Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1904-07-13
PLATFORM ADOPTED BY THE
DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION,

eminent of the United States to an Amer
lean citizen shall be proof of the fact that
he Is an American citizen and shall entitle
him to the treatment due him as such.
Election of Senator'S by the People.
We favor the election of United States
senator's by direct vote of the people.
Statehood for Territories.
We favor the admission of the territories
OF Oklahoma and the Indian Territory. We
also favor the immediate admission Of Ari-
iona and New Mexico as separate states
and an territorial government for Alaska and
We hold that the officials appointed to
administer the government of any territory,
as well as with the district of Alaska,
should be bona fide residents at the time of
their appointment of the territory or dis
trict In which their duties are to be pel-
formed.
Condemnation of Polygamy.
We demand the determination Of polyg-
amy within the jurisdiction of the United
States and the complete separation Of
cnurch and state in political affairs.
Merchant Marine.
We denounce the ship subsidy bill re-
Gently passed by the United States Senate
as an 1nlqultous appropriation of public
funds for private purposes and a waStefuI
Illogical and useless attempt to overcome
Dy subsidy the distractions raised by Re-
publican legislation to the growth and de-
yelopment Of American commerce on the
sea.
We favor the upbuilding Of a merchant
marine without new or additional burdens
upon the people and without bounties from
the public treasury.
Reciprocity.
We favor liberal trade arrangements with
canada and with peoples of other countries
"nere they can be entered into with benefit
TO American agriculture, manufactures
mining or commerce.
Monroe Doctrine.
We. favor the maintenance of the Monroe
doctrine in its full integrity.
Army.
We favor the reduction Of the army and
or army expenditure to the point where his
toricdlly demonstrated to be safe and suf
fcient.
Pensions and Our Soldiers and Sailors
The Democracy would secure to the serv-
ing soldiers and sailors and their depend
ents generous pensions, not by an arbitrary
executive order, but by legislation which a
grateful people stand ready to enact.
Our soldiers and sailors, who defend with
their lives the constitution and the laws
have sacred interest in their just admin
istration. They must therefore share with
US the humiliation with which we have wit
messed the exaltation of court favorites,
without distinguished service, over the
Scared heroes of many battles, or ag-
srandized by executive appropriations out
violation Of the act of Congress which fixes
the compensation and allowance Of the
military officers.
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 Re-
1tJs Too, ,-txv -
lister encroachments upon the spirit and
operation of civil service rules, whereby 1t
has arbitrarily dispensed with examinations
for Nffice in the interests Of favorites, and
reach and set aside the principles upon
which civil service was established.
School and Race Questions.
The race question has brought countless
woes to this country. The calm wisdom of
the American people should see to it that
if brings no more.
To revive the dead and hateful race and
sectional animosities in any part of our
common country means confusion, distrac-
ton of business and the reopening of
wounds now happily healed. North south
east and west have bUt recently stood to-
gether in line Of battle from the walls of
Pekin to the hills Of Santiago, and, as
sharers of a common glory and a common
destiny, we should share fraternaIly the
common burdens.
We therefore deprecare and condemn the
recent Republican 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.
The Republican Administration.
The existing Republican administration
has hecn spasmodic. erratic, sensational,
Itself a satire upon the congress le ''f the
courts and upon the settled practices and
usages of national! and international law
It summoned the Congress into hasty and
futile extra session and virtually adjourned
it, leaving behind its flight from Washing
ton uncslleo calendars and unaccomplShed
tasks.
1t made war, which is the sole power Of
Congress, without its authority, thereby
usurping one of it's fundamental preroga-
tives. It violated plain statute of the
United States as we'll plain obligations
international usages and constitutional law !;
and has done so under pretense of execut-
ing a great public policy which could have
been more easily effected lawfully, consti-
tutionaly and with honor.
It forced strained and unnatural con-
structions upon statutes, usurping judicial
Interpretation and substituting congress
It withdrew from Congress their Gus
tomary duties of investigation, which have
heretofore made the representatives of the
people and the states the terror of evil
doors.
1t conducted a secretive investigation of
its own and boosted OF a few sample con-
victs. while it threw a broad coverlet over
the bureaus which had been their chosen
field of operative abuses and kept In power
the superior officers under whose admins
tration the crimes had been committed.
1t ordered assault upon some monopolies,
but, paralyzed by it's victory, 1t flung out
the flag of truce and cried out that it would
not run amuck '-leaving its future pur-
poses beclouded by It's vacillations.
Appeal to the Country.
Conducting the campaign upon this dec
laration of our principles and purposes, we
invoke for our candidates the support, not
only of our great and time honored organi-
zation, but also the active assistance Of all
our fellow citizens, who, disregarding past
differences upon questions no longer in is
sue desire the perpetuation Of our constitu-
tional government as framed and estab-
,ished by the fathers of the republic