Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1896-07-15

The Platform
We, the Democrats Of the United States,
in national convention assembled, do reaf-
firm our allegiance to those great essential
principles of justice and liberty upon which
our institutions are founded and which the
Democratic party has advocated from Jeffer-
sons time and our own--freedom of speech,
freedom of the press, freedom of conscience,
the preservation of personal rights, the
equality of all citizens before the law and
the faithful observance Of constitutional
During all these years the Democratic
party has resisted the tendency of selfish
interest toward the Capitalization of gov
ernmental power and steadfastly maintained
the integrity Of the dual scheme of govern
1nent established by the founders of this
republic of republics. Under its guidance
and teachings the great principle of local
self-government has found it's best express
sion in the maintenance Of the rights of the
states and in the assertion of the necessity
of combining the general government to the
exercise Of the powers granted by the con-
stitution of the United States.
The constitution of the United States
guarantees to every citizen the right of civil
and religious liberty. The Democratic party
has always been the exponent of political
liberty and religious freedom, and it renews
its obligation and reaffirms its devotion to
these fundamental principles Of the const1-
tuition.
Declare for Free Silver.
Recognizing that the money system IS par
amount to all others at this time, we invite
attention TO the Federal constitution, which
names silver and gold together as the money
metals of the United States, and that the
first coinage law passed by Congress under
the constitution made the silver dollar the
unit of value and admitted gold TO free coin
age at a ratio measured by the silver dollar
unit. We declare that the act Of 1873 de-
monetizing silver without the knowledge
or approval of the American people has re-
suited in the appreciation of gold and a cor
ties produced by the people; a heavy. in
crease in the burden of taxation and of all
debts, public and private; the enrichment of
the money-lending class at home and abroad;
paralysis of industry and impoVerishment OF
the people.
We are unalterably opposed to the single
gold standard, which has locked fast the
prosperity and industry of the people in the
paralysis of hard times Gold monometal-
lism is British policy and its adoption
has brought other nations into financial
servitude TO London. 1t is not only I'M
American, bat anti-American, and it can be
fastened on the United States only by the
sitting of that indomitable spirit and love
of liberty which proclaimed our political in
dependence in 177G and won 1T in the War of
the Revolution.
We demand the free and unlimited coin
age of both gold and silver at the present le-
gal ratio Of 16 to l without waiting for the
aid or consent of any other nation We de,
mand that the standard silver dollar shall
he full legal tender, equally with gold for
all debts, public and private, and we favor
such legislation as viii prevent the demOne-
tization of any kind of legal tender money
by private contract.
We opposed TO the policy and practice
Of Surrepdering TO the holders of obligations
of the United States the option served by
law to the government of redeeming such
obligations in either silver coin or gold
coin. We are opposed to the issuing of in
terest-bearing bonds Of the United States in
time of peace and condemn the trafficking
with banking syndicates, which. in exchange
for bonds and at an enormous profit TO
themselves. supply the Federal treasury
with gold to maintain the policy Of gold
recommendation.
III hoe hf To oOiO md
issue money and President Jackson declared
that this power could not be delegated to
corporations or individuals We therefore
demand that TIE power TO issue notes TO
circulate as money be taken from the ma
tional banks and that all paper money shall
be issued directly by the treasury depart
ment.
The Tariff Plank.
We hold that the tariff duties should be
levied for purposes of revenue and that tax
alton should be limited by the needs of the
government honestly and economically aG-
miniStered We denounce disturbing to
business the Republican threat to restore
the Mckinley law. which has been twice
condemned by the people in national Hlec-
tiOnS and which. enacted un-er the false
plea of protection to home industry, proved
q prolific breeder of trusts and monopoieS,
enriched the few at the expense of the
many, restricted trade and deprived the pro-
ducers of the great American staples Of ac
cess of their natural markets. Until the
money question is settled we are opposed to
any agitation for further changes in our
tariff laws except such as are necessary to
make the deficit in revenue caused by the
adverse decision of the Supreme court on
the income tax. There would be no deficit
in the revenue but for the annulment by the
Supreme court of the income tax law which
was passed by Democratic Congress in
strict pursuance of the uniform decisions of
that court for nearly 100 years. that court
having sustained constitutional objections
TO its enactment which has been oVerruled
by the ablest Judges who had ever sat on
that bench. We declare that it is the duty
- %Io s@,,&t<, ~
power which remains after that decision, or
which may come from its reversal by the
court as it may hereafter be constituted. so
that the burdens Of taxation may be equally
and impartially laid, to the end that wealth
may bear its due proportion of the ex-
penses Of the government.
We hold that the most efficient way of
protecting American labor is to prevent the
Importation Of foreign padper labor TO com
pete with it in the home market, and that
the value of the home market to our Ameri-
can farmer and artisans is greatly reduced
by vicious monetary system which de-
presses the price of their product below. the
cost of production and thus deprives them
Of the means Of purchasing the products Of
our home manufactures. The absorption
of wealth by the few, the consolidation OF
our leading railway systems, and the forma-
ton of trusts and pools, require stricter
control by the federal government Of those
arteries of commerce.
OF the interstate commerce commission, and
such restriction and guarantees in the con-
tr0i of railroads as Will protect the people
from robbery and oppression.
We denounce the profiigate waste of mon
ey wrung from the people by oppressive tax
alton and the lavish appropriations of re-
cent Republican Congresses, which have
kept taxes high while the labor that pays
them is unemployed, that the products of
the peoples toll are depressed in price till
they no longer pay the cost of production.
We demand a return to that simplicity and
economy which BELTS Democratic govern
ment and reduction in the number of USE
less offices, the salaries of which drain the
substance OF the people.
We denounce the profigated waste of
money running from the people by oppres-
sive taxation and the lavish appropriations
of recent Republican Congresses which have
kept taxes high while the labor that paws
them is unemployed and the products of the
peoples toll are depressed in price till they
no longer repay the cost of production. We
demand a return to that simplicity and
economy which best BELTS Democratic
government and a reduction in the number
of useless offices. the salaries of which
drain the sustenance of the people.
No Federal Interference.
We denounae arbitrary interference by
Federal authorities in local affairs as vio-
lation of the constitution of the United
States and a crime against free institu-
tons, and we especially object to govern
ment by injunction a new and highly
dangerous form of oppression by which