The state capital., 1892-04-30
DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM.
RESOLUTIONS.


should be strictly construed: that the auto
| nomy of the states and the rights Of local sell
government and home rule should be jealous
| ly guarded as essential to the preservation OF
our form of government; that no money
should be taken from the people under any
pretext for other than public purposes: that the
strictest economy should be exercised.sin all
governmental expenditures whether local
| state or national, and that legislation should
be confined to the legitimate objects OF gov
ernment. We recognize tkat the tariff is a
tax, and that all taxation is burden. Where
it is imposed justly and and fairly to meet the
necessary expenditures of an economical and
prudent administration of public affairs, it
will be cheerfully borne by the people Where
levied upon the suggestion of private greed to
promote monopoly and eXtortion, to build up
the fortunes of few beneficiaries and favored
classes at the expense OF the general welfare,
1t is leavened with injustice and oppression,
and its burden is intolerable to freedom and
inconsistent with every sound principle OF
sound government.
The republican party has sought to fasten
an iniquitous and oppressive system of tax
attain upon the American people. The effect
| of its legislation on the subject is to fetter
| trade and commerce, those swift agencies OF
| civilization, and disorganiZe and disarrange
every element of industry, to foster injurious
| combinations and enhance the prices of the
necessaries of public life and to demoralize
the public conscience. We endorse to the
fullest extent the patriotic administration of
Grover Cleveland and declare without reser-
walton our full and complete approval of the
views contained in his message to congress on
the tariff of 1887. We demand an
immediate revision of the tariff,
free raw material, reduction
in the duties ON all necessaries of life and
such changes in the shipping and navigation
| law as shall restore the American merchant
marine and the supremacy of the American
flag upon the high seas. We reiterate our
allegience to the historic policy of the dem
| Ocratic party in favor of honest money, the
gold and silver coinage provided by the con
stitution of the United States. and of cur
| rency convertible into such coinage without
| loss to the holder, and we recommend an in
| vitatiOn by our government to the commercial
powers of the word for an international con-
ference for the purpose of fixing ratio be-
| tween the values Of gold and silver so that
parity may be maintained between the two
metals, and ali the miuts thrown open to free
| coinage.
| We denounce the reckless extravaganza of
| the billion dollar congress-, controlled by a
republican majority and distinguished only
| by the passage of the oppressive Mckinley
| bill and the wicked waste of the peoples
| money.
| We believe firmly that public officers should
| be faithful servants of the people and that in
| every instance OF appointment to Office the
| test should be rather capacity for efficient
| public service than past or present political
| activity.
| We are proud of our common school system
and pledge ourselves to upheld and improve
| it, for free institutions cannot exist without
| universal education.
We denounce the republican party fol
eDacting law which tends to bring the cause
| of popular education into disrepute; a law
| cate his child accord ng to the dictates of his
conscience; a law which creates state inqui-
stion over schools toward which the state
| contributes nothing; law which gives the
| absolute power to every local school board,
no matter how ignorant or spiteful its actions,
| to harass and persecute large class of people
| who are among our best citizens and who do
| their full duty both toward the state and
| their childrep, and who by their labor, their
| patriotism and intelligence have contributed
| very much to our prosperity and greatness.
| Such law is further to be condemned as an
invasion of that religious liberty guaranteed
| by the constitution, and if effect amounts to
| interference, by the state with the church.
| This law is antagOnistic to democratic inSti-
| tutions, and we demand its unconditional re-
| peal, and we pledge our candidates for the
| legislature to vote and work to that end.
We favor the election of United States sen
ators by direct vote of the people.
We denounce the creation of trusts which,
however disguised, have for their end the
sitting of competition and the control of pro-
ductiOn and prices, with a view of depressing
| the people and we demand from our legisla-
ture the passage of stringent laws to aid the
judicial branch Of the state in stamping out
such iniquitous devices OF monOpOlists to de
fraud the people.
We believe that in free country the cur
| talment of the absolute rights of the indi-
vidual should only be such as is essential to
| the peace and good order of the country
The limit between the proper subjects Of
| governmental control and those which can be
more tttingly left to the moral sense and self
/! imposed restraint of the citizen should be
| carefully kept in view
| Thus laws unnecessarily interfering with
the habits and customs OF any people which
| are not offensive to the moral sentiment Of the
| civilized world. and which are consistent with
with good citizenship and public welfare are
| unbiased and vexatious.
| The constitution of this state provides,
'that it shall be unlawful for the commits
sioners of any penitentiary or other reform
atory institutions in the state of Illinois to let
| by contracl to any person or persons or cor
poration the labor of any convict confined
| within such institution"
We denounce the present republican state
| administration for its gross violation of this
provision of the constitution and for the un-
| lawful methods to evade and nulify the same.
We favor the prohibition of child labor with
| all its debasing consequences.
| We favor the establishment of boards of
arbitration that will adjudicate all contro-
| versies with capital and labor, so that pro
| tracted strikes with their ruinous conse-
| quences may be averted, and we believe that
| the great moral influences q just and equitable
| ruling would have on questions at issue
| would generally lead to speedy adjustment
| We demand the protection Of life and prop
| erty Of American citizens at home as well as
abroad, regardless of race, color or previous
| condition.
| We favor all laws that can be enacted under
| the present constitution that will prohibit the
| truck system, enforce weekly payment of
| wages In cash, fair weights and measures
wherever used in fixing compensations. And
| if the present constitution will not admit of
| the enactment aud enforcement Of such laws
| then we favor an amendment to the constitu-
| tion under which such laws can be enacted.
We congratulate the democracy of Illinois
| and the whole country upon the great triumph
| achieved by the democrats of Illinois in the
election of that grand man. patriot, soldier
and statesman, Gen. John NJ. Palmer, TO the
senate of the United States And should it
| be deemed expedient to come to the great west
| for candidate for the presidency to lead the
democratic hosts to victory, we commend him
| to the favorable consideration of the national
democratic convention, and instruct our dele
| gates to that convention to present his name
and use all honorable means to secure his
nomination.
Resoleed, That the delegates chosen by this
convention to the democratic national con-
yenton, are hereby instructed to cast the vote
of the state as a unit on all questions and
candidates in accordance with vote of
| majority thereof
The reading of the resolutions was received
with applause and at the mention Of Palmer's
name three cheers were given for the "Old
Roman of Illinois, on the suggestion of Mr..
McInerney, of Cook. The resolutions were
adopted by acclamation, after which the chair
man had read to the convention the following
telegram:
"MINNEAPoLIs, Mimi, April 27-To the