Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1888-06-29

4 " y N"AAA' eAAS POAANy Va oPRAOPAA
ating the public lands of the United
, States to be homesteads for American
citizens and settlers, not aliens, which
the Republicans established in 1865
! against the persistent opposition oi
Democrats in Congress, and which has
3 brought our great western dominion
into such magnificent development.
The restoration of unearned railroad
land grants to the public domain foi
the use of actual settlers, which Was
begun under the Administration oi
President Arthur, should be continued
We deny that the Democratic party
has ever restored one acre to the pco-
pie, but declare that by the joint action
of Republicans and Democrats about
fifty millions of acres of unearned
lands originally granted for the con-
struction of railroads, have been re-
stored to the public domain, in pur-
suance of the conditions inserted by
the Republican party in the original
grants.
We charge the Democratic Admin
istration with failure to execute the
laws securing to settlers their title and
with using the appropriation made for
that purpose to harass the innocent
settler with spies and prosecutions un-
der the false pretense of exposing
frauds and vindicating the laws.
THE RIGHTS OF THE TERRITORIES.
The government by Congress of the
Territories is based upon necessity
only to the end that they may become
States in the Union. Therefore when
ever the conditions Of population, ma
terial resources, public intelligence and
morality are such as to insure stable
local Government therein, the people
Of such Territories should be permitted,
as right inherent in them, to form
for themselves Constitutions and State
Governments and admitted into the
Union, pending the preparation for
Statehood. All officers thereof should
be selected from residents and citizens
of the Territory wherein they are to
serve. South Dakota should, of right,
be Immediately admitted as State in
the Union under the Constitution
framed and adopted by her people,
and we heartily endorse the action OF
the Republican Senate in twice passing
bills for her admission. The refusal of
the Democratic House of Representa-
tives, for partisan purposes, to con-
slider these bills is willful violation of
the sacred American principles of local
self-government and merits the con-
demnation of all just men. The pend
ing bills in the Senate to enable the
people of Washington, of North Dakota
and Montana Territories to form Con-
stitutions and establish State Govern
ments should be passed without un-
necessary delay. The Republican
party pledges itself to do all in its
power to facilitate the admission of the
Territories of New Mexico, Wyoming,
Idaho and Arizona to the enjoyment
of self-governments as States, such Of
them as arc now qualified, as soon as
possible, and the others as soon as they
may become SO.
THE MORMONS.
The political power Of the Mormon
church in Utah Territory, as exercised
in the past, is a menace to free institu-
tions and dangerous to be long suf-
fered. Therefore We pledge the Re-
publican party to appropriate legisla-
ton asserting the sovereignty of the
nation in all Territories where the
same is questioned, and in furtherance
of that end to place upon the statute
books legislation stringent enough to
divorce the political from the eccle-
siastical power and thus stamp out the
attendant wickedness of polygamy.
The Republican party is favoring
the use of both gold and silver as
money and condemns the policy of the
Democratic Administration in its effort
to demonetize silver. We demand the
reduction of letter postage to one cent.
In republic like ours, where the
citizen is sovereign and the official the
servant, where no power is exercised
Except by the will of the people, it is
important that the sovereign, the peo-
iple, should possess intelligence. The
free school is o promoter OF that intel
lligence which is to preserve us free
nation. Therefore the State, or nation,
or both combined, should support free
institutions OF learning sufficient to af-
ford to every child growing up in the
land the opportunity of a good COM
mon-school education.
OUR COAST DEFENsEs.
| We earnestly recommend that
prompt action be taken by Congress in
the enactment Of euch legislation as
will best secure the rehabilitation Of
our merchant marine and we protest
against the passage by Congress of a
free ship bill, as calculated to work in
Justice to labor by lessening the wages
of those engaged in preparing the ma
terials, as we'll as those directly em-
ployed in our ship yards.
We demand appropriations for the
early building of our navy, for the con-
struction Of coast Notifications and
modern ordinance and other approved
modern means Of defense, for the pro-
lection Of our defenseless harbors and
cities; the payment of just pensions to
our soldiers and for other works of ma
tional importance; for the improve
ment of harbors and channels, inter
nal, coastwise and foreign commerce
for the encouragement OF the shipping
interests of the Atlantic, Gulf and
Pacific States, as well as for the pay
Al IL