by M ex
isting surplus of more than 500, ,0O0, 00, which
has yearly been collected from q suffering pco.
pie. Unnecessary taxation IL unjust taxation.
We denounce the Republican party for having
failed TO relieve the people from the crushing war
taxes, which have paraiyzed business, crippled
industry and deprived labor Of employment and
Of its just reward.
The Democracy pledges itself to purify TIE Ad.
mnstraiion from corruption, to restore economy,
TO revive respect for law, and to reduce taxation
to the lowest limit consistent with a due regard
to the preservation Of tho faith Of the nation TO
Its creditors and Its pensioners, knowing full
we'll, however, that legislation affecting the wei.
fare Of the people should be cautious and CON
opinion but responsive TO Its demands.
Tho Demucr,tic party Is pledged TO revise the
tariff In spirit of fairness to all interests, but
in making reduction In taxes II IL not proposed
to injure any domestic industries, but rather to
promote theif healthy growth From the foun-
dation OF this Government, taxes collected at the
ciistom-house have been the chef source Of Fed.
eral revet ne, aud such they must continue to be.
Moreover. many Industries have come TO rely up
legislation for their successful continuance, so
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
cution Of shis plain dictate OF Justice, All taxa
ton shall be limited TO the requirements Of an
economical Government The necessary reduc-
tion In taxation can and must he effected with
out dopriying American labor Of the ability TO
compete successfully with foreign lab =. and
without imposing lower rates OF duty than will
be ample to cover any increased cost Of produc-
tion 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 pbblic debt, can be got under our present
system Of taxation from custom house taxes on
fcwer imported articles. bearing heaviest on at
ticles Of luxury and bearing lightest on articles
OF necessity. We therefore denounce the abuses
OF the existing tarif, and subject to these limi.
tations, we demand that Federal taxation shall
be exclusively for public purposes and shall not
exceed the needs Of the Government, economi.
cally administered.
The system of direct taxation known as the
internal revenue is a war tax and so long as tho
law continues the duty derived therefrom 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 s,cn ersions as Congress may
from time to time grant to such soldiers, a like
fund for the sailors having been already provid.
ed, and any surplus should be paid into the
Treasury.
We favor an American continental policy,
based on more intimate commercial aud political
relations with the fifteen sister republics Of
North, Central and South America, hut cntauging
alliance with none.
We believe in honest money, the gold and sill.
yer coinage, and Of the cultivation and crcula.
tion Of m dium convertible into such money,
without loss.
Asserting the equality OF all men before the
law, we hold that 1t is the duty OF the Govern.
ment in its dealings with the people to inetc out
equal and exact Justice to all citizens, of what.
ever nativity, race, color or persuasion, religious
or,polincal,
and we recall to the memory OF the people the
noble struggle OF the Democrats In the Forty
fifth and torty-sixth Congresses, by which n re-
ldctant Republican opposition was compelled to
assent to legislation making everywhere Illegal
the presence of troops at the polls, the con-
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-
forcement Of individual rights against corporate
abuses, we hold that the welfare of society de-
pends on scrupulous regard for the rights OF
property as defined by law. We believe that la
Dor is best rewarded whore it ia 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 as TO the true relations of
capital and labor.
We believe that tho public lands ought, as far
as possible, to be Kept as homesteads for actual
settlers; that all unearned lands heretofore I'M
proyidenty granted TO 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 he allow.
ed to fall into the ownership OF alien absentees.
we are opposei 10 All proportions winch, up
on any pretext, would convert the general Gov.
ernment into machine fot the collection of tax.
es to be distributed amoug the States or the oiu.
zens thereof.
In effect the declaration OF the Democratic plat
form OF 1886 that Tho liberal principle en-
bodied by jefferson In the Declaration Of lnde.
pcndence and sanctioned in the Constitution,
which make ours the land of liberty and the asy-
lum Of the oppressed OF every nati1n," have ever
been the cardinal principles in the Democratic
faith We, nevertheless, dc not sanction the im.
portation of foreign labor or the admission OF
servile races, untitled by habits. training regi-
on or kindred, for absorption into the great b, dy
Of our people, or for the citizenship which our
laws confer. American civilization demands
that against the immigration or importation OF
Mongolians to these shores our gates be closed.
The Democratic party insists that it is the
duty Of the Government to protect with equal
ddeiity and vigilance the rights Of its cilizens-
native and naturazed-at home and abroad,
and to the end that this protection may be as.
sured the United States papers OF naturalization,
Issued by courts OF competent jurisdiction, must
be respected by the execu i've ana !, gislatve de.
partmeats of our own Government and by all
foreign Powers