The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1888-06-22
Adopted by the Republican Ma.
tiOnal Convention of ISSS
al Chicago.
TIE Tariff Clauses Were Greeted
with Terrific Applause by
the Audience.
Some Serious Charges Are Made
Against the Present Admin
istratiOn.
REPUBLICAN PLATFORM OF 1888.

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 remembrance and gratitude
the heroic names of our later leaders
who have more recently been called away
from our councils--Grant, Garfield,
Arthur, Logan, Conkling. May their
memories be faithfully cherished. We
also recall with our greetings and with
prayer for his recovery the name of one
of our living heroes whose memory will
be treasured in the history both of Re-
publicans and of the republic-the name
of that noble soldier and favorite child of
victory,
Philip FL. Sheridan.
In the spirit of those great leaders, and
of our own devotion to human liberty,
and with that 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 great act of emancipation, which
completed the abolition of slavery
throughout the two American CONT
nents We earnestly hope that we may
soon congratulate our fellow-citizens
of Irish. birth upon the peaceful recov-
cry of home rule for Ireland.
We reaffirm our answering devotion
to the national constitution, and to the
indissolublC union of the states under
the constitution, to the personal rights
and liberties of citizens in all the state 8
and territories in the Union, and espe-
cially to the supreme and sovereign right
of every lawful citizen, rich or poor, ma
tive or foreign born, white or black, to
cast
One Free Ballot in Public Elections,
and to have that ballot duly counted.
We hold the free and honest popular bal
lot and the just and equal representation
of all the people to be the foundation of
our Republican government, and de-
mand effective legislation to secure the
integrity and purity of elections, which
are the foundations of all public author
ity. We charge that the present admin
istration and the Democratic majority in
congress owe their existence to the sup
preston of the ballot by a criminal multi
fcation of the constitution and laws of
the United States.
We are uncompromisingly in favor of
the American system of protection. We
protest against its destruction as pro-
posed 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 abandonment has always been fol,
lowed by general disaster to all interests
except those of the usurer and the sheriff.
We denounce the Mills bill as destructive
to the general business, the labor and the
farming interests of the country, and we
heartily indorse the consistent and pat
riotic action of the republican represent.
atives in congress In opposing its passage.
We condemn the proposition of the
Democratic party to Place wool on the
free list, and we insist that the duties
thereon shall be adjusted and maintained
ton to that industry.
The Republican party would effect all
needed reduction of the national revenue
by
Repeating the Taxes on Tobacco,
which are an annoyance and burden to
agriculture, and the tax upon spirits
used in the arts and for mechanical pur.
poses, and by such revision of the tariff
laws as will tend to check imports Of
such articles as are produced by our PEG.
pie, the production of which gives en-
ployment to our labor, and release from
v IL 81
production Except luxuries) the like OF
which cannot be produced at home. II
there shall still remain a larger revenue
than Is requisite for the wants of the
government, we favor the entire repeal
of internal taxes rather than the surren.
der of any part of our protective system
at the joint behests of the whisky trust
and the agents of foreign manufacture.
ere.
We declare our hostility to the intro
duction into this country of foreign con
tract labor, and of Chinese labor, alier
10 our civilization and our constitution
and we demand the rigid enforcement Of
the existing laws against it, and favJl
such immediate legislation as will
Exclude Such Labor From Our shores.
We declare our opposition to all com
| uludIiOuo VI Cdpitdi OISdnibcu III Iiuoos
or otherwise to control arbitrarily the
condition OF trade among our citizens
and we recommend TO congress and thu
state legislatures in their RESPECTIVE,
Jurisdictions such LEGISLATION as will pre-
vent the execution of all schemes TO op
press the people by undue charges OF
their supplies, or by unjust rates for the
transportation of their products to mar
| ket We apDrOVe the legislation by con
Rress TO prevent alike unjust burdens