Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-10-12
DEMOCRATIC STATE PLATFORM.

The democracy of Iowa in convention
assembled send greeting to the nearly T.
1000 patriots who participated and aided
in the battle of the people in their struggle
for their rights in the last campaign, by
giving renewed expression of devotion to
the principles of the democracy of the
nation as set forth in the platform adopted
by the democratic party at Chicago In
1896. We lay special emphasis upon that
portion of the national platform of the
democratic party on the financial ques-
ton, believing that the very existence of
the farming, laborlng and commercial in
terests of this country depends upon a
change of our financial policy, and we en-
ter into the first campaign after the great
battle of the people against the combined
corporate and money power, in which that
peerless statesman and patriot, w. j.
Bryan, was our leader, with the reasser-
ton that we demand the free and I'M
limited coinage of both gold and silver at
the present legal ratio of l6 to /. without
waiting for the aid or consent of any other
nation
We declare that the methods resorted to
by the leaders Of the republican party in
ShS ldl0 udllOIlSil campaign AdSS justly
alarmed the country. Their fragrant
acts of bribery, intimidation. colonization
and deception overawed, and were In
tended to overawe, the electorate, and
thus prevented a free and an honest ex-
preston of public opinion. We affirm this
to be direct attack upon popular gov
eminent and declaration of war against
free institutions. If submitted to without
rsbuke the presidential office will be per-
manently under the domination of money
and of the corrupt influences which money
controls.
The purpose Of these high-handed and
criminal methods is evident from the re-
suits following their success. The trusts,
the combines, the syndicates, the corpora
lions, all united to make the government
an agency for the promotion of their spe-
cial interests and welfare. They contrib
uted millions upon millions to Mark
Hanna's campaign fund, and having tri-
umphed by the corrupt use of these vast
sums they are about to recoup themselves
from the pockets of the people. The no.
torious, almost avowed, purpose of the
tariff bill now under consideration in the
senate is to repay the trusts, the mine,
the mill, and the factory barons for their
pecuniary aid to Mckinley; the railroads
are to be compensated by pooling law;
and it Is on the program, as announced
by Secretary Gage. to requite the bank
ing corporations by retiring the green
backs and Sherman treasury notes, and
increasing the interest bearing debt $780,,
100000 for their exclusive benefit. The
prosperity which was promised was pros
perity to these special interests, and not
to the people at large. The people have
not realized it, and while legislation is for
the classes instead of the masses, they
never will. 1t is to further the ends of
those who do not produce but absorb
wealth, and legislation in whose behalf
Ia rapidly segregating society into the few
very rich and the very many poor, that
Speaker Reed arbitrarily refuses to permit
the national house of representatives to
legislate, and denies to the American peo-
pie the representation in the government
to which they are entitled by the funda-
mental law.
We point to the fact that the claims of
the democratic party in the last campaign
have proven true, and that the claims
made by the republican party have proven
false, and not one of the pledges made
by that party has been fulfilled. The cit
izen was urged to vote for Mckinley and
prosperity; confidence was to be restored;
the mills were to open up; unemployed
men would find work; the farmer would
find profitable market for his products
AL these and more were promised to take
place as soon as it should be known that
Mckinley was elected. Months have
| passed since that event. and instead of the
fulfillment of these promises, prosperity
has not made its appearance; the mills
and shops are closing down; the army of
| unemployed is growing larger, and the
| farmers Of Iowa since his election are
marketing their products at less price
than ever before.
| We demand that the statute in operation
| In Iowa for more than generation hold
| Ing railroad corporations to a strict ac-
countability for negligent injury to their
employees shall be restored by proper
amendment. to its original scope and In
tent. We hold that the clause of said
law which provides that mo contract
which restricts such liability shall be
legal and binding" is eminently fair and
| just; that contracts in contravention OF
| the spirit of this provision are against
| public policy and should be void; and we
demand that the protection to life and
| limb, embodied in this provision, shall be
| fully restored, in order that corporations
engaged in the operation of railways shall
not be allowed by insurance contracts OF
otherwise to escape liability for their acts
of negligence, or shift this just responsi-
biltty upon the shoulders of their en-
/ ployes. We hold that any other rule is
an inducement to negligence and sets Q
| premium on wrong doing.
We reaffirm the position of the dem
| ocrattc party In this state in DEMANDING
that our state institutions be governed by
q nonpartisan board Of control which car
intelligently comprehend their relative
wants and economically and justly appor.
ton among the whole that which theil
just needs demand, thus doing away with
the expensive and disgraceful scramble
for appropriations and contests for prefer.
ment carried on by the officials of the
several institutions before each legisla-
ture.
We denounce the scandalous loot,ne =,
the state treasury recently brought t.
light, whereby an army of unnecessarl
and oyerpaid employees have been saddlef
upon the state. and other extrayagances
whereby the rate of taxation has beer
greatly increased. A public debt of nearl,
81, 900. coo has been incurred while the
diminished.
We denounce the republican party III
Iowa for resorting to the last refuge O,
the s,. enemy OF popular government. II
right Of the majority to rule
We denounce the republican party Of
| iowa IoF eHacllug ana maintaining q law
that permits the state printer and state
binder to charge extortionate fees fol
work done. thus robbing the peopl.
through unjust taxation.
We demand that no state officer who's,
duty 1t Is to pass upon questions pertain
ing to the insurance. building and loan
banking or other corporate business shall
In any such corporation.
We favor SUCH legislation as will reliey,
the people of Iowa from the extortion
| nr3pticpd Inv school bnoLx
We point to the defeat of a measure t,
reform the taxation laws applying to pub
lie corporations in such manner as f,
place upon them fair proportion of th,
public burdens; we call attention to IA,