The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1892-07-07
DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM.

DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM.
Section |. The representatives OF
the Democratic party of the United
States. in National Convention as.
sembled, do affirm their allegiance
to the principles of the party as for.
/ niulated by Jefferson and exemplifi-
cd by the loEg and illustrious line of
his Successors in Democratic leader
ship from Madison to Cleveland. We
believe the public welfare demands
that these principles be applied in
the conduct of the Federal Govern
ment through the accession to power
of the party that advocates them
and We solemniy declare that the
need of return to these fundamcn-
tai principles of a free popular gov.
ernment, based on home rule and in
diVidal liberty. was never more ur-
gent than now, when the tendency
to centralize all power at the federal
capital has become a menace to the
reserved rights of the States, that
strikes at the very roots of our gov
ernment under the constitution as
framed by the fathers of the Repub-
lie.
FORCE BILL.
Sec. 2. We warn the people of our
common country, jealous for the pre-
servation of their free institutions,
that the policy of federal control of
elections, to which the Republican
party has committed itself, is fraught
with the gravest dangers, scarcely
less momentous than would result
from a revolution pract tically estab-
fishing monarchy on theruins of the
Republic. 1t strikes at the North as
we'll as the South, and Injuries the
colored citizen even more than the
white it means a horde of deputy
marshals at every polling place, arm
ed with federal power; returning
boards appointed and controlled by
federal authority; the outrage of the
electoral rights Of the people in the
several States; the Ssubjugatian OF
the colored people TO the control OF
the party in power and the revivine
of race antagOnIsmS now happily
abated, of the utmost peril to the
safety and happiness of all; a mea-
sure deliberately and justly describ,
ed by leading Republican Senator
as "the most infamous bill that ever
crossed the threshold of the Senate
Such a policy, if sanctioned by
law, would mean the dominance Of
aself-perpetuating oligarhy of office
holders, and the party first intrusted
with its machinery could be dislodg.
ed from power only by an appeal tt
the reserved right of the people to re
sist oppression which is inherent il
all self governing communities.
Two years ago this revolutionary
policy was emphatically condemned
by the people at the polls; but ir
contempt of that verdict the Repub
lican party has defiantly declared in
its latest authoritative utterance tina
its success in the coming elections
will mean the enactment of the Force
bill and the usurpation of despoti'
control over elections in all the
| States.
Believing that the preservation O
Republican government in the Uni
ted States is dependent upon the de
feat of this policy of legalized force
and fraud, we invite the support o
all citizens who desire to see the con
stitution maintained in its integrity
with the laws pursuant thereto, which
have given our country hundred
years ofunexampled prosperity, ant
we pledge the Democratic party, il
it be intrusted with power, not onl.
to the defeat of the Force bill, bu
also to relentless opposition to til,
Republican policy of profigate ex
penditure which in the shortest spac
of two years has squandered an en-
ormous surplus and einptied an over
| flowing treasury after piling nev
burdens of taxation upon the alread,
overtaxed labor of the country.
THE TARIFF.
| Sec. 8. We denounce the Republi
can policy of protection as frau'
on the labor of the great majority 0
1 the American people for the benefi
of the few. We declare it TO be
I fundamental principle of the Demo
cratic party that the federal govern
ment has no constitutional power t
impose and collect tariff duties eA
cept for the purposes of revenue or
ly, and we demand that the collet
ton ot such taxes shall be limited
the necessities of the governmer
when honestly and economically at
ministered.