Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1896-07-16
Thursdays seasion.

Thursdays session.
CONVENTION HALL, CHICAGO, July O.
At 10 :52 Chairman White dropped the
gavel. The indescribable buzz of thou
sands of voices gradually subsidized and
the delegates took their seats White
vacant spaces in the black pit marked
off with almost definite accuracy the
location of the New England delega-
tions which had not, with the exception
Of few stragglers, as yet arrived. The
New York delegation, however, headed
by Whitney and Hill, were in their
places. After prayer Senator Jones of
Arkansas read the majority report of
the committee on resolutions. giving
the platform which was adopted.
| The Platform.
Following is the platform as submitted
by the majority of the committee:
We, the Democrats of the United States, In
convention assembled, do affirm 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 Jefferson's time to our own
freedom of speech, freedom of the press, free.
! dom of conscience. the preservation of per.
sonal rights, the equality of all citizens before
the law, and the faithful observance Of con.
stitutional limitations.
/ During all these years the Democratic party
has resisted the tendency of selfish interests
to the Capitalization of governmental power
and steadfastly maintained the integrity Of
the dual scheme of government established by
the founders of this republic of repub lies
Under its guidance and teachings the great
principle of LEGAL self government has found
its best expression in the maintenance of the
rights of the states and its assertion of the
necessity of contining the general government
to the exercise of the powers granted by the
constitution of the United States.
The constitution Of the United States guar
antees to every citizen the rights of civil and
religious liberty. The Democratic party has
| always been the exponent OF political liberty
and of religious freedom, and it renews its OBJ
legations and reaffirms the devotion to those
fundamental principles of the constitution.
Recognizing that the money question is par
amount to all Others at this time, we invite
attention to the fact that the federal consttu-
ton 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
monetary unit and admitted gold to free coin.
age at ratio based upon the silver unit.
of surrendering to the holders of the oblsa-
tions of the United States the option reserved
by law to the government of redeeming such
obligation in either silver coin or gold coin.
We are opposed to the issuing of interest
bearing bonds of the United States in times of
peace, and condemn the traiTiclzing with bank.
ng syndicates which, in exchange for bonds
and enormous profit to themselves, supply thh
federal treasury with gold to maintain the
policy of gold recommendation.
Congress alone has t1s power to coin or issue
money, as President Jasl1on declared that
this power could not be delegated to corpora
tions or individuals. We therefore demand
that the power to issue notes to circulate as
money be taken from the national banks, and
that all paper money shall be issued directly
by the treasury department, be redeemable in
coin and receivable for all debts, public and
private.
We hold that tariff duties should be levied
for purposes of revenue, such duties to be so adj
justed as to operate equally throughout the
country, and not discriminate between class
or section, and that taxation should be limited
by the needs of the government honestly and
economically administered. We denounce as
disturbing to business the Republican threat
TO restore the Mckinley law
Until the money question is settled we are
opposed to any agitation for further changes
in our tariff laws, except such as are neces.
Bary to meet the deficit in revenue caused by
the adverse decision of the supreme court on
the income tax.
We declare that it is the duty of congress to
use all the constitutional power which re-
mains after that decision, or which may come
from its reversal by the court as it may here
after be constituted, so that the burdens of
taxation may be equally and impartially laid,
to the end that wealth may bear its due pro.
portion of the expenses of the government
We hold that the most efficient way of pro
i tecting American labor is to prevent the inn
portation of foreign pauper labor to compete
with it in the home market, and that the value
of the home lharl1et to our American farmers
aud artisans is greatly reduced by vicious
monetary system which depresses the prices
of their products below the cost of production
and thus daprives them of the means Of pur-
chasing this products of our home manufacto-
rieS.
The absorption of wealth by the few, the
consolidation of our leading railroad systems
and the formation Of trusts and pools require
a stricter control by the federal government
of those arteries Of commerce. We demand
the enlargemt ut of the powers Of the inter
state comme ce commission, aud such restric-
tons and gus rantees in the control of rail
roads as will protect the p9og;5 from robbery
and oppression.
We denounce the prohigate waste of the
msnex wrung from the people by oppressive
taxation and the lavish appropriations of re-
cent Republican congresses, which have kept
taxes high, while the labor that pays them is
unemployed, and the products of the peoples
toll are depressed in price till they no longer
repay the cost of production.
We denounce arbitrary interference by fed
eral authorities in local affairs as violation
of the constitution of the United States and a
crime against free institutions, and we es.
pecially object to government by injunction
as new and highly dangerous form of OPP
preston by which federal judges, in contempt
If the laws of the states and rights of citizens,
become at once legislators, judges and execu-
TONERS, and we approve the bill passed at the
last session of the United States senate and
now pending in the house of representatives
relative to contempts in federal courts and
providing for trials by Jury cases of contempt
Recognizing the just claims of the deserving
Union soldiers we heartily endorse the rules
of the present commissioner of pensions, that
no names shall be arbitrarily dropped from
the pension roll, and the fact of enlistment
and service should be deemed conclusive evf
dence against disease and disability before en-
listment.
We favor the admission of the territories of
New Mexico and Arizona into the Union as
states, and we favor the early admission of
alhthe territories having the necessary popu-
lation and resources to entitle them to state
hood
We recommend that the territory of Alaska
be granted delegate in congress and that the
general land and timber laws of the United
States be extended to said territory.
We extend ourSsympathy to the people of
Cuba In their heroic struggle for liberty and
independepce.
We are opposed to life tenure in the public
service.
We declare it to be the unwritten law Of this
rephblic, establtshed by custom and the usage
of 100 years and sanctioned by the exampl Of
the geeatest and wisest of those who founded
and have maintained our government, that no
man should be eligible for third term of the
presidential Office.
The federal government should care for and
Improve the -dississippi river and other great
waterways of the republic.
We Wedeclsre that the act OF 1878 demonetizing
silver Without the knowledge or approval OF
the fAnerican people has resulted in the ap.