Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1904-08-10
TIE DEMOCRATIC
PLATFORM

states. in national convention assembled.
uecIs'Fe us devotion to the essential prin-
9 Sipies OF the democratic faith which
piInSS us together III PARTY communion.
tnder them local selfgoVernment and
ha uonal unity and prosperity were alike
estabiished They nnderlaid cur independ-
Louisiana to California and Ttxas TisS't TO Z o2sl 2
e s2n, ,as whleh .h preserved faithfully in all the
ssaaef the tie between taxation ana gep7
Of our people. guarding iesl5hsIy I ''1fsis 1heir
5s5; ssss Snd oFdsry dsyssp sHSs;
responsibilities as citizens and impress
upon us, particularly at this time the
necessity nee; OF reform and the rescue OF the
methods Which distract business Sym. by une
certainty and pervade the public mind
with ~, dread, distrust and perturbation.
Ihe application OF these fundamental
principles to the living issues of the day
constitutes the first step toward the as
suted peace safety and progress of our
nation Freedom of the press, of con-
selenee and of speech; equality before
the law of all citizens; the right of trial
by jury; freedom Of the person defended
personal contract untrammeled by sump-
tGary laws; the supremacy of the civil
over i5!. military authority; well disciplined
mllltI1; the separation of church and
state; economy in expenditures; low
taxes, that labor may be lightly bur
deEed; the prompt and sacred futillment
of public and private obligations; fidelity
to treaties, peace and friendship with all
nations; entanglng alliances with none;
absolute acqucScenCe in The will of the
majority. the vital principle Of republics
these are doctrines which democracy has
established as proverbs of the nation
and they should be constantly invoked
preached. res@fted to and enforced.
Controlling Expenses.
a Large reductions can readily be
made IN the annual expenditures of the
government without impairing the eff
cheney of ituy branch of the public service,
and We shall insist. upon the strictest
vigorous and efficient civil, military and
naval administration as a right of the
people, too clear to be denied With
'Z: The enforcement OF honesty in the
public service, and to that end a thorough
legislative Investigation of those eXecu-
tive departments of the government al
ready known to TEEN with corruption, as
well as other departments suspected of
harboriDg corruption, and the punishment
of ascertained corruptionsts 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 change i'll the executive
and in the house Of representatives can
complete exposure, punishment and cor
.1n 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 to have public officials,
from the occupant of the White House
down to the lowest of them. return. as
nearly as may be. to Jeffersonian SIM
plicity of living.
Presidential Recomm endations
"3. We favor the nomination and cleo
tion 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 it take refuge in the
Wisdom
q The democratic party has been,
and will continue to be, the consistent
opponent of that class of tariff Legislation
Ey which certain interests have been per-
mitted, through congressional favor, to
draw heavy tribute from the American
people. This monstrous perversion of
those equal opportunities. which our po-
litical institutions were established to Sc
cure, has caused what may once have
been infant industries to become the
world has ever known. These publicly
favored enterprises have, through trust
methods been converted into mOnopolies,
thus bringing. to an end domestic COM
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
'ns We Tep4oea" faVor pSs wise, conservative and
businessliKe revision and a gradual re-
duction of the tariff by the friends OF the
masses and for the common veal. and
not by the friends of its abuses, its ex-
tortions and it's discriminations, keeping
in view the ultimate end of equality OF
burdens and equality of opportunities,
and the constitutional purpose of raising
revenue by taxation, to-wit, the sup
Integrity and virility, but in simplicity
and keeping also in view, as men of com
mon sense should, existing conditions
however wrongfnlly mistakenly ms tHa 90 or un n
the cause of tariff reform itself of abrup
and revolutionary reversal of policy.
1--WE should bear in mind, in short, these
two things: "a The general principle thai
the sole derivation Of the, power of tax
alton is the support of the federal gov
ernemnt, economically, effectively ant
constitutonally administered; and t2l
the the equal truth that in the assertion Q
any general principle and in reaching
any ultimate end, however sacred ant
logically unavoidable due s,,nI;a Iegard, % bu
| to actual existing conditions.
1--WE favor the reduction OF tariff tax
! alton upon trust-produced articles to tn
| points where foreign competition may en-
ter the American market whenever trust
| and combines, seeking monopoly, rails
| their prices to the American consume
| above a reasonable and just profit, b.
| such reduction depriving trusts and mo
nopolies of the power to extort from tn
American people, undeS shelter of Amer
! lean law. prices higher than those charge
| foreigners for identical articles.
The Isthmimn Canal.
| sour party having long and earnestl
| advocated the construction OF lnteroceani
| canal for the purpose OF national defens
! ard commerce between the states an
| with foreign nations, we favor the earl
| completion of the lsthmian canal.
| "But while making this declaration an
accepting the results as an accomplishe
and irreversible fact we can not y. to ts,
! forcibly express our disapproval OF tn
methods by which, in disregard Of tn
msages and obligations Of intefnat1ont
law and treaty obligations. the can;
route has been acquired, or too solemnl
record our hope that this precedent
defiant diplomacy may never be use use
AGAINST us to our humiliation and 1n]ur.
Trusts and Unlawful Combination
1--WE recognize that the gigantic trus'
and combinations designed to enable cal
StaI to secure moro than its just share {