Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1900-09-05

to state purposes while the balance, s4O SIS 9o4
/ has by so much reduced local taxation on real
and personal property.
Every reform which has been accomplished In
the state OF New York to secure the lawful voter
the right to cast his ballot freely to have it
counted cast and to keep out Of the ballot
boxes illegal and fraudulent votes is Of Republic
an origin. We charge upon the Democratic par
ty, especially in the city of New York. an organ
lied conspiracy to defeat the purpose Of the cleo
tion laws and to carry the elections by fraudu-
lent practices. The fraudulent operations of the
Democratic organization, repeated year after year.
compelled the enactment of a special law gov
erning elections in the metropolitan district. The
Democrats characterized this law as a "force bill'
and with the cry Of "home rule sought to dis
credit the act and to hold themselves immune
against punishment for electoral crimes. But the
law abrogates rights of the citizen and in no
way interferes with local administration 1t Is
designed solely for the detection and punishment
OF crime and for the protection OF honest voters
against rogues
The Republican legislature has enacted the
franchise tax law, which is now for the first time
being put in operation. Its results cannot yet be
taty. The taxation of corporations enjoying the
use OF public property will continue to be, as it
has been in the past, policy Of the Repub-
licans.
The Republican party is not opposed to the nat
ural and legitimate combination Of productive
forces, whether OF capital necessary for the con-
ducting of large enterprises of labor looking
to the profitable development of resources and to
securing TO industry its due share of the rewards
earned by its own efforts, but 1t is opposed to all
combinations seeking to control prices and to pre-
vent competition, and it specifically denounces
criminal conspiraces between public officials and
corporations by which such corporations design
Or are enabled through the favor and protection
Of officials to exact unjust tribute from the peo.
Pile.
We believe that in the interest Of the health
md comfort of citizens the people of the munich
palities should own and operate their water sup
plies, and the Republican party will favor legisla-
tion to enable every municipality, the just rights
OF all being conserved, to enter upon and take
under the condemnation laws the watersheds nee
essary to secure for their inhabitants an adequate
water supply.
Franchise Tax Law Indorsed.
The Republican party has committed itself
without reserve to civil service reform and has
passed an act which it is effectively enforcing
and which it intends to enforce in the spirit of
the constitutional amendment whereby merit and
htness, proved by competent examination, are
made the test for entrance into the public service
and for the flure promotion therein.
The proper policy to be pursued with respect
to the canals OF the state is subject Of grave
'oh''ih " tne lnlTtN years ago, Wnen
the capacity Of the canals was less than it is to-
day, there was moved them twice as great a
tonnage. In proportion their capacity has
increased and as the amount of possible business
has grown and developed their use has decreased
In 1896 the lake receipts Of flour amounted to
1881 653 barrels, but only II I66 were shipped
through the canals; the lake receipts of grain were
2l55S7, l69 bushels, but only 49, 296 900 were ship
ped through the canals; the lumber movement
at Tonawanda amounted to 469, III 4i6 feet, but
the canal shipments only fS4, 709,746. The
freight tonnage OF 1S9S over the railroads of New
York was 63,isl,0s3 TONS but the canal tonnage
was only per cent of the railroad tonnage al
though the railroad charge for freight per ton
per mile was nearly twice as great as the canal
charge The last Republican Legislature appro-
priated the sum of sl0O,GO0 to be expended in a
thorough and scientific investigation OF the cause
OF this decline in canal traffic and of the charac-
ter and expense Of all the numerous projects that
have been proposed for the betterment of the ca.
mails and to bring about their greater use. II is
the policy of the Republican party, If any further
expenditure of public money is to be made upon
the canals except for maintenance, to place be-
tore the people the assured facts, together with
estimates the accuracy OF which can be relied
upon.
Credit is given the Republican party
for the enactment of labor laws which
extend protection to the workingman and
W WOMEN anu cnllufen employed IN mer-
camille establishments. The increased
prosperity enjoyed by the farmers of the
state of New York engaged in marketing
an important product is referred to thus:
The legislature has encouraged by reasonable
appropriation the establishment OF the sugar beet
industry, with the result that thousands OF acres
are already devoted to the growth of the sugar
beet, and hundreds of thousands of capital have
been invested in plants for the production of
beet sugar
Attention is called to the repeal of the
Horton law, to the care of the interests
of the unfortunate classes, to the appro-
priations for scientific purposes, to the
state ownership of timber lands in the
Adirondacks and finishes with this para
graph:
Covering the whole period of the seven years of
its control of the state government, the Repub-
lican party points to record during which the
charge of maadministration cannot be brought
successfully against any of its officials 1t is
record of progress and good government, of prom.
ises kept, not Of pledges broken. Relying upon
this it asks the support OF all the voters for the
i.latae tod t,,.t Al