Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1900-07-12
The Platform.

ocratic party of the United States,
assembled in national convention on
the anniversary of the adoption Of
the Declaration of Independence, do
reaffirm our faith in that immortal
proclamation of the inalienable rights
of man, and our allegiance to the
constitution framed in harmony
herewith by the fathers of the repub
lie. We hold with the United States
supreme court that the Declaration
OF Independence is the spirit of our
government of which the constitution
is the form and letter. We declare
again that all governments instituted
derive their just powers from the con-
sent of the gOverned; that any gov
ernment not based upon The consent
Of the governed is a tyrrany, and
that to impose upon any people gov
ernment of force is to substitute the
methods of imperialism for those of
a republic.
We hold that the constitution fol-
lows the flag and denounce the doc
trine that an executive or congress
deriving their existence and powers
from the constitution can exercise
lawful authority beyond it, or in VIC
lation of it. We assert that no ma
ton can long endure half republic
and half empire, and we warn the
American people that Imperialism
abroad Will lead to despotism at
home. Believing in these fundamen-
tai principles, we denounce the Porto
Rico law enacted by republican con
gress against the opposition of the
democratic minority as a bold and
open violation of the nations organic
law and a tia@rant breach of the ma
tion's good faith. 1t imposes upon
the people of Porto Rico a govern
ment without their consent, and taxi
ton without representation. 1t dis
honors the American people by re-
pudiating Il solemn pledge made in
their behalf by the commanding gen
eral of our army, which the Porto
Ricans welcomed to a peaceful and
unresisted occupation of their land.
1t doomed to poverty and distress a
people whose helpiessness appeals
with peculiar force to our justice and
magnanimity. In this, the first act of
its imperialistic program, the repub
lican party seeks to commit the Uni
ted States to colonial policy incon-
sistent with republican institutions
and condemned by the supreme court
in numerous decisions.
We demand the prompt and honest
fu1fillmcnt of our pledge to the Cuban
people and the world that the United
States has no disposition nor inten-
ton to exercise sovereignty, jurisdic-
ton or control over the island of
Cuba except for it's pacification. The
war ended nearly two years ago, pro-
found peace reigns over all the island
and still the administration keers the
government of the island from its
people while republican carpetbag of
ficials plunder its revenues ard eX-
ploit the colonial theory to the dis
grace of the American people.
We condemn and denounce the Phil
ippine policy of the present adminis-
tration. It has involved the republic
in unnecessary war, sacrificed the
lives of many of our noble sons, and
placed the United States, previously
known throughout the world as the
champion of freedom, in the false and
un-American position of crushing
with military force the efforts of our
former allies to achieve liberty and
sclf-govcrnment. The Filipinos can
not be citizens without endangering
our civilization; they cannot be sub.
jects without inperiIing our form of
government, and as we are not will
ing 10 surrender our civilization nor
to convert the republic INTO an em-
pre, we favor an immediate declara-
ton of the nations purpose to give
the Filipinos-frst, stable form of
government; second, peace, and third,
protection from outside interference
such as has been given for nearly
century to the republics OF Central
and South America.
The greedy commercialism which
dictated the Philippine policy of the
republican administration attempts
to justify it with the plea that it will
pay, but even this sordid and un-
worthy plea fails when brought to
the test of fact. The war of criminal
aggression against the FiIipinos, en-