St. Paul daily globe., 1890-09-24
THE PLATFORM.
Planks of the Structure on Which
Mr.. Whiteman Stands.

We, who have assembled in convention as
representatives of the Democracy of the
Fifth congressional district of the state of
Minnesota, indorse the Democratic national
platform Of the year 1888 and the platform
adopted by the recent Democratic state con-
vention, and declare that the supreme and
controlling political issue OF the present
time is a contest between true anu false
theories of federal taxation.
The taxing power was conferred by the
fathers upon the general government only
for the purpose of providing revenue 1t
cannot be lawfully or justly used for the pur-
pose of subsidizing private enterprises.
Public taxes should be levied only for pub
lie purposes.
We denounce the existing tariff upon i'm
ports as a colossal fabric of unjust favorit-
ism. 1t levies contributions upon all the
products of toll to create enormous incomes
for the capital invested in manufactures. 1t
robs the laborer of his earnings by increasing
the cost of all manufactured articles. and
does this under the false pretense of adding
to the rate of wages. 1t gives the capitalist
a monopoly of the home market for his
wares, and subjects the wage-earner to the
unchecked competition arising from free
trade in labor.
This system Of high taxation has impover-
ished the agriculturist. not only by adding to
the cost of whatever he is forced to pur-
chase. but also by causing foreign nations,
In self protection, to retaIiate upon America.
and seek elsewhere their supply of food
products. Hence it is that the exports of
the United States in cattle, corn, wheat and
all other agricultural productions have con-
stantly diminished during the past ten years,
while new and extensive wheat fields have
been placed under culture in Russia, Egypt
and India. The best customers for the wheat
of America are the nations whose products
are barred out by our robber tariff. We ex-
elude the manufactures which are offered in
exchange for the products of American agri-
cultural labor, and then mutely wonder why
wheat declines in price, why cattle are be-
coming less and less valuable, and why dis
tress among all classes of laborers finds ex-
preston in strikes and lOck-OutS.
The excessive tariff under which we now
live has destroyed our once magnificent mer
chant marine, and has given to England the
commercial lordsbip of the seas.
The subsidized classes have recently forced
the passage. by the federal house of repre-
name of the mckinley Bill" constitutes the
crowning masterpiece of industrial oppres-
sion.
No representative in congress who voted
for that bill is worthy of a reelection. Such
representative has betrayed his constitu-
ents. has arrayed himself in opposition to
the greatest material interests of this coun-
try and has proven himself an abject slave
to an organized system of public spoliation.
The system to which we refer is falsely
called by its advocates "a protective tariff
We reject that delusive misnomer and call it
subsidy tariff. The subsidy must cease.
The rights of the taxpayer are paramount to
the rights of the tax grabber. American in
dustry demands fair play. We favor the
gradual but steady lowering of the tariff to a
strictly revenue basis. No more money
should be raised by either state or federal
taxation than is necessary tor the purposes