The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1896-10-30
The Platform.


TO those great essentiel principles of Justice
and liberty upon which our instltutionJ are
founded and which the Democratic party has
advocated from JeiferJon'g time to our own
freedom Of speech, freedom ef the press, frcs.
dom OF Conscience. the preservation OF par
sonal rights the equality CT all citizens bofore
tho law, ami thc faithful Observance Of coa.
atitutionui lmitnrion7,
During all these years tho Democratic party
has resisted the tendency Of selfish interests
10 tho Capitalization OF governmental power
and steadfastly maintained tho integrity OF
the dual sohome of government established by
the founders Of thls republic of republics
Under It's guidance and teachings the great
principle OF local soIf government has found
| its beat expression ia the m1in nteuance OF tho
rights OF the states and its rs iertion of the
neoessltY Of cenfnipg the general governments
to the exercise OK the powers granted by the
constitution Of tho Uiiitcd States.
Tho constitution OF the United States guar
Intcos TO overy oitison the rights of civil and
| rcli ginu9 liberty. Tho Democratic party hax
always beon ths exponent OF political liberty
| md OF religious Freedom, AID 10 ronews its OBJ
| legations and reaidsm, the devotion to those
fundamental principles OF the constitution.
| Recognizing thai the money question is par.
| amount to all others at this time, we invite
attention 10 the enct that tho federal consttu.
| tlon names Hilvr and gold together os tho
money metals " tho United States, aud that
the first coinrg, law ? l,set. by congress under
the constitution maize the silver dollar the
mon ctary unit and admitted gold to free coin-
age at ratio based upon the silver unit
| We aro opposed to the policy and practice
OF surrondoring 70 the holders Of the obliga-
tions OF the uri.cd States the option reserved
| by law to the government OF redoeming such
| obligation in either silver coin or gold coin
| Wo are opposed to the issaing OF utercat.
bearing bonds OF the Uhitod Stases in times OF
peacc and cout1mn the trn nfoldng with bank
log syndicates VIII ch, In exchange for bonds
and IN ,rinou4 roflt to themselves, pupply tina
| federal treasury with gold to IN slntGin the
| policy OF gold mouometallism.
| Congrrss 40 le has the power to coin or iRsua
money, as President Jackson declared thnt
| this power could not be 'ogated to corpora.
tions or individuals. We therefore demand
that the powor to issue notes to circulate ~
| money be taken from the national banks, and
that all paper monoy sha be iisuod directly
! by the treasury department, bs redcemsble iu
| coin and receivable for all dcbtS, public end
| private.
| We hold that tariff dutic9 should be leyiad
| for purposes of revenue, ,saca duties to DO al.
| justcd aJ to operate equally throughout tao
country, and not discriminate between CESS
or section, and that taxation should b, limited
by the needs Of the government honestly nnd
economically administered. We denounce -
disturbing 90 bu ,p@ss the Republican threat
to restore the Mckinley law, which has bs.n
twice condemncd by the people in national
elections and which, enacted under fai3u Ilaas
OF protection to homo industry, proved pro-
life breeder of trusts and monopoiies, ea-
ricbed the few Mt the expense OF tho many, 20
strictod trade AID deprived the producers OF
the great American staples OF access to their
natural markets.
Until the money question Is settled ws are
opposed to any agitation for further changes
in our tariff laws, except such as are noccs.
sary to moot the deficit in revenue caused by
the adverse decision OF the supreme conrt on
T1,NN 10 a
a1pre,ne nourt there would be no dofoit in ths
revenues undor the law passed by s Demo
cratic congress in strict pursuance OF tho unl
after be constt tutel SO that tie burdens o'
taxatien may bo equally aud irnpartially laid,
to the end that wealth may bear its duo pro
portion of the expenscS of The government.
We hold that the most efficient way of p"o-
tectng American labor is 81 prevent the i'm
portatou OF foreign pAnrer labor to compete
with it in the home market, and that the vnlue
OF the home market to our American farmers
aud artisans is greatly reduced by vicious
monetary system which depro3SeS the rrtoes |
of their products below the cost of production |
and thus deprivcs theIn OF the means of pur
chasing tho products OF our homo rraaGtacto
rles.
The absorption of wealth by the few, the
consolidation of our leading railroad Systems
and the formation OF trusts aud pools require |
a striotcr control by tho fodorsl government !
of those arteries of commerce. We demand |
tho enlargement of the powers of the inter |
state commerce commission, all such Tcstrics |
tions and guarantees in tho control of rail |
roads as will protect the peoplo from robbery |
and oppression
We denounoc the prof gate waste OF the
monoy wrung iron tho people by oppressive |
taxasic n and tn, lavish appropriations ot re-
cent Republican congresses, which have hspt |
taxes high, while the labor that pays them ls
unemployed, and the products OF the peoples
toll are depressed in price till they no longer
repay the cost of production. We deinond
return to that sim plicity and economy VIII CT
befts Democratic gOvornmcnt and r5dao.
ion in the number OF useless offices, tho sa!g-
rios OF which drain the substance of the people.
We denounoe arbitrary Interference 10y fed
sral Ruthoritios in local Affairs Gs violation
Of the constitution OF the United stn'e9 aud
crime, against free institutions, o. d we ea-
pecaliy object TO government by injunction
~ a new aud highly dangerous form of OPP
pEesson by which federal judges, in coutamp
OF the laws of tho states and rights OF citisens
become at once logziators judges and exoeu
tioners, and we approvs the bill passed. at tho
last session OF the Unit3d States senate and
now popding in tho house of rGprts tntatiYes
relative to contompts In federal courts and
providing for trials by Jury CO SOS ot con tainpt |
No discrimination should be indu,g ii by the
government of the United STATES in favor of
any Of its debtors. We approve of the 10 'uV.l
OF the Fifty third congress 10 pass the Pacific
railroad funding bill, and denounce the effort
Of the present Republican coagross TO enforpo
similar measires.
Recognizing tho just claims Of the deserving
Union soldiers we heartily endorse the rules
OF tho rr ssent comm Aoner OF pensions, that
no nauio3 hll be arbitrarily dropped from
the pension roll, ana tho fact Of entstusnt
and service should Se deemed eoinlasivo owl
dnnce against dlsesse and disability before sr'
iistment.
We favor the admission Of the territories Of
Now Mexico AMI Arizoua inso uhe Union as
state4, and we tavar the early admission OF
oil the territories hoving the neceisary popu'
iation and resources TO ontitlo thcm to state
hood, and while they remain territories wq
held that tho officials appointed TO administer
the governmcnt Of any territory, together
with the District of Columbia. should be bona
a,ie residents Of tho territory or district in
which their duties arc performed. The Dom
ocratio party believes In home rule, snl that
all public lands Of the United States should b0
appropriated 10 tho cstabiishmont Of f-ea
homes for American e,tiaens.
We recommend that tho territory OF Alsska
be grnsted delegate In congress and that tho
general lund and timber laws of the Unt1d
Statcs be extended to SAIL territory
No extcni our sympathy 10 tho people of
Cuba in thc,r hero.c struggle for liberty and
Independence.
We nre opIo 'ei to life tenure in the public
service We favor appointments based upon
mort, fixed Terms VI ollco and such an admin
istratinn Of tho civil service law us will afford
equal opportunities to all cit!zons of ascer
tainod Gtaoss.
We declare II To be the unwritten law of this
republic. established by custom and the usnse
OF 100 years and sanctioned by the oxainpl O of