The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1888-09-21
Pure Democratic Principles.

Parties to numerous to mention have
risen in this country for special pur-
poses, fulfilled their missions and
vanished. But from the foundation of
the Government of the United States
the Democratic party has lived, because
its central tenets and principles are CO.
equal and co-existent with the founda-
tion stones of the great national fabric.
The principles of Thomas Jefferson, the
opposition to Capitalization, special
privileges and special classes, the for
wardinetof equality before the law, and
citizen sovereignty. These are the fixed
principles OF our governmental system
and the party built on them Will last as
long as the system. The vanishing par.
ty now on the scene OF action is the
Republican party. 1t has fulfilled its
mission and must give way.
Why must 1t disappear ? Simply be-
cause, having performed its mission, it
has become the party of special privi-
leges. The party Of special classes.
The party OF Capitalization. The party
OF commercial restriction for the benefit
OF the few. 1t does not recognize equal
ity before the law, but puts vested
privileges above citizen sovereignty
recognizes the creature as superior to
the creator. And for these reasons it is
doomed to utter dissolution.
No matter what the Chicago platform
and Mr. Harrison may say OF trade COM
binations, Mr. blaine is the true EXPO
Dent of the history Of his party when he
says trusts are private affairs.' For
under the Republican party has gIown
up that public sentiment-confined al
most exclusively to that party-thst
corporate privileges belong irrevocably
to the corporations that eminent do
main may become corporate property,
to be used rs the managers OF q corpor-
alton may dictate. That public creed
that holds it to be an inslienable right
OF corporate creatures to use their
powers to extract as much profit from
their business as the traffic will bear.
That their operations are properly pri-
vate and should not be opened to public
inspection. In short, that corporations
and those associations OF corporations
known as trusts are "private affairs"
Opposed to this sentiment is the fun
damental principle OF pure Democracy,
that the lands and the Governm ment are
the property of the people. That the
grant OF corporate franchise by the
government of the people to associated
CAeuCA Vi
implies q contract that such franchise
shall be paid for in advantages to the
people, and not merely that it may inure
to the benefit OF the few TO whom the
grant Is made. Aud the State being a
party TO that contract and the owner OF
its chief property. namely, its franchise,
is entitled 10 full knowledge OF all its
transactions and to the chief benefits
derived therefrom
The States OF this great Union have
set limits upon the profits OF capital by
declaring interest on money above a
rate ranging from 5 to IL per centum per
annum to be usury and illegal. The
standard OF the United States Is per
centum. Corporations are merely asso-
Citations OF capital for profit aud the
limit OF their legal profit is the legal rate
OF interest. No more. no less. Over
and above that belongs to the peopls
who give the frarchise under which
these operations are carried forward.
The amount Of profit q corporation is
entitled to is not fixed specifically by
law, but 1t should te. The principle,
however, is well established and Is the
article. parexcellence OF the Democratic
faith, and the priuciple. par excellence.
on which government of, for aud py tie
people is based
On this principle 1t is Democratic be-
lief that corporations and associations
or corporations are not private but pub
lie affairs. The public, which is the
owner OF the chief property OF these
associations, has right to have full and
free access to all the books, accounts
and details OF such associations, and Is
entitled to all benefits above the legal
profit og invested capital.
Railroads. granted eminent domain.
have capitaliZed'st twice their value and
extract from the people interests on their
bonds and dividends on their stocks in
violation OF this principle. To do this
they extracted Sic. 46 cents per capita
from the population Uf this country il
1886 and profits to the amount O.
1896 per capita. This is a seriou:
tax on the productive forces of the
country. The manufacturing corpora-
tions IN their turn extracted about 500
per capita in profs from their opera
tions and 80 on through the list. Thai
the manufacturers may have borne the
heaviest part OF the burden of transporta-
tion or the railroad stock aud bond
holders more OF the extraction of thu
manufacturers than othe people make.
| no difference in the ultimate result
wnlcn is tnat these people with speci6
| privileges ultimately secure the bulk o.
all the wealth produced by the country
That IL they took no more than a leg a
rate OF interest for actual capital in
vested either the total exactions from
the people would not exceed one-third O.
the present rate, or wages as An element
in the cost or production and trauspor-
| tatlon would be doubled. the effect il
either case being exactly the same.
The railroad kings and manufacture
/ ing princes are fully aware OF all thil
and they know full we'll the uses of ,
high tariff for the protection of thii
un-American and un- Democratic
system. They occupy the position o.
! privileged classes and are upheld in theil
privileges by the Republican party
/ They are the equivalent of the privileges
| leeches OF Europe. Under monarchia
/ forms OF government special privilege.
are conceded to be right. Uuder Demo
cratic forms they are held to be wrong
4 Let US, therefore, get back to the Dem
ocratic principles for which .hs war OF
the revolution was waged. PatsJetr.
! Post.