Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1904-07-15

/ LIle w IItc IIOuSc uOwu W tic io"Oo'
of them, returning as nearly as posi-.
BILE to Jeffersoniau simplicity Of living
! EXECUTIVE UsURPATION.
We favor the nomination and cleo
ton of President imbued with the
principles OF the Constitution, who
will set his face sternly against execu.
tive usurpation of legislative and
judicial functions, whether that usur.
patton be veiled under the guise of
executive construction OF existing
laws. or whether it takes refuge in the
tyrant's plans of necessity of superior
wisdom.
| IMPERIALISM.
We favor the rescrv alton, so far as
we can, of an open door for the world,
commerce in the Orient, without un-
necessary ENHANCEMENT of Oriental
and European affairs, and without
arbitrary, unlimited, irresponsible and
absolute government anywhere within
our jurisdiction. We oppose, fervent-
ly, as did George Washington himself,
an indefinite, irresponsible discre.
tionary and vague absolntism and a
policy of colonial exploitation. no
matter where or by whom exercised.
We believe with Thomas Jefferson and
John Adams that no government has
q right to make one set of laws for
those at home" and another and q
different set of laws, absolute in their
character, for those in the colonies u
All men under the American flag
are entitled to the protection of the
institutions whose emblem the flag is
If they are inherently unfit to be
members of the American body polite
wherever there may exist a people
incapable of being governed upon
American laws under the American
Constitution-the territory or people
ought not be part of the American
domain. We insist that we ought to
do for the Filipinos what we have
done already for the Cubans, and it is
our duty to make that promise now
and, upon suitable guarantees of pro.
lection to citizens of our own and
other countries resident there at the
time of our withdrawal, set the Fill.
pino people upon their feet, free and
independent to work out their own
destiny.
The endeavor OF the Secretary OF
War, by pledging the Governments
Endorsement for promoters" in the
Philippine Islands to make the United
States a partner in speculative legisla.
ton of the archipelago, which was
only temporarily held up by the op.
position of lhe Democratic Senators
in the last session, will, if successful,
lead to entanglements, from which 1t
will be difficult to escape.
TARIFF.
The Democratic party has been, and
will continue to be, the consistent op.
pOnent Of that class of tariff legisla.
ton by which certain interests have
been permitted, through Congressional
favor, to draw heavy tribute from
the American people. This mon-
strous perversion of those equal op.
portunities which our political insti.
tutions were established to secure, has
caused what may once have been in
fant industries to become the greatest
combinations of capital that the
world has ever known. These espec-
ial favorites OF the Government have,
through trust methods, been convert.
ed into monopolies, thus bringing to
an end domestic competition, which
wss the only alleged check upon the
extravsgant profits made possible by
the protective system. These indus.
trial combinations, by the financial
assistance they can give, now control
the policy of the Republican party.
We denounce protection a. q rob-
berry of the many to enrich the few,
and we favor tariff limited to the
necessities of the Government econom-
ically administered, and 80 levied as
not to discriminate against any in.
dustry, class or section, to the end
that the burdens Of taxation shall be
distributed as equally as possible.
We favor . revision and a gradual
reduction OF the tariff by the friends
of the masses and for the common
veal, and not by the friends of its
abuses, it's extOrtions and its discrimi.
nations, keeping in view the ultimate
ends OF equality of burdens" and
equality of opportunities" and the
executional purpose of raising q rev.
enue by taxation, to wit, the support
OF the Federal Government in oil its
integrity and virility, but in simplicity.
TRUSTS AND UNLAWFUL COMBINATIONS.
We recognize that the gigantic
trusts and combinations designed 10
enable capital to secure more than its
just share of the joint products of
capital and labor, and which have
been fostered and promoted under Re.
publican rule, are menace to bene
ficial competition, and an obstacle to
permanent business prosperity.
A private monopoly is indefensible
and intolerable. Individual equality
OF opportunity and free competition
are essential to healthy and perma'
nent commercial prosperity; and any
trust combination or monopoly tend
ing to destroy these by controlling
production, restricting competition OF
fixing prices. should be prohibited and
punished by law.
We especially denounce rebates
and discrimination by the transpor.a.
ton companies, as the most poten,
agency in promoting and strengthen.
ing these unlawful conspiracies sgains,
trade. We demand an enlargement oil
the powers of the Interstate Com.
merce Commission, to the end that
the travelling public and shippers OF
this country may have prompt and
adequate relief for the abuses to which
they are subjected in the matter oi
transportation.
We demand strict enforcement oil
existing civil and criminal statutes
against all such trusts, combinations
and monopolies, and we demand the
enactment of such further legislation
as may be necessary effectually to
suppress them.
Any trust or unlawful combination
engaged in interstate commerce, which
is monopolizing any branch of bust.
ness or production, should not be per-
mitted to transact business outside oI