The Conservative, 1900-07-12

PLATFORM OF THE NATIONAL DEMO
CRATIC PARTY.
[Adopted at indianapolis, Ind, Sept, 8, 1861
This convention has assembled to uphold the
principles upon which depend the honor and
welfare of the American people, in order that
democrats throughout the Union may unite
their patriotic efforts to avert disaster from
their country and ruin from their party.
Standard Democratic Principles.
The democratic party is pledged to equal and
exact justice to all men of every creed and
condition to the largest freedom of the indi-
vidual consistent with good government; to
the preservation of the federal government in
it's constitutional vigor, and to the support of
the states in all their just rights; to economy
in the public expenditures; to the maintenance
of the public faith and sound money and it is
opposed to paternalism and all class legis-
lation.
The Chicago Convention Arraigned.
The declarations of the Chicago convention
attack individual freedom the right of private
contract, the independence of the judiciary,
and the authority of the president to enforce
federal laws. They advocate reckless at
tempt to increase the price of silver by legisla.
tion to the debasement of our monetary stand
ard and threaten unlimited issues of paper
money by the government. They abandon for
republican allies the democratic cause of tariff
reform to court the favor of protectionists to
their fiscal heresy.
In view of these and other grave departures
from democratic principles we cannot support
the candidates of that convention nor be bound
by its acts. The democratic party has survived
many defeats, but could not survive victory
won in behalf of the doctrine and policy it pro-
claimed in it's name at Chicago.
The Republican Party Responsible.
The conditions, however which make posi-
BILE such utterances from national convention
are the direct result of class legislation by the
republican party. It still proclaims, as it has
for years, the power and duty of government
to raise and maintain prices by law and it
proposes no remedy for existing evils except
oppressive and unjust taxation.
The Tariff Issue.
The national democracy here convened there
fore renews it's declaration of faith in demo
cratic principles, especially as applicable to the
conditions of the times. Taxation, tariff, excise
or direct, is rightfully imposed only for public
purposes and not for private gain. It's amount
is justly measured by public expenditures
which should be limited by scrupulous eco..o
my. The sum derived by the treasury from
tariff and excise levies is affected by the state
of trade and volume of consumption. The
amount required by the treasury is determined
by the appropriations made by congress.
The demand of the republican party for an
increase in tariff taxation has it's pretext in the
deficiency of revenue, which has it's causes in
the stagnation of trade and reduced consump
tion, due entirely to the loss of confidence that
has followed the populist threat of free coinage
and depreciation of our money and the repub
lican practice Of extravagant appropriations
beyond the needs of good government. We
arraign and condemn the populistic conven
tions of Chicago and st. Louis for their CO