The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1888-06-30
THE REPUBLICAN PLATFORM.
Protection and the Bloody Shirt the
Shtboleths.

The Republicans of the United
States, ASSEMBLE. Il 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
wreathes of ofimperishabie remembrance
aud gratitude the heroic names OF our
late leaders, who nave more recently
been called away from our councils
Grant, Garfield, Arthur, Logan, Conk
ling. May !heir memories be faith.
fully cherished. We also recall with
our greetings, ami with prayer for his
recovery, the name of one of our living
heroes whose memory will be treasured
in the history both OF the Republicans
and Of the Repubic--the name OF that
noble soldier and favorite child Of VIC
tory, Poll II. Sheridan.
| In the spirit of those great leaders,
aud t. our own devotion to human
liberty aud with that hostility to all
forms OF desputism aud oppression,
which is the fundamental idea Of the
! Republican party, we send fraternal
! S''S ~ Jul ISiIcN kAHtII-
cans of BrsZil upon their great act Of
emancipation, which completed the
abolition of slavery throughout the
two American continents. We earn.
estfy hope that we may soon cougratu-
late our fellow citizens of irish birth
upon tue peaceful recovery of home
| rule for Ireland.
We reaffirm our answering devo-
to the idissoluble union Of the States, to
the autonomy reserved to the States
under the constitution, TO the personal
rights and liberties of citizens in all
the States and Territories in the Union,
and especially to the supreme and
sovereign right of every lawful citizen,
rich 0r poor, native 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 ballot and the Just
! and equal representation of all the pso.
pie to be the foundation of our Repub.
lican government and demand effec-
| tive legislation to secure the integrity
and purity0 of elections which are the
fountains of all public authority. We
charge that the present administration
and the Democratic majority in cons
gress owe their existence to the sup
preston of the ballot by Il criminal
notification 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
proposed by the President and his
party. They serve the interests OF
Europe {; wo will support the interests
OF America. We accept the issue and
confidently appeal to the people for
their Judgment. The protective sys-
| TEN must he maintained. Its aban-
document has always been followed by
general disaster to all interests except
those of the usurer and sheriff.
We dcnounce the Mills bill as des.
lruciivc to the general business, The
labor and the farming interests OF the
country, and we heartily endorse the
consistent and patriotic action of the
Republican representatives in con-
gress 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 main.
tanned so as to furnish full and adc-
quat" projection TO that Industry.
The Republican party would effect
all needed reduction of the National
revenue by repeating the taxes upon
tobacco, which is an annoyance and
burden to agriculture, and the tax up
on spirits used in the arts and for me.
chanical purposes and by such revis-
ion of the tariff laws rs will tend to
che elk imports of such articles as are
produced by our people, the product
ion OF which gives employment 10 our
labor and release from import duties
those articles of foreign production (ex-
c,pt iuxuries) the like OF which cannot
| be produced at home. II there shall
| still remain larger revenue than Is
requisite for the wants OF the govern
men, we favor the entire repeal of in-
! ternal taxes rather than the surrender
of any part of our protective system at
the joint bchest of the whisky trusts
aud lhe agents oi foreign naHuiact-
| urtF@.
We dt clare cur hostility to the in
! PRODUCTION into this country of foreign
contract labor and of Chinese labor,
alien to our civiliz ,tiOn and our con-
stitution and we demand The rigid
enforcement of the existing laws
against il, aud favor such immediate
legislation as will exclude such labor
from our shores.
We declare our opposition 10 all
com binations Of capital organized in
trusts or otherwise, to control arbitra.
rIiy tie condition of trade among our
citizens and we recommend TO con-