Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1898-09-07
WISCONSIN DEMOCRATIC PLAT.
FORM.

| We. the Democrats of the State of Wis.
| consln, in State convention assembled, do
| ar1rm cur allegiance to the democratic priu.
| ciples. justice, liberty and equality, upon
| which our institutions are founded and
which the Democratic party las advocated
| from Jenerson's time TO our own, and we
| declare our firm devotion to the democratic
| principles as enunciated In the Chicago plat.
| form of 1896.
| We congratulate the citizens of the ma.
| tlon on their loyalty and ardent patriotism
| displayed In the prosecution of the late war.
| and We especially honor the American army
| and navy for their valor and intrepid bra
| very on land and sea, and we condemn In
unstinted measure the war department for
the blunders and crimes committed against
| the brave boys In blue In camp and on for
| elgn battiefieds, by selfish contractors, In
| competent surgeons and vain, heartless
| army officers appointed for political pur-
poses, and we hereby pledge TO orr brave
soldiers and sailors who survive the war
our earnest and loyal support to secure the
| punishment of the guilty parties,
The Republican party OF this State, at its
| last convention, presented only one Issue
| for the campaign, namely, Shall the Repub'
| lican administration of the last four years
be indorsed by the peoplef We accept that
Issue and challenge them to defend against
| the following charges and specifications;
/. You have profigately conducted the
| business of the State, thereby largely and
| unnecessarily increasing the State taxes and
Imposing unjust bnrdens upon the taxpay-
| erS
2. You have carried upon the pay roll en-
| ployes and clerks who have drawn salaries
| without rendering services
8. You have Disseminated In favor of cor
| poretons and against the people.
4. Your Governor hts been the subservlent
| tool of corporations instead of the servant
| OF the people, attested by his veIoes of leg
| lslation imposing restrictions or obligations
| upon corporations, as well as by other OH
| clal acts familiar to the people and unnec-
| esSary to enumerate.
5. You promised that you would not re-
| NIT the Judgment In the treasury cases.
You violated that promise and thereby dis
| sipated the property of the State without
| receiving any consideration.
q. Your management of the State funds
| has been disgraceful. You have paid sal
aries long before they were earned. loaned
| money from the treasury without security
and without authority Of law, while the
| practices disclosed by the so called poodle
| book" are only samples of your incompe-
| tency aud lack of integrity, and show an
utter contempt of express law.
| I. You adopted resolution In your state
| convention of 1896 opposing the giving by
| corporations or the taking by public OFF,
| GERS OF passes end franks. You defeated
| legislation calculated TO carr" out that res
| olution, and your Governor has hagrantly
violated that pledge and his use of passes
and franks has made him notorious.
| 3. Your party has been dominated by
machine composed Cf wire pu'lers, trick
sters and corporation meni"' .- lave
| used your party for the promotion of their
| individual and selfish interests ana for the
| advancement of the corporate interests
| they represent.
| o. More than 90 per cent. of the delegates
| who attended the convention that nomln.t-
| ed your candidate for Governor, recognizing
| the truth OF the above charge, refused to
| ind0rse his administration, and denounced
him as being unworthy of further honors.
| We make these further declarations:
| n fu n nnfn Nd nhnl s..,A fn,k
| that large sums of money have been drawn
| from the treasury by the State officers and
| their favorltes, to the great scandal of the
| State and In direct violation of law. We
| promise a rigid public investigation Of these
| accounts and the prosecution of all persons
| implicated thesein
We are in favor of primary election law
| to replace the present method OF nomina-
| tions, which snail be made by direct vote
of the people.
We believe In the referendum. the sub
| mission Of all laws to the vote of the peo-
pie, as the best and only means Of safe
guarding both the interests and liberty OF
the common paople and avertlng oligarchy
| tendencies.
We favor honest legislation, State and mr.
| tiOnal, to the end that capital and cOrpOrat.
property shall bear It's full share Of the bur
den of taxation.
We are In favor of a good road system.
and shall endNavor 20 encourage the I'M
provement of che public highways of the
| State.
We promise an economical admlnistra-
tion of the business of the State and a re-
duction of the State taxes to the lowest
rate consistent Herewith.
We declare that 1t Is wrong against
public interests and morals for public
officer TO receive a gift or favor from per
sor or corporation We therefore pledge
ourselves to the enactment at the first OPP
pOrtunity of n law prohibiting tho Issue Of
passes by rairpads, express. telephone, tele.
graph, sleeping cur and street railway cor
poratons to all public officials and dele.
gates TO political conventions, and lmpos.
Ing severe penalties upon both giver and
receiver for the violation thereof, and that
as 500 mas possible 1t will be made con
sttutlonal provision.
We most emphatlcally declare against the
bhgbting evil of the lobby I'm legislative
halls and pledge ourselves to the enact
ment of such Liquidation as will make Il "a
penal offeDBe for corporations and indivd-
uals to engage Ia improperly influencing
| legislation by methods OF the lobby.
To the full discharge of the pledges here
in made, In letter and in spirit. and to a
| correction of che errors md abuses herein
complained Of, we pledge the candidates
| nominated by this convention