The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-07-09

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 the constitution who will set his face sternly against executive usurpation or the usurpation be yelled under the guise of executice construction of existing laws or whether 1t take refuge in the tyrant's plea of necessity of superior wisdom.
 Imperialism.
 We favor the preservation in so far as we can of an open door of the world 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 policy Of CO., loniai exploitation, no matter where or py whom invoked, or exercised. We believe with Thomas Jefferson and John Adams that no government has right to make one set of laws for those lat home' and another and a different set of laws, ab- solute in their character, for those in inc 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 unnt to be members of the American body poll lie. 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 a part of the American do- main.
 We insist that we ought to do for the Filipinos what we have done already for the cubans. And 1t Is our duty to make that promise now and upon suitable guar antees of protection to citizens or our own and other countries resident there at the time of our withdrawal, set the Filipino people upon their feet, free and independent to work out their own des- tiny.
 The endeavor of the secretary of war by pledging the governments indorsement for "promoters' in the Philippine islands to make the United States partner in speculative exploitation of the archipel- ago, which was only temporarily held up lby the opposition of democratic senators in the last session, will. If successful lead to entang1ements from which 1t will be difficult to escape.
 The Tariff.
 The democratic party has been and will continue to be the consistent opponent of that class of tariff legislation by which certain interests have been permitted through congressional favor to draw a heavy tribute from the American people. This monstrous perversion of those equal opportunities which our political institu- tions were established to secure has caus- ed what may once have been infant in- dustries to become the greatest combina- tions of capital that the world ever has known These especial favorites of the government have through trust methods been converted Into monoplies, thus bring ing to an end domestic competition which was the only alleged check upon the ex- travagant profits made possible by the protective system. These industrial com binations by the financial assistance they can give, now control the policy of the republican party.
 We denounce protection as robbery of the many and enrichment of the few and we favor tariff limited to the needs of the government economically administer cd and so levied as not to discriminate against any industry class or section to the end that the burdens of taxation shall be distributed as equally as pos sible
 We favor a revision and gradual re- duction of the tariff by the friends of the masses and for the common veal and not by the friends of It's abuses, itz extorsicns and its determinations, keep ing n view the ultimate ends of equality of burdens and equality of opportunities. and the constitutional purpose of raising a revenue DN ldNdtlOil, to-Wiis tHV sup port of the federal government In all its integrity and virility, but in simplicity" Trusts and Unlawful Combinations. We recognize that the gigantic trusts and combinations designed to enable cap- dtal to secure more than it's just share of the joint products of capital and labor. and which have been fostered and pro- noted under republican rule, are a men ace to the beneficial competition, and an obstacle to permanent business prosper lty.
 A private monopoly is indefensible and intolerable
 Individual equality of opportunity and free competition are essential to healthy and permanent commercial prosperity and any trust combination or monopoly tend ing to destroy these by controlling pro- duotion, restricting competition or fixing