Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-11-02
THE PLATFORM
An Able and Interesting
Document.

wv -
PROTECTION, THE PLANK ON
WHICH WE STAND.
SQUARELY AND UNEQUIVOCALLl-
REPEAL OF THE TOBACCO TAN
CLEVELAND's ADMINISTRATION
CONDEMNED.
CHICAGO, June 2l.-The following is the
platform as reported to the convention
and adopted by unanimous vote:
The Republicans OF the United States
assembled by their delegates in the Ma
tiOnal Convention pause on the threshold
Of their proceedings to honor the memory
of their first great leader. immortal cham
piOn Of liberty and the rights of the peo-
pie, Abraham Lincoln, and cover also
with wrsaths of imp0rlshable rememhran-
CO and gratitude, the heroic names of the
later leaders who have more recently been
called away from our councils, Grant
Garfield. Arther, Logan, Conklmg May
their memories be faithfully cherished.
We also recall with 0ur greetings and
PRAYER for his recovery the name Of one
of our living heroes whose memory viii
be treasured IN history, both of Republic
cans and ofthe Republic, the name of that
noble soldier and favorite child Of victory,
Philip II. Sheridan. 10 the spirit of those
great leaders and Of our own devotion 10
human liberty and with that hostility TO
all the forms of despotism and oppression
which is the fundamental idea of the Re
publican party, we send traternal congtai-
Nations to our fellow Americans OF Bra
I'll upon their great act OF the emancipa-
ton which completes the abolition Of
slavery throughout the two American
continents. We earnestly hope that we
NAV soon congratulate our fellow citizens
of Irish birth upon the peaceful recovery
Of home rule for Ireland We re-afiirm
our unswerving devotion to the National
Constitution and the indissOluble Union
OF States, TO autonomy reserved 10 the
States under the constitution to the per-
sonal rights and liberties of the citizens
in all States and Territories in the Union,
and especially to the supreme and soyer-
eign right of every lawful citizen, rich or
poor, native or foreign born, white or
black, to cast one free ballot in the public
elections and TO have their ballot duly
counted. We hold that free trade and
honest and popular ballot and just and
equal representation of all people to be
the foundation of our Republican govern
ment, and demand effective legislation to
secure the integrity and surety Of the
- ,-hfoh fha fountains nl q
public authority.
We charge that the present admlnistra-
ton and the Democratic majority IN Con-
gress owe their existence to the suppress
sion of the ballot by the criminal nullili-
cation Of the constitution and the laws OF
the United States.
We are uncompromisingly in favor OF
the American system of protection. We
protest against It's destruction as proposed
by the President and his party. They
serve the interests of America. We ac-
cept the issue and confidently appeal to
the people for their Judgment The pro-
tective system must be maintained. Its
Abandonment has always been followed
by general disaster to all interests except
those of the Insurer and sherlff.
We denOunce the Mills bill as dcslruc-
tive to the general business, labor and
farming interests of the country and we
heartily endorse the consistent and patri-
otto action of the Republican representa-
tiyes in Congress in opposing It's passage
we condemn the proposition OF the Demo
cratic party to place wool on the free list
aud we insist that the duties thereon
shall be adjusted and maintained so as to
furnish full and adequate protection TO
that industry. 90
The Republican party would effect all
needed reduction of the national revenue
by repeating the taxes upon tobacco,
which are an annoyance and burden 10
agriculture, and tax on spirits used IN the
arts and for mechanical purposes and by
such revision Of the tariff laws as will
tend TO check the imports of such articles
as are produced by our people. the produc-
tion Of which gives employment to our
labor and reduce from import duties those
articles Of foreign production Except lux
uries) the like Of which cannot be produc-
cd at home. II there shall still remain a
larger revenue than is required for the
government, we favor the entire repeal OF
the internal revenue taxes rather than
the surrender Of any part Of our protective
system at the joint behest OF whisky trusts
and agents of foreign manufacturers. We
declare our hostility TO the introduction
into this country Of foreign contract Ia
Dor ana Of Chinese labor alien to our CIV
iliEation and our constitution, and we de
mand a rigid enforcement of existing laws
against it and favor such immediate leg
islation as will exclude such labor from
our shores
We declare our opposition to all combln-
atoms OF capital organized IN trusts or
otherwise to control arbitrarily the con-
dition of trade among our citizens ana we
recommend TO Congress and the state
Legislatures, in their respective Jurisdlc-
tions, such legislation as Will prevent the
execution of all schemes to Cypress the
people by undue charges on their supplies
or by unjust rates for transportation OF
their products TO market, We approve
the legislation by Congress to prevent
alike burdens and unfair Determinations
between the States.
We re-afiirm the policy of appropriating
the public lands of the United States to
be homesteads for American citizens. and
settlers, not aliens, which the Republican
party established in 1869, against the per
sistent opposition of the Democrats in
Congress, and which has brought onr
Western domain into such magnificent
dsvelopement; the restoration of unearn-
cd railroad land grants to Tie public do
main for the use of settlers, which was
begun under the administration OF Presl-
dent Arther, should be continued. We
deny that that the Democratic party has
ever restored one acre to the people but
declare that by joint action of the Repub-
hcana and Democrats about fifty millions
of acres Of unearned nds, originally
granted for the construction of railroads,
have been restored to the public domain
in pursuance of the conditions inserted
by the Republican party in the original
grants. We charge the Democratic ad-
ninistration with failure to execute the
| laws securing to the settlers their home
steads and with using the appropriations
made for that purpose TO harrass innocent
settlers with spies and prosecutions I'M
der the false pretense of reporting frauds
and yindicating law. The Government
bv Congress of the Territories. is based
upon necessity only to the end that they
NAV become States in Union therefore,
whenever the condition OF population
material resources, public intelligence and
morality, are such as to insure stabl,
local government therein, the people OF
such Territories should be permitted as
right inherent In them, TO form for them
selves constitutions and State govern
ments and be admitted into the Union
i pendlng preparation for statehood. Al
officers thereof should be selected from
4reudents and citizens of this Territory
wherein they are TO serve. South Dakota
,uld Of right be immediately admitted