Omaha daily bee., 1896-06-19
integrity and the highest ideal of honest
| self-goVprnmCnt.
rHE REPUBLICAN PLATFORM,

platform of the st. Louis convention Is
explicit, straightforward and uncquiy-
ocal.
ON the currency, which promises to he
the leading issue in the presidential
campaign, the declaration meets the
demand of the cXigency and will be
acceptable TO all friends of sound money.
True To the record of the republican
party, the platform declares unaltcrable
opposition to every measure that might
dcbasc the currency or impair the credit
of the country and 1t therefore pro
nounCcs against the free coinage of
silver. except by international agree
mcnt, to the promotion of which the
party is pledged, and for the prcscrva-
tiOn of the existing gold standard. There
can be no question or doubt as to the
meaning of this cnunciation. 1t does
not iuggle. or straddlc, or compromise
on this great issue. The republican
party is not an enemy of silver. 1t does
not propose TO exclude that metal from
our currency. On the contrary it is
prepared to increase the use of silver
rs money through agreement with the
| ltitllllS uullbllS vi lut NDIlN, bul II III
sists that free coinage of silver by this
country alone would have the most dis
astrous consequences and it stands in
uncOmpromising and unyielding oppoSi-
ton to such Il policy. All doubt as to
the republican position regarding the
currency being thus removed, the party
will 20 into the campaign prepared to
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for honest money and faith in the in
te%lligence and integrity of the American
people warrants the confident belief
that the party will on this issue largely
increase the number of its adherents.
The tariff plank is emphatic for pro-
lection, but it does not commit the party
to any extreme or revolutionary action.
1t declares for Il tariff that will give
the government sufficient revenue and
afford reasonable protection to American
industries and American labor. 1t says
that the party is not pledged to any
particular schedule, that the question of
rates is Il practical question, to be gov
erned by the conditions of the time and
of production. "The country wants
rlpnU SeItiellelI anu tlen II WdHlS EcSl.
The right settlement is to be found in
Il policy that will revive industries,
create Il demand for labor, stimulate
material development and give to all
classes of the people and all interests
that measure of prosperity of which
they were deprived by democratic pol
icy. With the experience of the last
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majority of intelligent voters will need
no persuasion to induce them to sup
port the party which makes this pledge
and which can be confidently relied
upon to faithfully carry it out if given
the power to do so. Reciprocity is de-
clared to be a twin measure to protec-
ton and the party is pledged to its
restoration, while it's Abandonment by
the democratic party is denounced as
a national calamity.
A vigorous and digniied foreign policy
is favored and it is urged that the
United States should contro the Ha-
waiian islands. build. own and operate
the Nicaragua canal and purchase the
Danish islands for Il naval station. The
Monroe doctrine is reasserted in eX-
plicit terms. but coupled with the assur-
ance thai there is no intention to inter-
fere with the possessions of any Europ-
ean power in this hemisphere. Sym
pathy with the Cuban patriots is eX-
pressed and it is declared that Spain
having lost control of Cuba and being
unable to protect Americans in the
island and to comply with treaty OBJ
legations, this government should use
its influence to restore peace and give
independence to Cuba. These declara-
lions. are on the whole moderate, |
though n great many republicans will
not concur in the view that this govern
ment should control the Hawaiian is
lands, which would simply mean their
ultimate annexation. These are natl
tiers. however, which need not now be
discussed.
Other planks of the platform favor
continued enlargement of the navy,
thorough enforcement of the i'm
migration laws and their extern
sion so as to exclude those who
can neither read nor write, a free and
unrestricted ballot, honest enforcement
of the civil service law, a national board
of arbitration, Il return to the free
homestead policy, the admission of the
remaining territories as soon as prac-
ticable, the admission of Ome to
wider spheres of usefulness, and con-
denim lynching.
While perhaps open to the objection
of being unnecessarily elaborate, the
platform is a clear and strong state
ment of the republican position on vital
issues and should be carefully read by
all citizens.