Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-06-14
THE DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM.

Democratic faith and -affirms the plat
form adopted by its representatives il
the convention of 1884, and endorses
views expressed by President Cleveland
in his last annual message to Congress:
as the correct Interpretation of thai
platform upon the question of tariff re
duction, and also endorses the efforts OF
our Democratic representatives in Con
gress to secure a reduction of excessive
taxation.
Chief among its principles of party
| faith are the maintenance of an indisso
luble union of free and indestructiblt
States, now about to enter upon its sec
ond century of unexampled progress:
and renown, devotion to plan of Gov
ernment regulated by written consti
tuition strictly specifying every granted
power, and expressly reserving to the
States or people the entire ungranted
residue of power; the encouragement OF
jealous popular vigilance, directed tc
all who have been chosen for brief terms
to enact and execute the laws and are
charged with the duty of preserving
peace, ensuing equality and establish
ing justice.
The Democratic party welcomes an
exacting scrutiny of the administration
of the executive power which four years
ago was committed to its trust in the
election of Grover Cleveland, President
of the United States, but it challenges
the most searching inquiry concerning
its fidelity and devotion to the pledges
which then invited the suffrages of the
people during the most critical period
of our financial affairs, resulting from
over taxation, the anomalous condition
of our currency and public debt un-
matured; it has by the adoption of a
wise and conservative course not only
averted a disaster but greatly promoted
the prosperity of our people.
1t has reversed the improyident and
unwise policy of the Republican party
touching the public domain and has re-
claimed from corporations and syndi-
Gates, alien and domestic, and restored
to the people nearly one hundred mil
lions of acres of valuable land to be S.
credly held as homeSteads for our citi-
zens.
While carefully guarding the interests
of the taxpayers and conforming strict
ly to the principles of justice and equity,
it has paid out more money for pensions
and bounties to the soldiers and sailors
of the Republic than was ever paid dur
ing an equal period. 1t has adopted
consistently and pursued a firm and
prudent foreign policy, preserving peace
with all nations, while scrupulously
maintaining all the rights and interests
of our own government and people at
home and abroad.
The exclusion from our shores of Chi
nese laborers has been effectually Sc
cured under the provision of treaty,
the operation of which has been post
poned by the action of Republican ma
jority in the Senate.
In every branch and department of
the government under Democratic con-
troll, the rights and the welfare of all the
people have been guarded and defended;
every public interest has been protected
and the equality of all our citizens be-
fore the law without regard to race or
color has been steadfastly maintained.
Upon its record thus exhibited, and
upon the pledge of continuance to the
people of the benefits of good govern
ment, the National Democracy invokes
a renewal of popular trust by the re6lec
ton of chief magistrate who has been
faithful, able and prudent. They in
yoke an addition to that trust by
the transfer also to the Democracy
of the entire Legislative power.
The Republican party, controlling the
Senate and resisting in both houses of
Congress a reformation of unjust and
unequal tax laws, which have outlasted
the necessities Of war, and are now un-
dermining the abundance of long
peace, deny to the people. equality be-
fore the law and the fairness and the
Justice which are their right. The cry
of American labor for better share in
the rewards of industry is stified with
false pretenses, enterprise is fettered and
bound down to home markets, capital is
with doubt, and unequal,
unjust laws can neither be properly
or repealed. The Democratic
party will continue with all the power
confided to it, the struggle to reform
these laws, in accordance with the pledg-
es to its last platform, endorsed at the
ballot box by the suffrages of the people.
Of all the industrious freemen of our
land, the immense majority, including
every tiller of the soil, gain no advan
tage from excessive tax laws, but the
price of nearly everything they buy is
increased by the favoritism of an une
quail system of tax legislation. All un-
necessary taxation is unjust taxation.
1t is repugnant to the creed of Democ
racy that by such taxation the cost of
the necessaries of life be unjustifably
increased to all our people. Judged by
Democratic principles the interests of
the people are betrayed when, by unne-
cessary taxation, trusts and combina-
tions are permitted to exist, which, while
unduly enriching the few that combine,
rob the body of our citizens by depriving
them of the benefits of natural cOmpe-
tition.
Every Democratic rule of government
tai action is violated when through un-
necessary taxation vast sum of money
far beyond the needs of economical ad-
is drawn from the people
and the channels of trade and accumu-
lated as a demoralizing surplus in the
National Treasury. The money now
lying idle in the Federal Treasury, result
ing from superf1uous taxation, amounts
to more than one hundred and twenty
five millions, and the surplus collected is
the sum of more than sixty
Millions annually. Debauched by this
immense temptation, the remedy of the
party is to meet and ex-
haust by extravagant appropriations and
expenses, whether constitutional or not,
the accumulation of extravagant taxa
ton. The Democratic policy is to en-
force frugality in public expense and
abolish unnecessary taxation. Our es-
tablished domestic industries and enter
prises should not and need not be en-
dangered by the reduction and correc-