Daily Los Angeles herald., 1884-08-16
POLITICAL.
The Demecrutic PLATFORM.

| its Representatives In National Convention as
sembled, recognizes that as the nation grows
| older new issues are born Of time and progress
| and old issues perish, but the fundamental prin
| ciples Of the Democracy, approved by the united
voice Of the people, emain 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 s1-
premacy OF the FEDERAL Government within the
Limits Of the Constitution, will ever form the
true basis Of our liberties and can never be sur
rendered without destroying that balaRde Of
| rights and powers which enables continent to
| pe developed In peace and social order and TO be
maintained by means OF LEGAL self goveInmant.
But it is Indispensable for the practical applica
| tion and enforcement OF these fundamental prin-
| ciples that the Government should not always DO
controlled by one political party. Frequent
change Of administratio, Is a. necessary as con-
slant recurrence TO the popular will. Otherwise
abuses grew and the Government fundamentally
| Is used Tor imposing heavy burdens on the many
who are governed for the benefit Of the few who
govern. Public servants thus become arbitrary
rulers, This is now the condition OF the coun-
| try; hence . change 10 demanded.
The Republican party, 80 far as principle is
concerned, Is "reminiscences. In practice, 1t Is
an Organization for enriching those who control
| It's machinery, The frauds and jobbery which
| haze 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 cor
rupting influence and have placed in nomination
| q tcset 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 condone1. Again In 1880 the change
demanded by the people was defeated by. tho
lavish use Of money contributed By unscruculous
contractors and shameless jobbers, who had bar
gained for unlawful profits or for high office.
The Republican party, during It's legal, its
stolen and its bought tenures OF power, has steadi
ly decayed In moral character and policical ca
pacity. Its platform promises are now list OF
Its past failures. IL demands the restoration OF
our navy. 1t has squandered hundreds Of mil
lions to create navy that does not exist. 1t
calls upon Congress +, remove the burdens under
which American shipping has been depressed. 1t
imposed and has continued those burdens. 1t
processes preference for free institutions. 1t
organized and tried to legalze control Of State
elections by Federal troops. 1t processes de-
sire to elevate labor IL has subjected American
workiDgmen to the competition Of convict and
| imported contract labor. 1t processes gratitude
to all who were disabled or died In the war. leav-
| ing widows and orphans. 1t left to Democratic
House OF Representatives the first effort 70
| equslize both bountes and pensions. 1t prdffer
| ed pledge to correct the irregularities OF our
| tariff. II created am has continued them. Its
own Tariff Commission confessed the need OF
more than 20 per cent. reduction. Its Congress
gave reduction Of less than per cent. 1t pro-
fes.es the protection Of Amarican manufacturers
| 1t has subjected. them to an increasing flood OF
manufactured goods and hopeless competition
with manufacturing nations, not one OF which
taxes raw materials. /. processes to prot ct all
American industries. 1t has impoverished many
to subsidize few. II processes the protection OF
American labor IL has depleted the returns OF
American agriculture, an industry followed by
half our people. 1t processes 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 tn, decisions OF Its courts.
its caught criminals are permitted to escape
through contrived delays CT actual connivance In
the prosecution, Honeycombed with corruption,
outrageous exposures no longer shock its moral
| sense. Its honest members and its Independent
journals no longer maintain q successful contest
tor authority in its connses or veto on bad
nominations.
Tha4 change is necessary is proved by an ex
listing surplus Of more than sl00, 600 00V which
has yearly been collected from suffering peo
pie. Unnecessary taxation is 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 t, purify tie Ad-
ministraiion from corruption, to restore economy,
to revive respect for law. and to reduce taxation
4
to the preservation of the iaith Of the nation to
its creditors and its pensioners, knowing full
well, however, that legislation affecting the well
| fare OF the people should be cautious and con-
servative 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 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 foun-
l dat n nm. IN nd n ha
custom-house have been the chief source Of Fed
| eral reyssue, and such they must continue to be-
Moreover many industries have come to rely up
on legislation for their successful continuance 30
| 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 this plain dictate OF justice, All taxa
| tion shall be limited to the requirements OF an
economical Government The necessary reduc-
| tion in taxation can and must be effected with
| out depriving American labor Of the ability to
| cempete successfully with foreign labor. 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
fewer imported articles, bearing heaviest on ar
ticles Of luxury and bearing lightest on articles
| of necessity. We therefore denounce the abuses
OF the exis ling tariff and, subject 10 these limi
tations, we demand that Fedora 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 q war tax and so long as the
| law continues the duty derived therefrom should
be sacredy 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 sucn pei sions 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 and political
| relations with the fifteen sister republics Of
North, Central and South America, but entanging
| alliance with none
| We believe in honest money, the gold and sill.
yer coinage, and OF the cultivation and crcula-
| tioq OF mt dum convertible into such money,
| without loss
Asserting the equality of all men before the
| law, we hold that it is the duty Of the Govern
ment 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
| or political
We believe in a free ballot and a 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, by which a re-
| luctant Republican opposition was compelled TO
| assent to legislation making everywhere Illegal
the presence Of troops at the polls, IS the con-
elusive proof that Democratic administ ration
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 civservice REFORM the com.