The San Francisco call., 1898-08-20

Then the instrument proceeds 10 dellaliu 'le io and unlimited coinage of silver at ratio oi 10 to
 Jefferson said the ratio of the two metals IS cohi- mercia problem entirely and cannot be controlled by stat1te and Jackson said that gold is the universal and only honest standard of value The platform says that While we do not favor aggressive policy of territorial expansion opposed to the surrender to Spain of any the territory that has been acquired by American vaor and the expenditure ot the blood and treasure of people, Ii territory acquired Dy war Is not territory taken by aggression, then war has ceased to be an aggressive business. Ihs IS plain and unequivoca indorsement of imperial expan- sion Jefferson said that we might acquire CuDa safely for no addition to navy would be needed to hold it. and that herein should be the rule limiting our expansion; that should acquire no soil requlr ing an adtonal navy to defend it: more adherence to the time e-honored principles of Jefferson
 The platform demands that the Government bid in, hold and operate the Central Pacific road Jefferson believed that the Government had no business to be in business and that when 1t reached the limit o Its police powers beyond that the people should be lett free in the exercise of their business and industrial talents.
 The principle of representative government is dis carded and direct legislation by popular vote IS de- handed in the form of the referendum and mandate, without any provision for the rationallzng ot such direct legislation by the judicial branch o the Gov ernment Jefferson said III his first inaugural that the will of the majority to be right must be reasonable, and to rationaize that will the judicial branch of the Government was organized by the constitution He also said in the Declaration of Independence that man has certain inalienabe rights meaning those beyond the jurisdiction of majority. This platform sweeps all such rights away and lays every personal and property right of man open to the attack of popular majority, and then denies to the courts the authority to judiciay protect such rights when so attackedl
 The courts are mentioned only to defame and treat them as public enemies The right of court to pro- tect private property by injunction denied and the demand of the Chicago platform in that matter is in dorsed To deny the defense of property rights by injunction is equivalent denial of the defense of personal rights by habeas corpus The writs twins in law If one fall no argument remains for the preservation of the other.
 The platform having denied the authority of the courts to protect property demands the adoption of the constitutional amendment giving to counties and municipalities the right to adopt such system Of taxa ton majority of their people may elect to have. This amendment is the stalking horse of Judge Maguire's single tax The theory of the single tax is the denial of the right of private ownership of land This local option in taxation is intended to put in the hands of majority to vote every mans land away from him. It is an invitation to those who have not
 
 those who have. It is policy which leaves all other forms of property, money credits, manufacturing plants bonds, stocks and mortgages free from tax, and compels the land to bear the whole public burden
 The foregoing the platform declarations upon issues of government and public policy. The rest of its length is devoted to begging propositions of every conceivable kind.
 One of these is worthy of analysis. Tn proposing rule for fixing freights and fares the instrument de mands that these shall be adjusted upon the actual value of the railroad measured by the cost of re- producing it at any given time at which the rates to be fixed Railroads pay their debts out of their income They are constructed by the sale of bonds These have to be paid as fixed charge out of the freights and fares received If railroad and its equipment cost $2o 900 mile and before the maturity of its bonds can be duplicated for $Ioooo mc its income according to this platform, must be reduced to $Ioooo mile basis and out of this it must pay its $2o 900 mile debt It will be observed, too, that the platform does propose to tax railroad on assessment equal to the cost of duplicating it. Taxa ton is to remain the basis of original cost
 Then with characteristic demagogy the platform says that liberal wages be paid by railroads and all railroads shall be compelled to pay them If we are to have this system of taxation of the original cost and income on the basis of cost of re- production will be that confscation is the only result.
 No more capital be secured to extend the rail way systems of the State. No member of that con- vention with dollar to invest would put it into mak- ing needed additions the transportation system of California Therefore it may be fairly charged that the so-caed ant-ralroad blanks of this remarkable platform are without value because they not con- sistent and neuraize each other. The power to tax is not authority to conhscate, and the plan of fixing reights and fares is opposed to the decisions of the United States Supreme Court in the Minnesota and Texas cases, and would be held null and void if at tempted Hence as a of reasonable and proper public control of railways the platform plan is and deuson But this platform is only half of the platform on which the ticket is running. Judge Mcguire demanded that nothing in 1t should antago- nize the Popust platform, and the committee of that party which notified him that he is its candidate for Governor told him that the Democratic party, since 1 the Pon11list party was organized. had entirely