Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1888-09-08
REPUBLICAN PLATFORM.
ADOPTED BY THE STATE CONVEN-
TIoN AT CHARLESTON, AUG. %,
1883.

1883.
The Republicans of West Vir
ginia, represented by their delegates
in State Convention assembled, cor
daily endorse the full aud manly
declaration of Republican principles
presented to the country by the Re
publican National Convention Of
1888. In the wholesome doctrine oil
Protection to American industries
and American labor, recognize the
conservation Of every American in
terest, the development of every
latent American energy, the safe
guard of every American home. Ii
is this policy which has enabled the
American employer to pay wages
above the foreign standard and il
this policy were fairly supported al
the custom houses, and the laws
strengthened where they are weak
or open the way to fraud, the bene
fetal effect would at once be felt by
The American wage-earners.
We favor protection to so.called
"raw materials" as we'll as to mann
features, to coal, iron ore, lum Der
salt and wool ; to every product OF
the farm as well as of the workshop
for we recognize in each and all OF
them American intelligence and
American labor, and we are unwIll-
ing that any American shall be rob
bed of fair return for the benefit OF
foreign producers.
We oppose the sectional Mills bill
and all other measures aiming to
degrade American labor, which is
entitled to liberal return for the
wealth it creates, and we endorse the
vote of West Virginia's only Repub
lican Representative IN Congress
against that bill.
We congratulate our fellow Pro.
tectionists of the United States that
in our united and uncompromislng
hostility to Free Trade, we are met
with the united and uncompromising
hostility of the British and the Brit.
ish manufacturing interests, and
we are as determined to repel the
industrial assault of today as the
fathers and founders of the Repub.
lie were to repel the armed assault
of '76. Invasion is invasion under
whatever guise, and we call upon the
patriotic men of West Virginia to
join with us to resist the British eff.
fort to subjugate the productive en-,
ergies of America.
Our firm belief in the right and
the duty of the Government to pro
tect the people in every possible way
impels us to demand at the hands OF
the representatives Of the people
legislation to restrict that immigra'
ton which cuts into the wages Of the
American laborer and so deprives
in part of that Protection which a
protective tariff is designed to afford
him. We therefore favor a tax on
adults of not less than 5000 on every
immigrant, not for revenue for the
Government, but for protection to
American labor. We would exempt
from this tax the immediate families
or members of the immediate fami.
lies of those who are or may become
residents in this country.
We ale opposed to the landing OF
contract lahorers and paupers on
any terms, and until more stringent
laws can be passed to deal with the
whole subject of immigration we de.
mand an honest and searching ad.
miniStration of existing laws relating
thereto.
We favor such legislation, Nation
al and State as shall make impossi
BILE those combinations of capital
known as trusts, whereby private
enterprise is paralyzed and tribute
wrung from millions of helpless con
sumers. The Sugar Trust, the Wits
ky Trust and the Standard Oil-are
rank examples of this kind of com
bination which we would legislate
out of existence.
We favor National aid to common
schools and we charge upon the
Democratic party the defeat of q
measure that would have given tc
the free school system of West Vir
ginia more than a million dollars
from an overlooking National Treas
ury.
We deprecate the determination
of the Democratic leaders in West
Virginia to obscure the real issue:
of the day by raising war issues. o.
issues reviving old prejudices and
animosities and arraying agains
each other nelghbors who are eve
coming closer together in common
effort to place West Virginia among
the rich and powerful common
wealths of the Union. We refer thu
voters of West Virginia to the pro
ceedings of the late Democratic State
convention; the address of th,
chairman of that convention, Sen
ator of the United States; to TIN
platform Of that convention present
ed by another Senator of the Unitet
/ n n.