The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-04-14
THE DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM.

While there is great enthusiasm in
all sections of the State over the NOM
nation of the splendid ticket put in
the field by the Democratic convention
this week, there is quite as much
cause for rejoicing over the adoption
OF platform that correctly defines
the attitude of the Democracy of
/ North Carolina upon State and Ma
tional questions. 1t is a manly and
ightforward PLATFORM meeting ey
| cry issue without evasion or strad
| ding. Too often political platforms
are written III the language of Talley-
rand, and when men elected on them
are called on to carry them into eX
ecution, there is found to be double
| meaning atfording loOp-hOle to those
who wish to escape the fulfillment of
| the party's promises. A striking eX-
ample of this sort of platform was the
declaration in the 1892 platform on
money which before the election was
understood to mean the coinage of
| gold and silver upon equal terms"
| but after the election was construed
to mean opposition to any recognition
of silver.
| The North Carolina platform
of 1000 contains no plank OF
| double meaning and leaves no
room for doubt. Upon national
| questions it rings in as plain ana
| uneouivocal utterances as the Chicago
| platform upon which it is modelled.
Men may not approve it or they may
| endorse, but everybody knows what
il means. 1t doesn't face two ways.
Upon State matters it is equally di-
| rect. For weeks and months the Flu
| sion leaders have been denouncing the
new election law, and misrepresenting
| it's provisions. Instead of ignoring the
attacks or parrying them, the plat
| form meets the issue by plainly de-
claring, I'VE commend the Legisla-
ture for the passage of the Election
Law of $780," thus meeting the issue
raised with confidence and bOldness.
Upon the subject of education, there
are no meaningless expressions of de
votion to the cause of education" but
in its place an approval of the appro-
priation of 100000 for public schools
and solemn pledge to increase the
school fund SO as to make at least
four months term in each year in ev-
cry school district in the State
The presence of the insane in .jails
| having recently been brought to pub
| lie attention, there are no glittering
words of sympathy for the unfortun-
ate insane" which are not worth the
paper they are written on, but II dis
tinct pledge to 80 increase the APP
preparations for this purpose as that
every needy insane person i'll the
State may be, cared for at public eX-
pense." That declaration means, not
that the people will tax themselves
to care for the insane who are able to
| pay for such care, but emphasis is laid
on the word NEEDY as it should
! be-
| There is no ambiguity, either, in the
declaration against trusts. The plank
is all-embracing, denouncing "all
trusts, monopoles and trade combin-
ations," and demanding 1.-THE passage
of such legislation, State or National,
as will suppress the same putting
| the command on both North Carolina
| congressman and North Carolina leg
| islators.
Those corporations backed by ST.
monitor, that, though pretending to
comply with the laws of North Caro-
| lima defy the courts of the State, get
no comfort from the uttcrance of the
dominant party in North Carolina,
for there is express approval of the
| Craig act.
| Those corporations tools, led by the
| organ of the Southern Railway and
| Tobacco Trust, that have been SLAM
deriDg the Legislature and the Cor
| poration Commission will now see that
their special pleas for tax dodgers
| has no weight with straight Demo
Gratis" from the reading of this plank:
Eve approve of the passage OF the
! Corporation Commission Act by 1Ae
| last Legislature, and of the admins
| tration of the affairs of said Commits
| sion. by which fairer rates have been
secured which are more just to the
people and to the transportation and
transmission corporations, and such
| assessment of railroad property as
| will make it bear it's fair proportion
of the burdens of taxation"
There is not a corporation in the
State that is paying just taxes, (and
that includes most of them) that will
not approve this resolution, for it is
no attack upon wealth or corpora
tons, but a demand that the few who
i are guilty of taX-dodging shall bear
the burdens which the taX-paying cor
pOratiOnS have long cheerfullN borne.