Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1897-07-07
PARTY PLATFORMS.
DEMOCRAT.


assembled send greeting to the nearly
100000 patriots who participated and
aided in the battle OF the people in their
struggle for their rights in the last
campaign, by giving renewed EXPIRES
sion 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 spec
1al emphasis upon that portion of the
national platform OF the democratic
party on the financial question, believ-
ing that the very existence OF the farm
ing, 1aboring and commercial interests
of this country depends upon change
of our financial policy, and We enter in
TO the first campaign after the great
battle Of the people against the COM
bined corporate and money power, in
whioh that peerless statesman and pat
riot, w. J. Bryan, was our leader, with
the reassertion that we demand the
free and unlimited coinage of both gold
and silver at the present legal ratio of
16 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 par
ty in the late national campaign have
Justly alarmed the entire country. Their
fragrant acts of bribery, intimidation.
colonization and deception, overawed,
and were intended to overawe. the cleo
torate, and thus prevented free and
an honest expression of public opinion.
We affirm this 70 be a direct attack up
on popular government and declar-
alton of war against free institutions.
If submitted to without rebuke the
presidential office will be permanently
under the domination of money and OF
the corrupt influences which money con-
trolls.
Syndicates Denounced.
! The purpose of these high-handed and
criminal methods Is evident from the
results following their success, the
trusts, the combines, the syndicates.
the corporations, all united to make the
government an agency for the promo
ton of their special interests and well
fare They contributed millions upon
millions to Mark Hannas campaign
fund, and having triumphed by the cor
Tupt use of these vast sums they are
about to recoup themselves from the
pockets OF the people. The notorious
almost avowed, purpose Of the tariff
bill now under consideration in the SEN
ate is to repay the trusts, and the
mine, the mill. and the factory barons
for their pecuniary aid to Mckinley;
the railroads are to be compensated by
a pooling law; and it is on the program,
as announced by Secretary Gage, to re-
quite the banking corporations by retir-
ing the greenbackS and Sherman treas
ury notes, and increasing the interest
bearing debt five hundred million dol
lars for their exclusive benefit. The
prosperity which was promised was
prosperity 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 legisla-
ton in whose behalf is rapidly segregat-
ing society into the few very rich and
the very many poor, that Speaker Reed
arbitrarily refuses to permit the ma
tional house of representatives to legis-
late. and denies TO the American people
the representation in the government
to which they are entitled by the funda-
mental law.
False Promises.
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 par
sy have proven false, and not one Of the
pledges made by that party has been
fulfilled. The citizen was urged to vote
for Mckinley and prosperity; confidence
was to be restored; the mills were 10
open up; unemployed men would find
work; the farmer would find a profita-
bic market for his products. All these
and more We're promised to take place
as soon as ii should be known that Nc
kinley was elected. Months have
passed since that event, and instead of
the fulfillment of these promises, pros
perity 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 cleo
ton are marketing their products at
less price than ever before.
The Temple Amendment.
We demand that the statute in OPP
GRAFTON in Iowa for more than a gener-
alton, holding railroad corporations to
a strict accountability for negligent in
jury to their employees, shall be restored,
by proper amendment, to it's original
scope and intent We hold that the
clause Of said law. which provides that
mo contract which restricts such La
bility 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;sand we demand that
the protection to life and limb, en-
bodied In this provision, shall be fully
restored, in order that corporations en-
gagged in the operation OF railways
shall not be allowed by insurance con-
tracts or otherwise to escape liability
for their acts OF negligence, or shift this
just responsibility upon the shoulders
OF their employees. We hold that any
other rule Is an fndrNement to negli-
gence and sets a premium on wrong
doing.
State Board Of Control.
We reaffirm the position OF the demo-
cratic party in this state in demanding
that our state institutions be governed
by non-partisan board of control
which can intelligently comprehend
their relative wants and economically
and justly apportion among the whole
that which Their just needs demand,
thus doing away with the expensive and
disgraceful scramble for appropriations
and contests for preferment carried on
Dy the oniclalS OF the several lnStltu-
tons before each legislature.
The Looted State Treasury.
We denounce the scanda,ous looting
Of the state treasury recently brought
10 light, whereby an army of unneces-
sary and over-paid employees have been
saddled upon The state, and other ex-
travagances whereby the rate OF taxa
ton has been greatly increased. A pub
lie debt of nearly 81 0O0 0O0 has been in