The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-06-27
he peaceful recovery of home-rule for Ire

the peaceful recovery of home-rule for Ire
land
1--WE reaffirm our answering devotion to
the national Constitution, and to the indis-
soluble autonomy reserved to the states
under the Constitution to the personal rights
and liberties of the citizens in all the states
and territories in the Union, and especially
to the supreme and sovereign right of every
lawful Citizen-rich or poor, native or for
eign-born, white or black-to cast one free
ballot i'm public elections and to have that
ballot duly counted.
" We hold that free and honest popular
ballot and lust and equal representation of
all the people are the foundation of repub-
lcan government, and demand effect
i've legislation to secure the integrity and
purity of elections, which are the fountains
of public authority.
"W We charge that the present administra-
ton and democratic majority in congress
owe their existence to the suppression of
the ballot by criminal notification of the
Constitution and laws Of the United States.
1--WE are uncompromisingly in favor of the
American system of protection, and we
protest against its destruction, as proposed
by the president and his party. They
serve the interests of Europe. We will sup
port the interests of America. We accept
the issue and confidently appeal to the peo-
pie for their Judgment. The protective sys-
TEN must be maintained. Its abandonment
has always been followed by general disas-
ter to all interests, except those of the usurer
and sheriff.
1--WE denounce the Mills bill as destructive
to general business, the labor and farming
interests of the country, and we heartily
indorse the consistent and patriotic action
of the republican representatives in con-
gress in opposing its passage
" We condemn the proposition OF the demo-
cratic party to place wool on the free list
and insist that duties thereon shall be adj
1lStpU
and adequate protection to that industry.
" The republican party would affect all
needed reduction of national revenue by re-
pealing taxes upon tobacco, which are an
annoyance and burden to agriculture, and
the tax upon spirits used in arts and for
mechanical purposes, and by such revision
of the tariff laws as will tend to check i'm
portation of such articles as are produced by
our people, TIVE production of which gives EN-
ployment to our labor and release from i'm
port duties those articles of foreign produc-
ton, except luXuries the like of which can
not be produced at home. If there shall
still remain larger revenue than is requi-
site for the wants of the government, we
favor the entire repeal of the internal taxes,
rather than the surrender OF any part of our
protective system at the joint behest of the
whiskey ring and agents of foreign manu-
facturers.
We declare hostility to the introduction
into the country of foreign contract labor
and of Chinese labor alien to our civilization
and our Constitution, and demand rigid
enforcement of the existing laws against
1t, and favor such immediate legislation as
Will exclude such labor from our shores.
We declare opposition to all combinations
of capital, organized in trusts or otherwise,
TO control arbitrarily the condition OF trade
among our citizens, and we recommend to
congress and state legislatures, in their re-
spective jurisdictions, such legislation as
prevent schemes
Cypress the people by undue charges on
their supplies or by unjust rates for trans
portation of their products to market.
We approve legislation by congress to pre-
vent alike unjust burdens and unfair dis
elimination between states.
We reatfirm the policy of appropriating
public lands of the United States to be
homesteads for American citizens and set
tiers, not aliens, which the republican party
established in 1862, against the persistent
opposition OF the democrats in Congress, and
which has brought our great western do
main into such magnificent development,
and the restoration ofunearned railroad land
grants to the pubic domain, for use of actual
settlers, which was begun under the admin
1stration of President Arthur, should be con-
tinued. We deny that the democratic
party has ever restored one acre to the
people, but declare that by the joint action
OF republicans and democrats about twenty
eight millions OF acres OF unearned lands,
originally granted for construction of rail-
roads, have been restored to the public do
main, in pursuance of conditions inserted
by the republican party in original grants.
We charge the democratic administration
with failure to execute the laws securing to
settlers title to their homesteads, and with
using the appropriations made for that pur-
pose to harass innocent settlers with spies
and prosecutions, under the false pretence OF
exposing frauds and indicating law.
The government by congress, of the ter
ritories is based upon necessity only, to the
end that they may become states in Union
therefore, whenever the conditions of popu-
lation, material resources, public intelli-
gence and morality are such as to insure a
stable local government therein the people
of such territories should be permitted the
right to form for themselves constitutions
and state governments and be admitted into
the Union. Pending preparations for state
hood, all officers thereof should be selected
from bona fide residents and citizens of the
territory where they are to serve. South Da-
kota should of right Immediately be admitted
as state under the constitution framed and
adopted by her people, and we heartily en-
dorse the action of the republican senate in
twice passing bills for her admission. The
refusal of the democratic house. for partisan
purposes, to favorably consider these bills