The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1906-03-13

will at the same time take them out
of the competition with free labor,
and engage them in building public
roads which must for years to come
be the chief arteries of commerce for
the agricultural sections of the state.
We advocate municipal ownership
and control OF public utilities, to the
end that the best service may be ob.
tanned for the people at the lowest rate
compatible with safety to employees
and the welfare of the state, and we
denounce the policy and practice of
granting franchises to persons or cor
porations without the payment of
adequate compensation and retention
of municipal control, oversight aud
inspection.
Local self government is cardinal
doctrine of the democratic party, and
we insist upon redistricting the state
50 that each section thereof may have
better local representative in the
legislature than is provided by the act
of 1899 upon that subject.
We demand that such a policy be
adopted with reference to forest re-
serves in Oregon, that those situated
in this state shall be used for grazing
purposes only by the citizens and resi-
dents of Oregon.
We believe that the great distinc-
tion Between the republican and dem
ooratic parties lies in the practical
application of the democratic princip-
les, equal opportunity to all, special
privilege to none and that the govern
ment is best which governs least.
And applying these principles we
declare
That the protective tariff is special
privilege; that it is an unwarranted
interference by government in the
laws of trade, aud this interference
is for the benefit of few and at the
expense of the many. We declare it
to be one of the causes of those dan
gerous aggregations of capital, called
trusts, and is the cause of national ex-
travagance and legislative corrup-
tion, and is denial of the right of
the common man to buy where he
can buy cheapest.
We also denounce the 10 per cent
tax against private banks as a spec
ial privilege and an interference by
the government in the laws of free
banking. BY free banking we do not
mean any return to the old system
of state banks; we approve the nation
al supervision for the security and
protection of the individual, but we
call attention to the fact that this tax
was passed as war measure to boom
government bonds during the Civil
War, and was and is prohibitory on
all notes of issue not founded on gov
ernment bonds, and was in.ended to
give and does give monopoly 10
natiolul banks We now declare for
the right TO Issue notes on other good
aud absolute security aud for free
banking under proper supervision
and direction.
We believe the democratic party
exists for the benefit of the masses of
the people, and that one of the mon
opolies which keeps the many poor
and makes the few rich is the mon
opoly of valuable lands for specula-
tive purposes by nonusers; land is a
monopoly by nature, and any system
which results that the unborn genera
tion may find themselves barred from
the use of lands which lie idle await
ing speculative profit from the
growth of the community must be
worthy of examination, and we call
the attention Of the democratic party
and the whole people to some system
of taxation or land title by which the
evils of land monopoly may be lessen
ed in the interest of the masses of
people, aud in this connection we de-
clare in farvor of state law limiting
the right to the use of appropriated
water to the quantity actually put to
a beneficial use.
We declare that the principle which
lies at the root of regulation of rail
roads and municipal ownership of
public utilities is that the public
are only trustees for the |
people, and may be regulated or who'll
ly ousted from their management and
control on paying them for the values
which they themselves have created
which would exclude the value of |
franchises, they being created by |
gift of the people themselves.
So long as the present system of |
private management of public corpor-
ltions exists we are in favor of a tax
IN gross earnings and franchises.
We believe it false to the very
foundations of this republic and Who'll
y opposed to democratic principles to
sovern by military force colonies and
Inferior races. We believe this opens
he door to exploitation of these races
~ the few. That none of our plain
'eople can ever make their homes in
be tropics and that our colonial sys-
EN- is an excuse for military expendi-
ufes.
We demand the repeal of that law
which gives the railroad companies
5000 per car per annum in addition
0 regular payment for transportation
# the mails, which law causes the
,ostal deficit.
We heartily indorse the honest and
administration of Cover
Tor George Il. Chamberlain, and com
mend the efforts he has made to oom-