Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1888-07-05

cute the laws securing to settlers title to their
homesteads, and with using appropriations made
for that purpose to harass innocent settlers with
spies and prosecutions under the false pretense
OF exposing frauds and indicating the law.
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 condition Of population, material re-
sources, public intelligence and morality are
such as to insure a staple local government
therein the people of such territories should be
/ permitted, as a right inherent to them, to form
/ for themselves constitutions and state govern
ments and be admit ed into the Union Pending
the preparation for statehood, all officers thereof
should be selected from the bona fde residents
and citizens OF the territory whereinto they are
to serve. South Dakota shonld Of right be i'm
mediately admitted in the union, under the con-
stitution 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 representatives,
| for partisan purposes, TO fayorably consider
these bills, is a willul violation Of the sacred
American principle of local self-governrlent
and merits the condemnation OF all just
men. The pending bills in the senate for acts to
enable the people of Washington, North Dakota,
and Montana territories to form constitutions
and establish state governments should be
passed without unnecessary delay. The Repub-
Iican party pledges itself to do all in its power
New Mexico, Wyoming. Idaho and Arizona
to the enjoyment Of self-government as states
such Of them as are now qualified, as soon as
possible and the others as soon as they may be-
come So.
The political power OF the Mormon church in
theterritories as exercised in the past is menace
TO free institutions too dangerous longer TO be
suffered. Therefore we pledge the Republican
party to appropriate legislation asserting the
sovereignty OF the action in all territories where
the same is questioned, and in furtherance of
that OF n MS nj the sfa hnnkz lpOiSla.
tion stringent enough to divorce the political
from the ecclesiastical power, and thus stamp
out the attendant wickedness OF Poygamy.
The Republican party is in favor OF the use OF
both gold aand silver money and condemns the
policy OF the Democratic administration in its
efforts to demonetize silver.
We demand the reduction of letter postage to
cent per ounce.
In republic like ours, where the citizen is
the sovereign and the official the servant. where
no power lie exercised except by the will of the
people, it is important that the sovereign the
people-should possess intelligence. The free
school is the promoter OF that intelligence which
is to preserve us q free nation; therefore the
state or nation, or both combined, should sup
port free institutions of learning, sufficient to
afford to every child growing up in the land the
opportunity of good common school education.
MERCHANT MARINE.
We earnestly recommend that prompt action
be taken by congress in the enactment or such
legislation as will best secure the rehabilitation
OF our American merchant marine, and we pro-
ship BILL as calculated to work injustice to labor
by lesseuing the wages of those engaged in pre-
pairing materials as well as those directly en-
ployed in our ship yards. We demand appro-
priations for the early rebuilding of our navy.
for the construction of the coast defenses and
modern ordnance and other approved modern
means of defense for the protection OF our
defenseless harbors and cities; for the payment
of just pensions to our soldiers; fer necessary
works of nation ! n,portance in the improve
ment OF harbora All the channels of internal
asst q n
enlargement Of the shipping interests OF the
Atlantic, Guh and Pacific states, as well as for
the payment of the maturing public debt rms
policy will give employment to oar labor actiy-
ity to our various industries, increase the Sc
curity of our country, promote trade, open new
and direct markets for our produce, ana cheaper
the cost OF transportation We affirm this to be
far better for our country than the Democratic
policy of loaning the governments money with
ont interest to pet banks
The conduct of foreign affairs by the present
administration has been distinguished by its In
efficiency and its cowardice. Having withdrawn
from the senate all pending treaties effected by
Republican administration for the removal OF
foreign burdens and restrictions upon our COM
mercc and for the extention into better markets,
1t has neither effected nor proposed any others
in their stead. Processing adherence to the
Monroe doctrine, it has seen with idle complac-
ency the extentiOn of foreign influence in Cen
trail America and of foreign trade everywhere
among our neighbors 1t has refused to charter
sanction or encourage any American organlZa-
tion for constructing the Nicaragua canal a
work OF vital importance to the maintenance of
the Monroe doctrine and OF our national in
huence in Central and South America; and
necessary for the Development of trade with
cur Pacific territory, with South America, and
with the islands and furt her coasts of the Pacific
ocean.
tration for its weak and unpatriotc treatment of
the fisheries question, and its pusillanimous sur
render of the essential privileges to which our
fishing vessels are entitled in Canadian ports
uOdpr the treaty. of 1918 the rpciDrOcal maFatlme
legislation Of 1890, and the comfy of nations,
and which Canadian fishing vessels receive in
the ports Of the United States We condemn
the policy of the present administration and
the Democratic majority in congress towards
our fisheries as unfriendly and conspicuously
unpatriotic and as tendingto destroy valuable
national industry and an indispensable resource
of defense against foreign enemy. The name
of American applies alike to all citizens Of the
republic and imposes upon all alike the same
obligation of obedience to the laws. At the same
time that citizenship is and must be the
panoply and safeguard Of him who wears 1t, and
protect him whether high or low, rich or poor
in all his civil rights 1t should and must afford
him protection at home aud follow and protect
him abroad in whatever land he may be on law.
full errand.
CIvIL-sERvlcE REFORM.
The men who abandoned the Republican party
in 1884, and continue to adhere to the Demo
cratic party in 1885 have deserted not only the
cause OF honest government, OF sound finance;of
freedom and purity Of the ballot, but especially
have deserted the cause of reform in the civil
service. We win not fail to keep our pledges
because they have broken theirs. because
their candidate has broken his. We therefore
repeat our declaration of 1884, to-wit: The re-
form OF civiseryice auspiciously begun under
the Republican administration should be COM
peted by the further extension OF the reform
system already established by law, to all the
grades of the service to which it is applicable.
The spirit and purpose OF the reform should be
observed in all the executive appointments and
all laws at varience with the object Of existing
reform legislation should be repealed to the
end that thedangers to free institutions which
Turk in the power Of official patronage may be
wisely and effectively avoided
The gratitude Of the nation to the defenders
OF the Union cannot bemeasured by laws, The
legislation OF congress should conform to the
pledges made by loyal people, and be so en-
larged and extended as to provide against the
possibility that any man who honerably wore
the Federal uniform shall become an inmate of
an almshouse or dependent upon private chart
ty. In the presence OF an oyefhowng treasury
it would be public scandal to do less for those
whose yalorous service preserved the govern
ment We dcnounce the hostile spirit shown by
President Cleveland in his numerous yetOes Of
the Democrotic house of representatives in re-
fusing even a consideration OF general pension
legislation
In support of the principles herewith enun-
clated, We invite the cooperation of patriotic
men Of ali parties and especially Of all working
men whose prosperity is seriously threatened by
me free trade policy Of the present administra-
trion,
DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM.