The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1892-07-02
Democratic National Platform.


do ,reaGirm their allegiance to the
principles of the party as formulated
by Jefferson and exemplifed by
long and illustrious line of success
sors in the Democratic leadership
from Madison to Cleveland.
I'VE. believe that the public vel
fare demands that these principles
be applied to conduct the federal
government through accession to
power Of the party that advocates
them, and we solemnly declare that
the need of
RETURN TO THESE FUNDAMENTAL
gat PRINCIPLES
of a free popular government, based
on home rule and individual liberty,
was never more urgent than now,
when tendency to centralize all
the power at the federal capital has
become a menace to the reserved
rights of states that strikes at the
roots of our government under the
constitution as framed by the faith.
ers of the republic.
We warn the people of the COM
mon country. jealous for the pre-
servation of their free institutions,
that the policy of federal control
of elections, to which the Repub-
lican party has committed itself, is
fraught with the gravest dangers.
scarcely less momentous than
would result from a revolution
practically establishing monarcy on
the ruins Of the republic. 1t strikes
at the north as we'll as the south
and Injuries the colored citizen more
than the whites. 1t means hordes
of deputy marshals at every polling
place, armed with federal power,
returning boards appointed and
controlled by federal authority;
the outrage of the electoral rights
of the people in states; the subju-
cation of the colored people to the
control of the party in power and
reviving race antagonism now hap
PLY abated, of the utmost peril to
the safety and happiness of all
measures deliberately and justly
described by a leading Republican
senator as the most infamous bill
that ever crossed the Threshold of
the senate. Such a policy, if sane
toned by law, would mean the
domination of self perpetuating
oligarchy Of office-holders and the
party first entrusted with the ma
chinery could be dislodged from
power only by appeal to the reserved
right of the people to resist the
oppression which is inherent in all
self-governing communities.
Two years ago this revolutionary
policy was condemned by the people
at the polls, butin contempt of that
verdict the Republican party has
de6antly declared in its latest au-
thoritative utterances that its sue
cess in the coming elections will
mean the
ENACTMENT OF THE FORCE BILL
and the usurpation of the despotic
control over the elections OF all
states.
Believing that the preservation
of the republican government is
dependent upon the defeat Of the
policy of legalized force and fraud,
we invite the support of all citizens
who desire to see the constitution
maintained in its integrity, with the
laws pursuant thereto, which have
given our country one hundred
years of unexampled prosperity,
and we pledge the Democratic party
not only to defeatsthe force bill, but
also to a relentless opposition OF
the republican policy of profligate
expenditure which in the short
space of two years has squandered
the enormous surplus and emptied
the overhowing treasury, after piling
new burdens of taxation upon the
already overtaxed labor of the
country
We reiterate the oft repeated
doctrines of the Democratic party
that the necessity Of the government
is only justification for taxation,
and whenever tax is unnecessary
it is unjustifable, or that when GUS
tom house taxation is levied upon
articles of another kind produced
in this country. The difference be-
tween the cost of labor here and
labor abroad, when such difference
exists, fully measures any possible
benefits to labor, and the enormous
additional impositions of the exist
ing tariff fall with crushing force
upor, our farmers and workingmen
and for the mere advantage OF the
few whom it enriches. exact from
labor grossly unjust share OF the
expenses Of government. and we
demand such
REVISION OF THE TARIFF LAWS
as will remove their inequalities,
tighten the expressions, and put
them on q constitutional and equit-
able basis, but in making the re.
duction in taxes it is not proposed
to ipjure any domestic industries,
but rather promote healthy
growth from the foundation.
Government taxes collected At