The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1896-08-21
The Platform.


TO those great essontiel principles OF justice
and liberty upon which our institutions nre
| founde and which the Democratic party has
advocated from Joiferson'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
tho law, and the faithful observance Of con-
| stitutional limitations
During all those years the Democratic party
has resisted the tendency of selfish interests
to the Capitalization Of governmental power
and steadfastly main ntained the integrity of
the dual scheme of government established by
| the founders of this republic of republics.
Under its guidance and teachings the great
principle of local solf government has found
| its best expression in the maintenance OF tho
rights Of the statos and its as siertion of tho
necessity of confining the general government
to tho exercise Of the powers granted by the
constitution of the United States.
| The constitution of tho 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 10 renews its OBJ
legations and reaffirm3 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 constitu'
| ton names silver and gold together as the
| money metals of the United States and that
the first coinag law passed by congress under
| the consti tuition made tho silver dollar the
mon etary unit and admitted gold to free coin
age at n ratio based upon the silver unit.
| We are opposed to the policy and practice
of surrcn lering to the holders of the obliga-
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 tho Unitod States in times Of
peace and condemn the traffickinR with bank
| 4. -.
and N lrmous 1rofit to themselves, supply the
federal treasury with gold to m lintain the
policy of gold monomctallism.
Congress n o lie has the power to coin or issue
money, "a President jackson declared that
this power could not be d drlegated 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 shu be issued directly
by the treasury department, bo redeemabe 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
iusted as to operate equally throughout the
country and not discriminate between class
or section, and that taxation should b limited
by the needs of the government honestly and
economically administered We denounce 10
disturbing TO business the Republican threat
to restore the Mckinley law, which has been
twice condemned by the people in national
elections and which, enacted under false pleas
Of pre- election IT, hCme industry, proved pro-
life breeder of trusts and monopolios, en-
ricliel the few Mt the expense of the many, re-
stricted trade n deprived the producers OF
the great American staples OF access to their
natural markets.
Until the money que ,tion Is settled we are
opposed to any agitation for further changes
in our tariff laws, except such Us are ncces
sary to meet the deficit in revenue caused by
the adverse decision of the supreme court on
the income tax But for this decision by the
supreme court there would be no defc t In the
revenues under the law passed by n Demo
cratic congress in strict pursuance of the uni
after be const tutsl, so That The burdens OF
taxation may be equally and mpartially 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 pco-
tecting American labor is 10 prevent the inn
pprtaton of foreign paurer labor to compete
with it in the home market and that the value
of the homo market 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 deprivts them of the means of pur.
chasing the products of our home manufacto-
ries.
The absorption of wealth by the few, the
consolidation of our leading railropl systems
and the formation OF trusts and pools require
a strioter control by the federal government
of those arteries of commerce. We demand
the enlargement of the powers of the inter
state CONNER commission, and such rcstric-
tions and guarantees in the control OF rail
roads as will protect the people from robbery
and oppression.
We denouncc tho prof!gsto waste OF the
money wrung from the people by oppressive
taxatit n and III 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 demand
return to that simplicity and economy VIII Oh
bohts a Democratic government and reduo'
tion in the number of useless offices, tho snla'
ries of which drain the substance OF the people.
We donounoe arbitrary interference by fed
sral authorities In local affairs as violation
Of the constitution of the United States and
crime against free institutions, ard we oS'
pecially object to government by injunction
as new and highly dangerous form OF OPP
pr sssion by which federal judges, in contemp
of the laws of the states ana rights OF citizens,
become at once legislators judges and execu-
TONERS, and we approve the bill rassed at the
last session OF the United States senate and
now ponding in the house OF repre- sntativeS
relative to contempts in federal courts and
providing for trials by jury cases OF contompt.
No discrimination should be indulgod by the
sny of its debtors We approve Of the 'usal
Of the Fifty-third congress to pass the Pacific
railroad funding bill, and denounce the effort
Of the present Republican congress to enforce
similar measures
Recognizing the just claims OF tho deserving
Union soldiers we heartily endorse the rules
Of the resent comm 3 doner of pensions, that
hG names III III be arbitrarily dropped from
tho pension'roil, and the fact of enlistment
ard service should be deemed conclusive owl
dence against disease and disability before en-
listmcnt t.t
We favor the admission of the territories Of
New Mexico and Arizona into the Union ny
states, and we favor the eqrly admission OF
all the territories having tho necessary popu'
lation and reS6hrcas to ontitlo them to state
hood, and while they remain territories wa
held that the officials appointed to administer
the government OF any territory, together
with tho District OF Columbia, should bo bona
fde residents of the territory or district in
which their duties arc performed The Dem
ocratic party believes in home rule, and that
all public lands of tho Unitod States should bo
appropriated to the establishment Of free
homes for American citizens.
We recommend that the territory of ALASKA
be granted delegate in congress and that the
general land end timber laws of the United
States he extended to said territory.
We extend our sympathy 70 the people OF
Cuba in their horo.c struggle for liberty and
Independence ~
We are opposed to life tenure in the public
service We favor appointments based upon
merit fixed terms Of Office and such an admin |
istration of the civil service law as will afford
equal opportunities to all citizens of ascer'
tanned ttless.
We declare II to be the unwrltten law Of this
republic, established by custom and tho usage
of 100 years and sanctioned by the oxampl of.
the grente5t and wiaost of those who founded |