The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-07-02
DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM.
1t Is II Strong DUcuins at. Alive with
Pure Democratic Doc
trinP.
The Mckinley Bill The Force Bill
and Sham Recipr@ity
Denounced.

adopted at the national convention in
Chicago is as follows:
Section l. The representatives of the
democratic party of the United States
in convention assembled do reaffirm
their allegiance to the principles of the
party as formulated by Jefferson and
eXemplltied by the long and illustrious
line of his successors in democratic lead
ership from Madison to Cleveland; we
believe the public welfare demands that
these principles be applied to the con
duct of the federal government through
the accession to power of the party that
advocates them and we solemnly declare
that the need of a return to these funda-
mental principles of a free popular gov
eminent, based on the home rule and in
dividual liberty, was never more urgent
than now when the tendency to central
ize all power at the federal capital has
become a menace to the reserved rights
of the states that strikes at every root of
our government under the constitution
as framed by the fathers of the republic.
The Force Bill Condemned.
Sec. We warn the people of our
common country, Jealous for tine pres
ervation OF her institutions, that the
policy Of federal control of elections to
which the republican party has commit
ted itself. is fraught with the gravest
dangers. scarcely less momentous than
would result from a revolution practical
ly establishing monarchy on the ruins of
the republic. 1t strikes at the north as
well DIS the south, and Injuries the colored
citizen even more than the white: it
means a horde of deputy marshals at
every polling place armed with federal
power. returning boards appointed and
controlled by federal authority. the put
rage of the electoral rights of the people
in the several states. the s~ubjugation of
the colored people to the control of the
party in power and the reviving of
race antagonisms now happily abated,
of the utmost peril to the happiness in
"A measure deliberately and Justly
described by the leading republican
senator as the most infamous bill that
ever crossed the threshold of the senate.
Such a policy. il sanctioned by law,
would mean the dominance Of a self
perpetuating Oligarchy Of Office holders
and the party first entrusted with its
machinery could not be dislodged from
power until by an appeal to the reserved
right OF the people to resist oppression
which is inherent in all self governing
communities. Two years ago this revo-
%lutionary policy was emphatically con
demned by the people at the polls; but
in contempt of that verdict the republi.
can party has defiantly declared in its
latest authoritative utterance that its
success in the coming election will NEAR
the enactment of the force bill and the
usurpation Of despotic control over cleo,
tiOns in all the states.
Believing that the preservation of re-
publican government in the United
States is dependent upon the defeat OF
the policy of legalized force and fraud
we invite the support of all citisens who
desire to see the constitution maintained
in its integrity with laws pursuant there
to which have given the country lW
years of uneXampled prosperity: and we
pledge the democratic party. if it be en-
trusted with power. not only to the de
less opposition to the republican policy
of proiiigate expenditure which. in the
short space of two years. has expended
an enormous surplus and emptied an
Overlooking treasury.
The 1ariT PLANK.
Sec. 3. We denouncc republican
protection as d fraud on the labor of the
great majority of the American people
for the benefit of the few. We declare
IT to be fundamental principal of
the democratic party that the federal
government has no constitutional power
to impose and collect tariff duties ex.
cept for the purposes of revenue only.
and we demand that the collection of
such taxes shall be limited to the nee,
e~ssities of the government when honest
ly and economically administered.
We denounce the Mckinley tariff law
enacted by the tifty-tirst congress as the
eliminating atrocity of class legislation
we endorse the effort made by the dem,
ocrats of the present congress to modify
its most oppressive features in the direc-
tion of free raw materials and the manu-
featured goods. and We promise its re-
peal as one Of the bcneticent results
that will follow the action Of the people
in entrusting the power to the demo
cratic party. Since the Mckinley tariff
went into operation there have been ten
reductions of the wages of laboring men
to one increase. We deny that there
has been AN increase of prosperity to the
country since the tariff went into opera
ton. and we point to the dullncss and
distress, the wage reductions and strikes
in the iron trade as the best possible
evidence that no such prosperity has re.
suited from the Mckinley act.
We call the attention of thoughtful
Americans to the fact that after thirty
years of restrictive taxes against the i'm
portation of foreign wealth. in exchange
for our agricultural surplus. the homes
and farms of the country have become
burlenpl with a real estate mortgage