The Great Falls leader. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1888-1890, 1888-06-30
GREAT FALLS MONTANA SATURDAY, JUNE 80, 1888.
THE REPUBLICAN PLATFORM.

THE REPUBLICAN PLATFORM.
Declaration of Principles-Protection
for American Industries the
Chief Plank.
The following is the republican plat
form:
The republicans Of the United States,
assembled by their delegates in national
convention, pause on. the threshold of
their proceedings to honor the memory
Of their first great leader, the immortal
champion of liberty and the rights of the
people,-Abraham Lincoln-and to cover
also with wreaths of imperishable re-
membrance and gratitude the heroic
been more recently called away from our
and Conkling. May their memories be
faithfully cherished. We also recall
with our greetings and prayers for his
recovery, the name of one Of our living
heroes whose memory will be treasured
in the history, both of the republicans
and OF the Republic, the name of that
noble soldier and favorite child of victory,
Phillip Sheridan. In the spirit of those
great leaders, and of our own devotion to
human liberty, and with hostility to all
forms of despotism and oppression which
is the fundamental idea Of the republican
party, we send fraternal congratulations
to our fellow Americans of Brazil, upon
their act of abolition of slavery through
out the two American continents. We
earnestly hope that we may soon congrat-
ulate our fellow citizens of Irish birth
upon the peaceful recovery OF home
rule ior Ireland. We reattirm our un-
swerving devotion to the national consti-
tuition, and to the indissoluble union Of
the states, and to the autonomy reserved,
to the states under the constitution as to
the personal rights and liberties OF citi-
Zens in all the states and territories in
the union and especially to the supreme
and sovereign light of every lawful citizen,
rich or poor, native or foreign born, white
or black,
TO CAST ONE FREE BALLOT
in public elections and to haye the ballot
duly counted. We hold the free and
honest popular ballot and the just and
equal representation Of all the people
to be the foundation of the republican
government, and demand effective legis-
latlon to secure the integrity and purity
of elections which are the foundation of
of all public authority. We charge that
| the present administration and the dem
ocratic majority in congress owe their
existence to the suspension OF the ballot
by a criminal nullltication OF the con-
stitutiCn and the laws OF the United States
We are uncompromlsingly in favor OF the
American system OF protection; we protest
| against its destruction as proposed by the
president and his party. They serve the
interests OF Europe; we Will support the
interests OF America.
WE ACCEPT THE ISSUE
| and confidently appeal to the people
for their Judgment. The protective
system must be maintained. Its aband
onment has always been followed by
general disaster to all interests except
those of the usurer and the sheriff. We
denounce the Mills bill as destructive
10 the general business, the labor and the
farming interests of the country, and we
heartily endorse the consistent and patri
otic action of the republican representa-
tives in congress in opposing its passage
| We condemn the proposition OF the dem
| ocratic party to place wool on the free
list. and we insist that the duties thereon
shall be adjusted and maintained so as t(
furnish full and adequate protection tt
the industry. The republican party woult
effect all needed reduction of the nationa
revenue by repeating the taxes on tobacco
which are an annoyance, and burden tt
agriculture, and the tax MpOn spirits use(
in the arts and for mercantile purposes
and by such revision Of the tariff laws a
will tend to check the imports OF sucl
articles as are produced by our people
the production of which gives employ
ment to our labor; and release from I'M
port duties those articles of foreign pro
duction Except luxuries) the like OF whic
clnnot he produced at home II ther
shall still remain u larger revenue thai
is REQUISITE for the wants of the govern
ment, we favor the entire
REPEAL OF INTERNAL TAXES
rather than the surrender Of any par
of our protective system at the joint be
hest of the whisky trusts and the agent
of foreign manufacturers We declar
our hostility to the introduction into thi
country of foreign contract labor an
Chinese labor, alien to our civilizatlo
and our constitution, and we demand TIL
ripid enforcement of the existing law
against it. and favor such Immediate legl:
lation as will exclude such labor fro1
our shores. We declare our oppositlo
to all combinations of capital organize
into trusts or otherwise to control art
itrarily the condition of trade among on
citizens, and we recommend to congres
and the state legislatures in their respet
, tive Jurisdictions, such legislation as WI
prevent the execution OF all schemes
oppress the people by undue charges Q
their supplies, or by unjust rates for tn
TRANSPORTATION of their products to marke
We approve the legislation by congres
to prevent alike, unjust burdens and di:
ordinations between the state. we aftlrl
the policy Of appropriating the publ
lands of the United States to be home
steads for American citizens and settler
not aliens, which the republican party e:
tabllshed in 1862 against the perslstef
, oppression of democrats IN con ress an
which has brought our great western d'
main into such magnificent development
! The restoration of unearned
RAILROAD LAND GRANTS
to the public domain for the use
actual settlers, which was begun unde
the administration of President Arthu
should be continued. We deny that tn
democratic party has ever restored OF
acre to the people, but declare that by TIL
Joint action of republicans and democra
about fifty millions of acres OF unearne
lands originally granted for the constru
ton of railroads, have been restored to I'll
public domain, in pursuance ot the cond
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