Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1895-10-31
THE PLATFORM
The Following is the Platform Adopted by the
Williamsport Convention

First The Democratic party, in State Con-
ventlon assembled, hereby renews its alle-
glance to and declares its faith in the prin-
cples OF Democracy as formulated by Jeffer-
sou and illustrated by Madison, Monroe,
Jackson and Cleveland. 1t congratulates the
American people upon the first fruits of the
Democratic administration, which inherited
from its Republican predecessor a bankrupt
Treasury and unwise financial legislation,
impaired public credit and widespread dsas-
ter, and which, under the sagacious, courag-
eous and patriotic leadership of its great
President, Grover Cleveland led the people
out of the slough of dependency to the
high ground of substantial and increasing
prosperity.
We challenge the fairness of our country.
men and ask that the Democratic party now
receive the benefit of that renewed pros.
pcrity whose welcome note is heard ON every
side.
Second. The enactment of the Sherman
Silver-purchnsng act and the Mckinley
tariff law found, as accurately predicted by
MI Cleveland. their results in bankrupt
ru!lroais, closed factories, ruined farms,
abandoned fields, impaired national credit
'ud general disaster. The repeal of such
Giquituus legislation and the substitution
If more moderate tariff laws have found
their immediate results in the resumption
Of business and the restoration of the ma
tloual credit.
Third. As vindcating the principles of
tariff reform, to which the Democracy is un-
alteraby pledged, we challenge especial at
tCntion to the fact that such prosperity and
the consequent material increase of wages
has been most pronounced In the industries
whose existence our opponents claimed were
dependent upon high tariff duties. The
gloomy prediction that the iron and steel in
dustriCS of Pennsylvania would be destroyed
by a reduced tariff has been contradlcted by
tb,i nUpNumnlpu nrOSnpritV
Fourth. We invite the attention of the
wage earners to the fact that the present
ployed in the manufacturing Industries,
amounting to not less than $3.50, 100000, was
absolutely unknown under the Mckinley
tarif act. To prevent the reactionary legis-
lation threatened by the Republican party
of Pennsylvania in their recent State Con-
yention, which would again depress bust
ness by destroying faith in the stability Of
present conditions, we invite our fellow
countrymen throughout the land, irrespec-
tive Of party, TO so act together as to in
sure by the election of Democratic Presi-
dent In 1886, the maintenance of the present
prosperity.
Fifth. we especially reafirm so much Of
the platform of the last Democratic National
Convention as calls for the use of both gold
and silver as the standard money of the
cOuHtry; but the dollar unit of coinage of
both metals must be of equal intrinsic and
eNchangeablc value, or be adjusted by inter-
national agreement, or by such safeguards of
legislation as shall insure the maintenance
of the parity of the two metals and the
equal power of every dollar at all times in
the payment of debts We believe that such
parity could not be maintained by the free
coinage of silver at the ratio of 16 to l,
and we are, therefore, opposed to any legis-
lation looking to that end.
Sixth. We arralgn and condemn the pres
ent administration, both IN the executive
and leg slatiYe branches of the government,
for its refusal to reapportion the State, in
accordance with the mandates OF the Con-
stitution: for its protligate waste of public
money; for its creation of private awards
and useless public offices; for its degradation
of the public service in factional contests;
for Its unnecessary increase of official saa-
ries to the detriment of many deserving
charities of the State; for its legislation fa-
vorable to the interests OF corporations and
monOpOlies.
seventh We challenge comparison be-
tween this State administration, which has
been so faithess to its pledges and the
wise, economical and honest administration
of Robert Z. Pattlson, which in the stainless
nifty and justly merited and received the
almost universal appreciation of the people
of this Commonwealth.
Eighth. We especially invite the sober
consideration of the people of this State to
the remarkable factional struggle In the Re-
publican party, struggle which involved no
principle or public policy, but simply the
supremacy of contending factlOnal leaders.
The worst arraignment at our hands of Re-
publican misrule falls short of what repre-
sentative Republican newspapers and lead.
ers testified of each other The admitted
prostitution of the public service, the invo-
cation of corporate influences, the misuse Of
Judicial appointments and consequent
prostitution Of the Judiciary, the corrupt
use of money in the purchase of delegates,
the attempted terrorism at Harrisburg by
men of the most abandoned type, fix the
high water mark of political debauchery. 1t
but needed to complete its infamy the
transparent hypocrisy which led cOnven-
ton, thus constituted, to adopt with laugh
ter resolutions condemnmg the very meth
DDS by which its delegates had been selected.
Such condemnation of "rhe growing use of
money in politics; the corporate control of
the Legislature, municipal Councils, polti-
cal primaries and elections; the enslave-
ment OF public officers and employees favor
ltlsm in granting contracts and the granting
of exclusive franchises in public necessi-
ties" while valuable as evidencing the truth
of the accusations of the Democratic party
in the last quarter of century, yet coming
from the very source which Is responsible
for these evils, constitutes the crowning in
suit to the Intelligence of forbearing and
long-suffering people.