The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-10-03
THE DEMOCRATIC
PLATFORM.
The Democratic party of New Jersey.
in convention assembled declara.-

cratic platform adopted at Chicago in
1882. and cordially indorse the admins
tration of President Cleveland. with
whose determination to protect the peo-
pie of this country from the evils ever
attendant upon a debasement of the Ma
tional currency we are in most earnest
We congratulate the people upon the
revival OF prosperity. everywhere evil
industrial depression with which We have
been afflicted during the past three
years is ehargeable to the national legis-
lat 1aton enacted by the Republican party.
the Treasury, and the enactment Of
unjust tariff laws. to enrich a few favor
ties by the oppression of millions of
p~aralysation of our markets. That
paralysis. with an empty national treas
ury, were he legacies received from
a Republican administration
The battle against a system fostered
IN violation of self-evident laws of po-
litieal economy has been won. Every
| struggle against i~ntrenched wrong is at
tended by privation and suffering, but
these are never endured in vain. The
lesson Of cause and effect has been thor
abide by the decision of an intelligent
people who are now entering upon a
period of prosperity that will prove both
substantial and enduring.
We as -1aliciously false the
statements of the Republican State plat
form that the government Of New Jersey
| has DGGu CCHuucCGQ& 10y the Democratic
party in a dishonest or e~xtravagant man
ner. The Senate Committee, after an in
vestigation costing thousands of dollars
and involving the scrutiny of every ex-
penditure made under Democratic admin
istration. reported that. in the purchase
of supplies for the State, there had been
extravaganza or malfeasance on the part
of two or theree State employees.
In the condemnation of those wrongs
every good citizen joins, but the at
tempt to charge the misdoings of a few
/ Individuals 11nnn tho DQmnnro tin NJ ri W
or the Democratic administrations Of
this State, is not warranted by the evil
dence. n is a violation of the rules
troll political discussion between citizens
of a State. The fact that our State is
without debt, that millions Of dollars
twelve years In the improvement of
State institutions, and that during that
time not a dollar of State tax has been
ers, are, in themselves, a sufficient an
swer to the charge of extravaganza.
During the ae past twenty-five years rsn the e
Democrat, and-during that period the
finances of the State have been collect
ed, invested and expended with a care
and integrity that have resulted in CIV
ing New Jersey the deserved fame of
being the most economically governed
State in the Union. When an official
him. he is no longer a Democrat, and
the records of New Jersey show that
the members of our party entrusted
with the administration of the law have
never allowed the plea of partisanship
to protect a dishonest official from prose-
cution and punishment,
We. favor the adoption of a constitu-
tional amendment that will render inn
possible any law for the legalization of
gmbling in any form.
We charge that the course of the Re-
in dealing with the question of legaliza-
ton of betting upon horse races, has
been characterized by trickery and de-
ceit. AS evidence OF. this we call atten-
| ton to the course of the Republican Lee
gislature of New York. whose action in
attempting to override the recently adop-
ted constitution of the State and permit
gambling on horse races. was this year
| approved by a Republican Governor. and
to the further fact that every bet made
upon a horse race within New Jersey
during the past fourteen years has been
made under the protection of Chapter
one hundred and forty-seven of the Laws
of 1886. enacted by a Republican Senate
and House.
We demand that the tax laws of
this State be amended to provide for the
equal taxation of property not used for
| religious. charitable or educational pur-
poses.
We pledge the Democratic party to
the enactment of laws that will secure
to the people of New Jersey control of
the potable waters of the State. The
recent attempt of the city of Jersey City
to secure a supply of wholesome water,
absolutely necessary to the continuance
OF municipal existence, has disclosed the
dangers that threaten the people of the
entire State.
Today the municipalities of New Jer-
sey are at the mercy of a few corpora
tons who have acquired control OF near
ly all sources of water supply within
the State and who are in a 2 position to
demand wha they. will before allow
ing our cities to obtain this necessary
of life. In New Jersey alone can such
an intolerable condition be found. The
people of Jersey City demand and should
receive the sympathetic support of the
people of the State. The choice that
ruptcy or depopulation, of buying water
by the gallon or receiving a supply
from polluted streams. will. within a
few years, be presented to every popu-
lous municipality in New Jersey.
In his annual message to the Legisla-
ture Of 1882, that far-seeing Statesman.
Governor Ludlow, uttered this warning
The Importance of a broad and com
prehensfve consideration at the present
time of probable demand and supply of
water for domestic purposes in the flu
IS any one subject in which the States
right of eminent domain should be re-
public it is in the God-given waters of
our. streams, so necessary to the con
venience, comfort and health of our
"While many of the communities of the
State are at the threshold of a great
growth and prosperity. the sources and
courses OF their water supply dT0, ny hat
ural and artificial causes, being both di-
ninished and polluted. 1t requires no
great power of prophesy to foresee how
dire at no remote day must be the con-
SEQUENCES of this condition of AFFAIRS IN
the interest of the advanced portion of
our State unless its evils are recognized
and provided against"
Since these words were written. every
Governor of the State. a repeated the
warning and called for legislation to
protect the people. Corporate interests
and legislative neglect have successfully
united to prevent the provision of a
statutory remedy, and self-preservat.on
demands, that those who seek our suf-
frages should pledge themselves to undo
the wrong and do the right.
The imminence of anger is shown by
publican party of this State is today
committed to the hands of those whose
fortunes are invested in the water
which they hope to sell to our muni-
cipalities. at a profit of unlimited mil
Hons. The credit of controlling and di-
recting the Republican G~ubernatorial
Convention has been properly given to
a gentleman who is the leading spirit of
theswater companies of New Jersey, and
the nominee of tina convention last win
ter appeared before the Legislature as
counsel for the Water Syndicate and
successfully opposed all legislation pro
viding for the relief of the people from
the grasp of his clients.
We condemn the action of the Re-
publican Legislature, which ridiculed
every request made for legislation IN
nealed acts passed BY Democratic Leg
islatures for the protection of the wage
workers of New Jersey; and we pledge
our party to give proper consideration to