The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1892-07-08
KATloSAL DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM
Adopted At Chicago 1892.

Adopted At Chicago 1892.
Section /. The representatives of tht
democratic party of the United States, il
national convention assembled. do reaffirn
their allegiance TO the principles of the
party as formulated by jefferson and ex-
emplihed by the long and illustrious line oi
his successors in democratic Leadership
from Madison to Cleveland We believe the
public welfare demands that these princi
pies be applied TO the conduct Of the feder-
al government through the accession to
power Of the party that advocates them;
and we solemnly de ,lare that the need of a
return TO these fundamental principles Of a
free and popular government. based on
home rule and individual liberty, was never
more urgent than now, when the tendency
to eentralize all power at the federal capital
has become menace to the reserved rights
OF the states that strikes al the very roots
of our government under the constitution
as framed by the fathers of the republic.
Section ,. We warn the people Of our
common country jealous for the, preserya--
ton of their fres 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 momentcus than wonl.l result
from revolution practically establishing
monarchy on the ruins of the republic. 1t
strikes at the north as well as at the south,
and injuries the co.oned citizen even more
than the white: ii means horde of deputy
marShals at every polling place armed with
| federal power. returning boards appointed
and controlled by federal authority, the
outrage Of the elect ,r4lI rights of the people
| in the several states. the subJugation Of the
coloied people to the control Of the party in
power and the reviying Of race antagonisms
now happily abated. OF the utmost peril TO
the safety and happiness Of all; a measure
deliberately and justly described by lead
ing republican senator as the most in
| famons bill that ever crossed the thres hold
Of the senate Such a policy, If sanctioned
10y Law, would mean the dominance al
self perpetuatIng oligarchy of Office holders.
and the party first Intrusted with its ma
| chinery could be dislodged from power
only by an appeal 10 the reserved right Of
the people TO resist oppression which Is in
hereni in al self governing communities
Two YEARS ago this revolutionary policy
was emphatIcsally condemned by the peopl
at the polls; but in contempt Of that verdict
the republican partv has dehantiy declared
IN It's latest authoritative utteranee tina, its
success In the coming elections will mean
the enactment ot force bill and nsurpation
Of despotic control over elections IN all the
states, Believing that the preservation Of
of republican government in the Cuitea
States Is dependent u ,son the defeat Of this
policy Of legaliDed force and fraud, We in
wife the support If all citizens who desire 10
| SEQ the constitution maintained IN its in
tezT1ty with the Jaws pursuant thereto
which have given our country 4 hundred
years Of unsxamplei prosperity; and we
| pledge the deEaocrltlc party. il il he in
| trusted with poHeF. L0t only 10 the defeat
al the forcs bal but also 10 RELENTLESS opsso-
sI,ior 10 tie republican policy Of proaigase
! expenditure, which in tho short space Of
tao years has sIlanderei an enormous sur
/ plus and emp.iei an oyerfsowing Treasury.
after plling new burdens of taxation upon
the already ovc-taxed Labor of the country.
Section s. I've denouBoe republican
protection IS fraud, a robbery cf the
gTssa. majority q the Aule ,lcasl people for
/ the benefit of the few. We declare il 10 he a
/ fundamental principle of the democratic
party tha. tie federal government has no
constitutional power TO impose and collect
/ tariff duties. except for the purpose al reve-
nue. only ard we demand that the collection
Of such taxes shall be limited 10 the necess-
/ ities of the government when honestly and
/ economically administered We denounce
| the Mckinley tariff law enacted by the
| ffty-Erst cangueSs as the eliminating
atrUcity of csass legislation. we endorse the
| efforts made by the democrats Of the present
congress 10 modify lis mOst oppressive
| features IN the directi0n of free raw ma
| terials and cheaper manufactured goods
/ that enter into general consumption. and
we promise It's reEeai as one Of the beneS-
cent results that will follow the action 81
| the people in inirnstiRs power TO the DEM
ocraiie party. Since the Mckinley tariff
went into operation there have been ten re-
ductions Of the wages of laboring men to
one INCREASE We deny that there has been
any increase ot prosperity to the country
since that tariff went lEsto operation, and
we point TO the dullness and distress, the
wage re<isctions and strikes in the iron
trade as the best possible evidence that no
such prosperity has resulted froul the Nc
hinIey net.
We call the attention of thoughtful
Americans 10 The fac; that after dirty
wears Of restrictive taxes against the i'm
portasion OF foreign wealth, in exchange for
our. agricultural surplus. the homes and
farms of the country have become bur
dened with q real estate mortgage debt OF
over two thousand sve hundred million
dollars exclusive OF all other forms of in
debtedness; that in one OF the chief agri-
cultural states of the west there appears a
real estate mortgage debt averaging Si6s
per capita of the total population; and that
similar conditions and tendencies are
shown TO exist In the other agricultural eS.
porting sta.es. We denoun>e poiics
which fosters no Industry 50 much as II
does that of the sheriff
Sec. 4. Trade interchange on the basis
OF reciprocal advantages to the counties
! rar,icipating is time honorsd doctrine of
the democratic faith, but We denounce the
Isham reciprocity which juggles wit h
the peoples desire for enlarged foreign
markets and freer exchanges BY pretend
ling TO establish closer trade relations for a
! country whose articles of export are almost
exclusively agricultural products with
other countries thai are also agricultural.
while erecting a custom house barrier oil
: prohiailive tariff taxes against the riches,
countries of the world that Atsnd ready tc
: take our cntire surplus of products and tc
lexehanse therefor commodities which ara
neeessaTies and comforts of life among oul
own people.
Sec. \, We recognize In the trusts anC
combinations, which are designed TO en-
courage capital TO secure more than lis jus
G share of the joint product of capital aud la
4 boz, ,anatural consequence of the prohibitivs
taxes which prevent the free completion
, which Is the life of hvnest trade, but we be,
, ljeyc their worst evils can be abated h,
/ Jaw and we demand the rigid cntorcemer
: Of the laws made 10 prevent and eontro
them together with such further legislatio,
. in restraint of their abuses as experience
I may show to be necessary,
v Sec. &. The republican party, whn
/ protesting policy of reserving the pub
Il he land for small holdings by actual set
d tiers. has given away the peoples herisag
}, ,in now few railroads and non-residen
IS aliens, individual and corporate, ,posses,a,l Ian
/ ger area than that OF all our farms betwee
g the two seas. The last democratic admin
N issration reversed the improvident and uu
It wise policy of the republican party touch
RS ing the public domain, and reclaimed fror
corporations and syndica,es, alien an
10 domestic, ard restored to the people nearl
100. 900 900 acres of valuable land 10 b
sacredy held as homesteads for our citi
xens, and we pledge ourselves to continG
this policy until every acre of land so un
a lawfully held shall be reclaimed aad r.
fat Il l.