The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-07-08

impartially their just rights. Capital and labor ought not to be enemies. Zach IS necessary to the other Each has Its rights but ths rights of labor are certainly no less vested" no less sacred and no less "inalienable' than the rights of cap ital
 American Citizens.
 We pledge ourselves to insist upon the just and lawful protection of our citizens at home and abroad, and to use all proper measures to secure for them. whether na- tve-born or naturalized, and without dis tinction of race or creed. the equal pro lection of laws and the enjoyment of all rights and privileges open to them under the covenants of our treaties of friend- I ship and commerce; and if under existing ! treaties the right to travel and sojourn is denied to American citizens or recognition is withheld from American passports by l any countries on the ground of race ol creed, we favor the beginning of nego- tiations with the governments of such countries to secure by new treaties the re- moval of these unjust discriminations.
 Pensions.
 The democracy would secure to the sur viving soldiers and sailors and their de- pendents generous pensions, not by an arbitrary executive order. but by legis- lation which grateful people stand ready l to enact.
 Our soldiers and sailors who defend with their lives the constitution and the laws, have 8 sacred interest in their just administration They must, there fore, share with us the humiliation with which we have witnessed the exaltation of court favorites without distinguished service over the scared heroes of many battles, or aggrandized by executive ap- organizations out of the treasuries or prostrate people in violation of the act of congress which fixes the compensation and allowances of the military officers.
 Merchant Marine.
 We denounce the ship subsidy bill re- gently passed by the United States senate as an iniquitious appropriation of public funds for private purposes and a waste ful, illogical and useless attempt to over come by subsidy the Instructions raised by republican legislation to the growth and development of American commerce on the sea.
 We favor the upbuilding of American merchant marine without new or addi- tional burdens upon the people and with out bounties from the public treasury.
 Civil Service.
 The democratic party stands committed to the principles of civil service reform and we demand their honest, just and inn partial enforcement
 We denounce the republican party for it's continuous and sinister encroachment upon the spirit and operation of civil service rules whereby 1t has arbitrarily dispensed with examinations for office in the interests of favortes and employed all manner of devices to overreach and set aside the principles upon which the civil service was established.
 Condemnation of Polygamy.
 We demand the extermination of poly gamy within the jurisdiction of the Unit ed States, and the complete sparation of churchNand state in political affairs.
 Reclamation of Arid Lands.
 We congratulate our western citizens upon the passage of the measure known as the Newlands irrigation act for the irrigations and reclamation of the arid lands of the west-a measure framed by a democrat, passed in the senate by a non-partisan vote and passed in the house against the opposition of almost all the republican leaders by a vote, the ma l jority of which was democratic. We call attention to this great democratic meas ure, broad and comprehensive as 1t Is, working automatically throughout all time without further action of congress until the reclamation of all the lands in the arid west capable of reclamation is accomplished. reserving the lands reclaim | ed for home-seekers in small tracts, and rigidly guarding against land monopoly as an evidence of the policy of domestic developments contemplated by the dem ocratic party should 1t be placed In power.
 Imperialism.
 We favor the preservation in so far 1 as we can of an open door of the worlds commerce in the orient without unneces- sary entanglement in oriental and Euro pean affairs, and without arbitrary, un- limited, irresponsible government any where in our Jurisdiction. We oppose as fervently as did George Washington him self indefinite. irresponsible, discretionary and vague absolutism and a policy of CO., lonial exploitation, no matter where or by whom invoked exercised. We believe with Thomas Jefferson and John Adams that no government has a right to make one set of laws for those ''at home" and another and q different set of laws. ab solute in their character, for those in the colonies" All men under the Ameri- can flag are entitled to the protection of the institutions whose emblem the flag is; if they are inherently unfit for those in- stitutions then they are inherently unfit to be members of the American body poli- tic Wherever there may exist a people incapable of being governed under Ameri- can laws in consonance with the American constitution, the territory of that people ought not be part of the American do- main.
 We insist we ought to do for the Fill pinos what we have already done for the Cubans. And it is our intent, as soon as it can be done wisely and safely for the Filipinos themselves and after amicable arrangements with them concerning naval stations, coaling stations and trade rela- lions, and upon suitable guarantees of nrotection to all national and interna- tionaI interests to set the Filipino peo- l .tA ..re,, thnir faat free and indenendant