The herald., 1896-08-13

asserted tndt those WnOTn nave the
honor for the time being to represent,
not only mediate an attack upon the
rights of property. but are the foes of
social order and national honor.
THE CHICAGO PLATFORM
Those who stand upon the Chicago
platform are prepared to make known
and to defend every motion which in
fluences them, every purpose which ami
mates them, and every hope which in
spires them.
They understand the genius of our in
stitutions; they are staunch supporters
of the form of government under which
we live, and they build their faith upon
the foundations laid by the fathers. An
drew Jackson has stated with admira-
BILE clearness and with an emphasis
which cannot be surpassed both the
duty and the speciality of government.
He said: distinctions in society will
always exist in every just government.
Equality of talents, or of education or
of wealth cannot be produced by human
institutions. In the full enjoyment of
the gifts of heaven and the fruits of su-
perior industry, economy and virtue,
every man is equally entitled to protec-
tion by law"
DEVOTION TO DOCTRINE
We yield to none in our devotion to the
doctrine just erGnciated. Our cam
paign has not for it's object the recon-
struction of society We cannot insure
to the vicious the fruits of virtuous
life we would not invade the home of the
provident in order to supply the wants
of spendthrifts we do not propose to
transfer the rewards of industry to the
lap Of Incidence. Property is and will
remain the stimulus to endeavor and the
compensation for toll. We believe, as
asserted in the Declaration of Inde-
pendence. that all men are created equal,
! but that does not mean that all men are
or can be equal in position, in ability or
in merit; it simply menas that all shall
stand equal before the law and that gov
ernment officials shall not, in making,
constructing or enforcing the law dis
criminate between citizens. assert that
property rights as we'll as the rights of
person, are safe in the hands of the COM
mon people.
LINCOLN'S LANGUAGE
Abraham Lincoln, In his message sent
to congress in December, 1861, said mo
men living are more worthy to be trust
ed than these who toll up from poverty
none less inclined to take or touch aught
which they have not honestly"
I repeat his language with unquali-
fled approval and join with him in the
warning which he added, namely: Let
them beware of surrendering a politi-
cal power, which they already possess
Nd xr-1i iaI,
be used to close the doors of advance
ment against such as they and to fix
new disabilities and burdens upon them,
till all of liberty shall be lost"
Those who daily follow that injunc-
ton, I'm the sweat of thy face shalt
! thou earn thy bread" are now as they
ever have been, the bulwark of law and
order, the source of our nations great
ness In time of peace and it's surest de-
tenders in time of war
| JACKSON'S WORDS
But I have only read part of jack
sons utterance-let me give you his con-
clusions: But when the laws under
take to add to those natural and just ad-
vantages. artificial distinctions-to grant
titles, gratuities and exclusive privil-
! eges-to make the rich richer and the
potent more powerful, the humble MEM
bers of society-the farmers, mechan-
les and the day laborers who have
neither the time nor the means of Sc
curing like favors for themselves have
right to complain Of the injustice of
their government"
Those who support the Chicago plat
form endorse all of the quotations from
Jackson, the latter part as we'll as the
foremost part.
THE ENEMY
We are not surprised to find arrayed
against us those who are the beneficiar-
les of government favoritism-they have
read our platform. Nor are we sur
prised to learn that we must in this cam
paign, face the hostility Of those who find
! a pecuniary advantage in advocating
the doctrine of non-interference when
great aggregations of wealth are tre-
passing upon the rights of individuals
We welcome such opposition-it is the
highest endorsement which could be be-
slowed upon us.
We are content to have the co-opera-
tion of those who desire to have the gov
ernment administered without fear or
favor 1t is not the wish of the general
public that trusts should spring into eX-
istence and override the weaker mem
bers of society; it is not the wish of the
general public that these trusts should
destroy competition and then collect
such tax as they will from those who
are at their mercy; nor is it the fault
of the general ublic, that the instrument
tality of the general public has so often
been prostituted to purposes of private
gain.
GOVERNMENT DUTIES
Those who stand upon the Chicago
platform believe that the government
should also avoid wrongdoing, should
also prevent wrongdoing, and they
believe that the law should be enforced
alike against all Of the enemies of the
public veal.
They do not excuse petty larceny, but
they declare that grand larcelNJ is equ-
ally a crime; they do not defend the oc-
cupation of the highwaymen who rob
the unsuspecting traveller, but they in
clude among the transgressors those
who through the more polite and less
hazardous means of legislation, appro-
pirate to their own use the proceeds of
toll of others. The commandment, "Thou
shalt not steal" thundered from Sinai
and reiterated in the legislation of all
nations is no respecter of persons. 1t