Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1896-08-28
REPUBLICAN NATIONAL PLATFORM

in national convention appealing for
the popular and historical justification
of their claims to the bitter fruits of
their four years of Democratic control,
as we'll as the matchless improvements
of thirty years of Republican rule.
earnestly and confidently address them
selve to the awakened intelligence, ex-
perience and conscience of their
countrymenin in the following declaration
of facts and principles:
For the first time since the civil war,
the American people have now wit
messed calamatous consequences offull
and unrestricted democratic control of
the government. II has been u record
of unparalleled incapacity, disaster and
dishonor. In the administrative man
agement il has ruthiessly sacrificed
indispensable revenue, eked out ordi-
nary current expenses with borrowed
money, piled up the public debt
S262, ,OOO,OO0in time of peace, forced an
adverse balance of trade, kept per-
petual menace hanging over the re-
demption fund, has pawned American
credit to alien syndicates and reversed
all the measures and results of Success
full republican rule. In the broad
effect of its policy it has precipitated
panic, blighted industry and trade with
prolonged depression, closed factories,
reduced work and wages, halted enter
prise and crippled American production
while stimulating foreign production
for the American market. Every con-
sideration of public safety and individ-
ual interest demands that the govern
ment shall be rescued from the hands
of those who have shown themselves
incapable of it without disaster at
home and dishonor abroad, and shall
be returned to the party which for 30
years administered it with UNEQUAL sue
cess and prosperity.
We renew and emphasize our allegi-
ance to the policy of protection as the
bulwark of American industrial inde-
pendence and the foundation of Amer.
ican development and prosperity.
This true American policy taxes foreign
products and encourages home industry;
it puts the burden of revenue on foreign
goods; it secures the American market
for the American producers; it upholds
the American standard of wages for the
American workingman; it puts the
factory by the side of the farm and
makes the farmer less dependent on
foreign demand and price; it diffuses
general thrift and funds the strength
of all on the strength of each. In it's
responsible application, it is Just, fair
and impartial, equally opposed to
foreign controla and domestic monopoly.
to sectional discrimination and indi-
vidual favoritism.
We dcnounce the present democratic
tariff as sectional, partisan and one
sided, and disastrous to the treasury
is destructive of business enterprise
and we demand an equitable tariff on
foreign imports which come into COM
petition with American products as
will not only furnish adequate revenue
for the necessary expenses of the
government but will protect American
labor from degradation and wage level
of other lands. We are not
pleged to any particular schedule.
The question of rates is practical
question to be governed by the con-
dition of the times and of production.
The ruling and uncompromising prin-
ciple is the protection and develop
ment of American labor and industry,
The country wants a like settlement
and then it wants rest.
The Republican party renews its
pledge for the protection of all Ameri-
can industries against foreign COM
petition, and declares its faith that
the supremacy of the United States
among the nations is the result of such
a policy. We believe in liberal reci-
procity and just retaliation, and demand
the application of the golden rule of
commerce to all future legislation
affecting the tariff and the foreign trade.
We believe the repeal of the reciprocity
arrangement negotiated by the last
Republican administration was a ma
tional calamity, and demand their re-
newal and extension on such terms as
will equalize our trade with other ma
tions and remove the restrictions that
now obstruct the sale of American pro-
ducts in the ports of Europe. and Sc
cure new markets for the products of
our farms, forests and factories.
We are unalterably opposed to every
rency, or impair the credit of our
country. We are therefore opposed to
the free coinage of silver, except by
leading commercial nations of the
world, which we pledge ourselves to
promote, and until enlargement can
OC OOudIACu9 UAC CNlSClus sO1O SCuIlUdIO
must be preserved. All our silver and
paper currency now in circulation
must be maintained at a parity with
gold, and we favor all measures de-
signed to maintain inviolably the OBJ.
legations of the United States and all
our money, whether coin or paper, at
the present standard, the standard of
the most enlightened nations of the
earth.
In other planks civil service reform
is approved and the extension of the
principle wherever practicable. The
use of the public money for sectarian
purposes, and the union of church and
state are opposed. A declaration is
made in favor of arbitration between
employers and employees, but nc
specific legislation is demanded.
A declaration is made in favor OF
liberal pensionsand the present admin
istration is denounced for dropping
from the rolls without examination de
serving soldiers.
The building of the Nicaragua canal
by the United States government is
favored.
W. r.. n. II. COVroYN