The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1896-11-21
FOR 1900.
A Platform Already Mapped Out For
10, - the New Century.

-, 49," - the New century.
/ The leading feature of Wharton Bar
ker's Philadelphia American, current issue,
Is presentation Of planks for platform
for 1900, which will command attention
! throughout the country, in view of the
prominence OF Mr.. Barton, and especially
from his known connection with the re-
cent campaign. We print it in full, with
ont comment, as follows: LIS .,M-.
.'.. -. PLATFORM FOR 1900.
i. We declare our fixed purpose to
work for the restora ton of silver to it's
; time honored place as money, side by SIDE
with gold. Believing, moreover. that it is
AnlariCa's place to command, not to fol-
Hay; we spurn to wait upon Great Brit
ain or any othe, foreign ma ton especially
as we recognize that Great Britain Is ruled
| by the creditor classes. among whom con-
verts to bimetalliSn are only made at the
cost of hundreds Of ruined producers In
America and other debtor nations.
| To this end we pledge ourselves to the
prompt repeal OF all laws by which silver
has been denonetized and lis use Abridged
to prohibit all Determinations by the gov
eyrl1nant OF any Of its officers against
either gold or silver, and to admit both
metals TO the right OF free and unlimited
coinage, at our minis at the ratio OF Id
to. /, with full power for all the money
thus coined as legal tender for all public
dues and in all transactions of the citizen.
2. Recognizing that the government
should guard over the measure of value
even more scrupulously than 1t guards
oyer the measures OF weight, distance and
quantity, we pledge ourselves to oppose
all schemes for the retirement of our non
interest bearing national paper money,
and the substitution OF bank currency
.theffor we. protest against the surrender
of this sovereign power TO the banks, and
we demand that all issues of paper money
|Wha tsoever, shall be issued directly by,
and the volume thereof controlled by the
national government. -
L. t;S.~-We view with alarm the rapid CEN
tralization of capital and the unexampled
growth Of trusts and combinations de-
signed to repress competition and raise
prices by restricting production, but in
view ofs.the appreciation Of gold result
Ling lin the Impeachment Of our people
and the restriction Of. the purchasing pow
.er of the community such growth is not
surprising. Consumption being greatly
:curtailed, such thing as competition
among buyers,is unknown. Competition
among producers (sel1ers) not being bal
anced by competition among buyers, be-
|,comes keener and finer until finally tine
very advantage that should accrue to the
i,cansumers from competition are annulled
/ by the. destruction Of many competitors,
while the survivors are driven>to combine
and restrict production in order to main.
IAN prices anu save IucluSc1SSS s1IO4u
bankruptcy.
l. Naturally, and rightly, such trusts and
denominations excite the enmity Of the pub
I.lic, for while by monopollzing the products
of various articles of manufacture they
| are enabled to tax the consumer in the
shape OF an unduly enhanced price for
what he buys, the wage-earner, employed
by such combinations, receives no benefit
from the enhanced price charged the con-
sumner for the product of his labor On the
contrary, while the consumer is obliged to
pay trust prices the wage-earner is forced
to accept trust wages Such a. state Of
affairs cannot be tolerated, and we de-
nand such legislation as viii prevent the
formation Of trusts and combinations de-
signed to tax the consumer on the one
hand and the wage-earner on the other
and provide means to discover dishonest
Decentralization Of corporations and
enforce penalties against such over-capi-
talization.
a. 1t is the duty Of the government to
see that the products of labor are justly,
distributed, that the many may be not de-
spoiled for the benefit Of the few, and to
| the end that all producers shall enjoy a
lust recompense for their toll, we hold that
it is the duty Of the government to alb
sorb and operate in the interest Of the
whole people all such agents in the distri-
button Of wealth as, tend, in the hands OF
private corpora tons, to develop into mo-
nopoies. We hold that oppression Of the
people by such monopolies either through
the charge Of exorbital1t rates for trans
Iportation or through discrimination on the
part Of our transportation companies
against some localities and some individ-
uals should not be tolerated, and to the
end that all producers. may be accorded
the same treatment and protected against
unjust charges. we demand that the gov
eminent own ana operate our railroads
and telegraphs. I'd. 81
as. we. demand the maintenance Of e
Itrue protective system. a system that will
85@(a) Protect American abnr against I'M
|derpaid and degraded European and
Asiatic labor, and secure to American citt-
xens the American markets. atsft1s ~
/ Oh Demonstrate that protection is ma
tional question, not class question. and
that protective duties are not imposed for
the benefit OF any class but for the public
advantage Of "a diversified Industries, a.
| the industrial dependence of the nation,
lS) the ii1aintenanceo Of comfort and intel
iife1ce among the people. and "a the pro-
motion ofs dom Tic connaeree throuk 5ex-
stenaiok1 and ii YeuaeIt ut the mean q