The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1904-07-15
'THE FULL TEXT
OF THE PLATFORM
The Democratic Platform as Fin
ished and Adopted at the st.
Louis Convention.
THE MONEY PLANK ELIMINATED;
VICTORY FOR WILLIAM ]. BRYAN.
The Party Wants q President
Trained In the Way. OF the Cons
atitution, who shall Set His Face
Against Executive UsurpatIon OF
Legislative or Judicial Functions.

LeEislative or Judicial Functions
I'VE, the democratic party Of the Unites
/ States, IN rational convention assembled
| declare its devotion to the essential prifa
ciples OF the democratic faith whlci
brings US together in party communion.
Under them local self-goVernment ant
national unity and prosperity were alike
established, They underlaid our independ.
enee, the structure of our free republic
| and every democratic extension from
Louisiana to California and Texas to Ore.
gon, which preserved faithfully In all the
states the tie between taxation and rep.
| resentation. They yet inspire the masses
/ OF our people, guarding jealousy theft
! rights and liberties and cherishing Their
| fraternity, peace and orderly develop.
responsibilities as citizens and impress
/ upon u.s. particularly at this time, the
necessity Of reform and the rescue OF the
administration of government from the
methods which distract business BY I'M
certainty and pervade the public mind
/ with dread, distrust and perturbation.
1.-The application OF these fundamental
| principles to the living issues Of the day
| constitutes the first step toward the as
| sured peace, safety and progress OF our
science and OF speech: equality before
| the law Of all citizens; the right OF trial
| by jury; freedom Of the person defended
by the writ of habeas corpus; liberty Of
/
| tuary laws; the supremacy OF the civil
| over military authority; a well-disciplined
militia; the separation Of church and
| taxes, that labor may b0 lightly bur-
| dened; the prompt and sacred fulhllment
| Of public and private obligations fidelity
to treaties: peace and friendship with all
nations; entangling alliances with none;
absolute acquiescence In the will OF tine
majority. the vital principle OF republics
these. are doctrines which democracy has
a a aA a. he n ma
and they should be constantly invoked,
preached. resorted TO and enforced
Controlling ExDensen.
81. Large reductions can readily be
made in the annual expenditures Of the
cheney OF any branch Of the public service,
and we shall insist upon the strictest
economy and frugality compatible with
vigorous and efficient civil, military and
naval administration as a right Of the
people, too clear to be denied or with
~. The enforcement OF honesty In the
public service, and to that end thorough
legislativea investigation OF those execu-
tive departments of the eminent all
ready known to TEEN wi. Eruption, as
well as other departments suspected OF
harboring corruption, and the punishment
of ascertained corruptionists without fear
or favor or regard TO persons. The per-
sistent and deliberate refusal of both the
senate and house OF representatives to
permit such investigation to be made by
either branch OF congress demonstrates
that only by a change In the executive
and In the house Of Representatives can
complete exposure, punishment and corr
rection be obtained.
ain broader furtherance of that end the
federal government should not permit it,
self to be robbed by entering into con-
tracts with convicted trusts or unlawful
combinations In restraint Of interstate
trade, existing in violation Of law. We
believe that one OF the best methods OF
procuring economy and honesty In the
public service Is 20 have public officials,
down to the lowest of them. return, as
nearly as may be, to Jeffersonian sim
pliclty Of living.
Presidential Recommendations.
-. we favor the nomination and elec-
ton OF president trained in the ways OF
the constitution. who shall set his face
sternly against executive usurpation OF
legislative and judicial functions. whether
that usurpation be ruled under the guise
OF executive construction of existing
laws, or whether 1t take refuge In the
tyrants pleas Of necessity Of superior
wisdom.
and will continue to be, the consistent
opponent of that class OF tariff legislation
by which certain interests have been per-
draw heavy tribute from the American
people. This monstrous perversion OF
those. equal opportunities which our POI
lItical institutions were established to se-
cure has caused what may once have
been infant industries TO become the
greatest Combinations Of capital that the
world has ever known. These publicly
favored enterprises have, through trust
methods, been converted into monopolies,
thus bringing to an end domestic conn
petition which was the only check upon
the extravagant profits made possible by
the protective system. These industrial !
combinations, by the financial assistance
they can give, now control the policy of
1--WE favor IL. wise, conservative and
businesssike revision and a gradual re-
duction Of the tarim by the friends OF the
not by the friends Of its abuses. its ex-
tortions and its DETERMINATIONS, keeping
in view the ultimate end OF equality OF
burdens and equality Of opportunities
a revenue by taxation, to-wit. the sup
port of the federal government, in all Its /
integrity and virllity, but In simplicity; |
and keeping also In view, as men Of COM |
mon sense should. existing conditions, |
however wrongfuIly, mistakenly or un- |
justly brought about, and the danger to /
the cause OF tariff reform itself Of abrupt |
and revolutionary reversal Of policy.
I'VE should bear In mind. In short, these |
two things: Cd The general principle that |
the sole derivation Of the power Of tax
ernemnt, economically, effectively and /
cOnstitutionally administered: and CD, i
the equal truth that In the assertion OF !
any general principle and in reaching i
any ultimate end. however sacred and /
logically unavoidable, due regard. but
only due regard, must and should be paid L
TO actual existing conditions.
I'VE favor the reduction Of tariff tax
alton upon trust-pr0duced articles to the L
points where foreign competition may en-
ter the American market whenever trusts
and combines, seeking monopoly, raise
their prices to the American consumer
above reasonable and just profit. BY
such reduction depriving trusts and mo-
nopolies OF the power TO ext0rt from the
American people, under shelter Of Amer
can law, prices higher than those charged
foreigners for Identical articles.
The xsfhnlInn Canal.
sOur party having long and earnestly
advocated the construction Of interoceanic
ean,i for the purpose OF national defense
and commerce between the states and
with foreign nations, we favor the early I
completion OF the isthmian canal
"Eut while making this declaration and
accepting the results ais an accomplished
and irreverslble fact we can not too
lorcibiy express our disapproval OF the
meth Ids by which, In disregard Of the
asages and obligations Of international
aw and treaty obligations, the canal
route has been acquired. or TOO solemnly
record our hope that this precedent Of
tenant diplomacy may never be used
against W to oar humiliation and injury
trusts and unlawfH1 C0mbinntioNa.
I'VE recognize that the gigantic trusts
Ind combinations designed to enable cap
tai TO secure more than its Just share Of
he joint product Of capital and labor and
under republican rule are menace 10
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