The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-06-02
POINTS FOR A PLATFORM.

tudes were written centuries and centuries
past but no one feels that they have lost ex-
cellence through repeated publication. 1t is
even so with all that is good and acceptable
in the conduct of man or bodies of men. The
! platform to be drawn and adopted at Chicago
this week should not fail to point to the
record of the Republican party for the last
twenty three years. Taking charge of the
years of uninterrupted mismanagement
and corruption at the hands of the
Democratic party with our national credit SO
impaired that funds necessary for the ordinary
expenses of government could not be borrowed
at less than II per cent, in time Of profound
peace; with a corrupt system of banking born
and nurtured by the Democratic theory Of
| finance which had banished gold and silver
from the realm of currency and made them
solely commodity to be bought and sold,
and which had filed the land with irredeema-
BILE bank notes, ranging all the way from zero to
SO per cent. in lawful money; with
wages at starvation rates and the
productions of labor without adequate
market with corruption in official
places and treason fostered in the Cabinet it.
self, and the most stupendous civil war of
modern times already organized and mustered,
it conducted the nation through four years of
expensive and bloody war; collected and dis
bursed all the funds necessary for carrying on
such war in addition to providing for the
eve1-increasing business OF government; it has
reduced the debt created by the war 10y more
than one-half, and so improved the credit of
the nation that our bonds find purchasers
more readily at three per cent than they did
at twelve per cent. when the Re
publican party first assumed the
management of affairs; while every
dollar of currency now in the hands of the peo
| pie commands gold or silver on demand; while
the wages of the laborer are, on an average,
nearly double those of Democratic times and
in no part of the country does capital own and
drive labor as a mere chattel as it did then.
The Republican platform may well recite
the rapid reduction of taxes from the standard
made necessary by war, to keep pace with the
rapid reduction of the expenses of government,
having already abolished all internal revenue
taxes except on very few articles, and having
materially lessened the tariff on such articles
aua n11lA hac ,ati tbn,, ho,,
full effect upon the productive industries of
the country and the wages of laboring men,
AS an even greater source Of pride, the plat
form may point to the rapid growth and de-
velopment of our united country under the
wise manageme ntandfosteringp policy of the Re-
publican party since the incubus of slavery was
thrown off and the ravages Of war have ceased,
as seen in the multiplication of railways, the
building of towns and cities, the opening and
improving Of farms, the establishment of man
ufaotories, and the general prosperity of all
who work for living. And it is specially
gratifying that under Republican policy that
part of our common country which suffered
most by the devastation of war and the I'M
avoidable overthrow of its industrial institu-
tons, has prospered most Southern towns
rendered doubly productive, and thousands of
manufactures have sprung up. Southern
schools and colleges are better and more liber-
ally patronized than ever before, and the con
dition of Southern workingnen has been made
better in every respect
The Republican party extends to North and
South alike every possible facility for their
growth and prosperity, and pledges to them a
continuance of that general line of policy
under which the entire country has SO Won
derfully prospered during the past twenty
years, and invites cordial cooperation in
every measure that shall promise wealth and
happiness to the whole country irrespective
of ATTITUDES, or race, or color. or former rela-
tons The Republican party recognizes the
North and the South as one in name and one
in interests.
In consonance with its history, the Repub-
lcan party is in favor of still further reducing
taxation as fast as the continued retrenchment
and reform that have been going on under
Republican administrations shall make it nee
ess,,ry. so that the income of tho nation shall
be sufficient only to defiay the expenditures,
economically administered. The policy of
the party has been and is to make such
notifications Of the revenue laws from time to
time as shall at once reduce taxation and not
cripple the productive interests Of tho
| country.
Any sudden and radical change In policy
,uhna, ,.n..,,lts La un heen So unifn,,nl,t hn,,n