Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-08-12
LEADING pLANKs OF TWO PARTIES COMPARED
DEMOCRATIC.

.
has been aud will continue TO be til
consistent opponent of that class o
tariff legislation by which certai
interests have been permitted throug
Congressional favor, to draw a heav
tribute from the American people
This monstrous perversion of thos
equal opportunities which our politi
cal institutions were established /
secure has caused what may ono
have been infant industries to becom
the greatest combinations of capita
that the world has ever known. Thes
especial favorites of the government
have, through trust methods, beer
converted into monopolies, thus bring
ing to an end domestic competition
which was the only alleged checl
upon the extravsgant profits mad
possible by the protective system
These industrial combinations, b,
| the financial assistance they can give
now control the policy of the Repub
lican party.
We denUunce protection as a rob
berry of the many to enrich the few
and we favor tariff limited to tn,
needs of the government, economical,
administered, and so levied as not tC
discriminate against any industry
class or section, to the end that tn,
burdens of taxation shall be dis
tributed as equally as possible.
/ MO favor q rou1orAn nnl
reduction of the tariff by the friends
of the masses and for the common.
veal, and not by the friends of its
abuses, its extortions and it's dis
criminations, keeping IN view tn,
ultimate ends of equality of burdens
and equality of opportunities" and
the constitutional purpose of raising
a revenue by taxation-to wit, tbt
support of the Federal government
in all its integrity and virility, bul
in simplicity.
TRUsIs.-We recognize that The
gigantic trusts and combination,
designed to enable capital to secure
more than its just share of the Joint
products of capital and labor, and
which have been fostered and pio.
NOTED under Republican rule, are a
menace TO beneficial competition
and an obstacle to permanent bust.
ness prosperity. 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, combina-
tion or monopoly tending to destroy
these by controlling production, re-
stricting competition or fixing prices,
should be prohibited and punished
by law. We especially denounce
rebates and discrimination by trans
portation companies as the most
potent agency in promoting and
strengthening these unlawful con-
spiracies against trade.
Any trust or unlawful combina-
tion engaged in interstate commerce
which is monopolizipg any branch of
business or prod uction should not be
permitted 10 transact business out
side of the State of its origin. When
ever it shall be established in any
court of competent jurisdiction that
such monopoliEation exists, such
prohibition should be enforced
through comprehensive laws to be
enacted on the subject.
The PHILIPPINEs.-We insist that
we ought to do for the Filipinos
what We have done already for
the Cubans, aud it is our duty to
make that promise now, and upon
suitable guarantees of proteptiop to
citizens of opr own and other coun-
tries resident there at the time of our
withdrawal; set the Filipino people
upon their feet, free and independent
to work out their own destiny.
NEGRO PRoBLEM.-The race ques-
tion has brought countless woes to
this country. The calm wisdom of
the American people should see to it
that it brings no mere. To revive
the dead and hateful race and Sec
tional animosities in any part of our
common country means confusion,
distraction of business and the re-
opening of wounds now happily
healed. North, South, East and
West have but recently stood to-
gether in line of battle from the
walls of Fekin to the hills of Santiago
and as sharers of common glory
and common destiny we should
share fraternally the common
burdens.
We therefore deprecate and con-
demn the bourbonlike, selfish ard
narrow spirit of the recent Republi-
can Convention at Chicago, which
sought to kindle anew the embers of
racial and sectional strife, and we
appeal from it to the sober common
sense and patriotic spirit of the
American people.
MERCHANT MARINE. We de-
ncunce the Ship Subsidy bill recently
passed by the United States Senate
as an iniquitous appropriation of
public funds for private purposes,
and a wasteful, illogical and useless
attempt to overcome by subsidy the
obstrnctions raised by Republican
Legislation to the growth and develop
ment of American commerce on the
sea.
THE EnVTnR,S DNCn0NCN