The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1896-09-17
PLATFORM ADOPTED BY THE Ma
TIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONVEN
TION AT INDIANAPOLIS
SEPT. ?, TRUE DEMO
CRATIC PRINCIP
VEG

IlIS convention mas assembled 10
uphold the principles upon which de
pend the honor and welfare of the
American people in order that Demo
Gratis throughout the Union may unite
their patriotic efforts to avert disaster
and ruin from their party.
The Democratic party is pledged to
equal and exact justice to all men OF
of every creed and condition; to the
largest freedom of the individual con
sistment with good government; to
the preservation of the federal govern
ment in its constitutional vigOr and to
the support of the states in all their
just rights: to economy in the public
expenditures: to the maintenance of
the public faith and sound money;
and it is opposed to paternalism and
all class Legislation.
The declarations Of the Chicago
convention attack individual freedom
the right of private contract, the in
dependence Of the Judiciary ard the
authority Of the president to enforce
federal laws They advocate reck
less attempt to increase the price Of
silver by legislation. to the debasement
of our monetary standard and threaten
unlimited issues of paper money by
the government; they abandon for Re
publican allies the Democratic cause
of tariff reform to court the favor of
protectionists to their fiscal heresy.
In view of these and other grave
departures from Democratic princip-
les, we cannot support the candidats
of that convention, nor be bound by
its acts The Democratic party has
survived many defeats. but could not
survive a victory won in behalf of the
doctrine and policy proclaimed in its
n@me at Chicago.
The conditions however which make
possible such utterances from a ma
tioral convention are the direct re-
suit of class Legislation by the Republi-
can party, 1t still proclaims as it has
for years, the power and duty of the
government to raise and maintain
prices by law, and it proposes no rem
edy for existing evils except oppres
sive and unjust taxation.
The National Democracy here con
vened therefore renews its declaration
of a faith in Democratic principles,
especially as applicable to the condi
tons of the times,
Taxation, tariff, excise or direct is
rightfully imposed only fer public
purposes and not for private gain. Its
amount is justly measured by public
expenditures, which should be limited
by scrupulous economy. The sum
derived by the treasury from tariff
and excise levies is effected by the
state of trade and of consumption.
The amount required by the treasury
is determined by the appropriations
made by congress.
The demand of the Republican
party for an increase in tariff tax has
its pretext in the deficiency of revenue
which has It's cause i'll the stagnation
of trade and reduced consumption,
due entirely to the loss Of confidence
that has followed the Populist threat
of free coinage and depreciation Of
our money and the Republican prac
tice of eXtravagant appropriations be
yond the needs of good government
We arraign and condemn the Popu-
listic convention of Chicago and St.
Louis for their co operation with the
Republican party in increasing these
conditions, which are pleaded in jus
tification of a heavy increase of bur
dens of the people and further re-
sort to protection. We therefore, de
nounce protection and its ally, free
coinage of silver, as schemes for the
personal profit of a few at the expense
of the many, and oppose the two par
ties which stand for these schemes as
hostile to the people of the republic,
whose food and shelter, comfort and
property, are attacked by higher taxes
and deprecated money.