Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1892-07-02
HERE THEY ARE!
THE TARIFF AND SILVER
PLANKS OF THE DEMO-
CRATIC PLATFORM.
The Former Means Rank Free
Tr..sle-A Lively Fight Over
It's Adoption.

ne entlfe platform adopted DJ
the democrats at Chicago last week
is too lengthy to be reproduced il
this paper. 1t is not neces sary t(
print it all; the people would not
read half Of it, anyway. 1t begins
with lengthy denunciation of what
it terms the ''force" bill, referring
TO the bill of the republicans te
force fair elections in the southern
states by action of the federal gov.
eminent, and declares that if Presi
dent Harrison is elected such a
measure will be adopted. Then
comes the plank on the tariff, on
which there was such a fight in the
convention. As reported by the
committee, it reads as follows:
eve reiterate the oft-repeatcd
doctrines of the democratic party
that the necessity Of the govern
ment is the only justification for
taxation, and whenever tax is un-
necessary it is unjustifiable; Or that
when custom house taxation is lev
led upon articles of another kind
that are produced in this country,
the difference between the cost OF
| labor here and labor abroad, when
such difference exists, fully meas
ures any possible benefits to labor,
and the enormous additional impo-
sitions of existing tariffs, fall with
crushing force upon our farmers
and workingnlen ; and for the mere
advantage Of few whom it en-
riches, eXacts from labor a gross
ly unjust share of the expenses OF
the government. And We demand
such revision Of the tariff laws as
will relieve these iniquitons inequal-
tiles, Tighten the expressions and
put them on q constitutional and
equitable basis. But in making a
reduction Of taxes it is not proposed
to I'M jure any domestic industries,
but rather to promote a healthy
growth. From the foundation of
this government, taxes collected at
the custom house have been the
chief source of federal revenue.
Such they must continue to be.
Moreover, many industries have
come to reply upon Legislation for
successful continuance. So, any
change in law must be at every
step regardful Of the labor and cap
ital thus involved The process Of
reform must be subject in execution
to this plain dictate Of justice"
This is the section over which
the disagreement arose. Neal Of
Ohio introduced a minority report,
which was adopted by the conven-
| ton by vote of 546 to 342, and
the platform as it stands, is as fol
lows:
ABOUT THE TARIFF.
We denounce republican pro-
lection as a fraud. The labor Of
the great majority Of the American
people for the benefit of the few.
We declare it to be a fundamental
principle Of the democratic party
that the federal government has
no constitutional power to impose
and collect tariff duties, except for
the purpose of revenue only, and we
demand that the collection of such
taxes shall be limited to the neces-
sites Of the government when hon
estly and economically admins
tered.
We denounce the Mckinley tar
iff law enacted as the eliminating
atrocity Of class legislation. We
endorse the efforts of the democrats
Of the present congress to modify
its most oppressive features in the
direction Of free raw material and
cheaper manufactured goods that
enter into consumption, and we
promise a repeal as one Of the bene-
fcent results that will follow the
action Of the people in trusting
power to the democratic party.
Since the Mckinley tariff went into
operation there have been ten re-
ductions in the wages Of laboring
men to one increase. We note the
prosperity Of the country since the
tariff went into operation, and point
to the dullness and distress caused