The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1896-10-01

1896, hereby reaiiirms its unqualified al
legiance to the principles of the party
and hereby approves the platform Of
the Peoples Party adopted at its Ma
tional convention held in the city of
st. Louis, July 22nd, 1896.
THE ELECTION LAW.
We hereby reafiirm our fixed de-
termination to support and maintain
a free ballot and a fair count in all
elections held in North Carolina; and
the election law passed by the Gen
eral Assembly Of 1895 meets our hearty
endorsement and approval; and We
hereby pledge the Peoples Party to the
policy of unfolding the principle OF
free and honest elections provided fol
in said election law, and warn the
voters Of the State against the threats
which have been made to repeal the
same.
COUNTY GOVERNMENT.
The act of the last General Assem-.
bly, restoring to the right of Ioca
self government by the election Of
their county commissioners and just
ices of the peace by the vote of the PEG.
pie in the respective counties, and the
safeguards therein provided, meets
with our hearty approval, and VIZ
pledge the Peoples Party to the con.
tinued support and maintenance OF
that legislation, and warn the voters
of the necessity of preventing injuri
Gus changes in that act, and of the
danger of electing members Of thu
General Assembly hostile thereto.
legal. TENDER MONEY.
We favor the exercise by the State
of North Carolina of the reserved con.
stitutiOnal power to make all gold anC
silver coins Of the United States Gin.
GLIDING the trade dollar) a legal ten
der for the payment of debts, and thai
this right be inforced by the passage
of an appropriate act by the Genera
Assembly.
GOLD NOTES ANDMORTGAGES,
We believe that all money demand.
should be payable In the lawful money
of the United States without preference
or discrimination, and therefore favor
the passage by the General Assembly o.
a law to prohibit the taking or givins
of gold notes, bonds and mortgages il
this State, and the making of all mon.
ey demands sOlvable in any kind o.
lawful money of the United States.
INTEREST,".
We pledge ourselves to maintain the
six per cent. interest law enacted by
the last General Assembly.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
The action of the Peoples Party
members of the last General Assembly
has demonstrated, beyond question
that the Peoples Party has been true
to it's antecedent platform declarations
in favor Ofpublic education. We de.
mand still further improving anC
broadening the public school system
of the State as rapidly as proper re-
gard for the interests of the tax payers
and the resources of the State will
permit. We also favor such revision
OF our present school system as may
increase the efficiency of our public
schools and insure the most compe.
tent and effective supervision. We
think that the committee on Educa.
ton of the next General Assembly
should invite and secure, as far as
possible, the cooperation of the lead
ing teachers and educators of the State
in framing and perfecting the schoo
law.
JUDICIARY.
Our judiciary should be lifted above
the plane of partisan politics.
REFoMATORY FOR YOUNG CRIMINALS.
We favor the establishment of
State institution for the reformation
Of young criminals.
DEMOCRATIC ADMINISTRATION CON-
DEMNED.
We condemn the Democratic admin
istratlon in North Carolina for it
failure to execute the antitrust law
of the State now On our statute books
and call the attention of the people t,
the fact that official action in this re
gard is not in harmony with the ultr,
antitrust sentiment heretofore ant
now being expressed by the leaders o
the Democratic party.
RAILROADS.
We favor the establishment of sucl
equitable and low freight rates an,
charges for products shipped from
North Carolina as will enable shipper
and producers to realize at least fail
remuneration after costs of such ship
ments have been deducted.
We call especial attention to tn,
possibilities of the trucking industr,
in Eastern North Carolina, an indus
try which, but for the extortionat.
tariffs of the common carrier, woult
increase an hundred fold, carryin.
with it the greatest prosperity to tina
highly favored section it has evel
known.
We earnestly recommend to oul
State Railroad Commission that they
use all the powers they have to brini
about such reductions; and especially
that they urge before the Inter-Stat,
Commerce Commission all complaint
of extOrtion and discrimination will
such vigor and continuity that shoult
they fail to secure remedial action b,
the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion, all the people would know wher,
to place the responsibility for exist
ing Outrages; and if their facilitie
for fighting the battles of the peopl,
before the Interstate Commerce Com
mission are inadequate for that pur
pose, that they make recommendation
to the General Assembly of amend
ments to existing laws, to the enc
that low and fairer rates may be estab
lished, both in the State and Inter
State jurisdictions.
Resoired, That we recommend a con
stltutiOnal prohibition of the pur
chase, lease or rental of parallel OF
competing railway lines.
FREE PASSES.
We favOr1a law forbidding the Civ
ing of free passes to public officials
and fOrbidding their receiving tn,
same.
NORTH CAROLINA RAILROAD LEASE.
We condemn the lease of the NORTH
Carolina Railroad to the Southern
Railway Company for ninety-nin,
years, not only as bad business
transaction in which the interests O.
the State amounting to the large sun
of 100000 invested in good paying
property yielding an income, were
sacrificed; but we also, in most EN-.
phatic terms condemn the hasty anG
secret manner in which it was done
several years before the former thirty
years lease, by its terms, would have
expired. We call the attention of the
people of the State to the fact ths1