Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-03-20
APPEALS TO PEOPLE.
NEBRASKA DEMOCRATS ADOPT
STRONG PLATFORM.
PRINCIPLES OF THE PARTY
Return to Government of, by, and for
the People lis the Keynote Of Dec
Iaration All Democrats
VIII Indorse.

| The platform adopted by the Ne.
braska Democrats assembled in state
convention at Omaha, March 5, 1908,
is as follows:
We, the representatives of the De.
mocracy of Nebraska, in delegate con-
vention assembled, reaffirm our faith
in, and pledge our loyalty to, the
principles of our party.
We rejoice at the increasing signs
of an awakening in the United States.
The various investigations have traced
graft and political corruption to the
representatives of predatory wealth
and laid bare the inscriptions meth
obs by which they have debauched
elections and preyed upon a defense
less public through the subservient Of
ticials whom they have raised to place
and power.
The conscience of the nation is now
aroused and will, if honestly appealed
to, free the government from the grip
of those who have made it a business
asset of the favor-seeking corpora
lions; it must become again "a gov
ernment of the people, by the people
and for the people," and be admins
tered in all its departments according
to the Jeffersonian maxim, equal
rights to all and special privileges to
none"
We heartily approve of the laws pro-
hibiting the pass and the rebate, and
insist upon further legislation, stata
and national, making 1t unlawful for
any corporation to contribute to CAM
paign funds and providing for publica-
ton, before the election, of all indi.
vidual contributions above q reason
able minimum
Believing, with Jefferson, in the
support of the state governments in
all their rights as the most compe-
tent administrations for our domestic
concerns and the surest bulwark
against anti-republican tendencies"
and in "the preservation of the general
government In it's whole constitutional
vigor, as the sheet anchor of our peace
at home and safety abroad" we are
opposed to the Capitalization implied
in the suggestions, now frequently
made, that the powers of the general
government should be extended by
judicial construction.
We insist upon the recognition of
the distinction between the natura!
man and the artificial person, called a
corporation, and we favor the enact
ment Of such laws as may be neces.
sary to compel foreign corporations to
submit their legal disputes to the
courts of the states in which they do
business, and thus place themselves
upon the same footing as domestic cor
porations.
We favor the election Of United
States senators by direct vote of the
people, and regard this reform as the
| gateway to all other national reforms
A private monopoly is indefensible
and intolerable. We, therefore, favor
the vigorous enforcement of the Grim
inal law against trusts and trust mag
mates, and demand the enactment of
such additional legislation as may be
necessary to make it impossible for a
private monopoly to exist in the
United States.
We welcome the belated promise OF
tariff reform, now offered by a part
of the Republican party, as a tardy
recognition of the righteousness of the
Democratic position on this question
but the people can not safely entrust
the execution of this important work
to party which is SO obligated to the
highly protected interests that it
ton
We favor an immediate revision of
the tariff by the reduction of import
duties. Articles entering into compe-
tition with articles controlled by trusts
should be placed upon the free list;
material reductions should be made in
the tariff upon the necessaries of life,
and reductions should be made in
such other schedules as may be neces.
sary to restore the tariff to a revenue
basis.
We favor an income tax as part Of
our revenue system, and we urge the
submission of constitutional amend.
ment specifically authorizing congress
to levy and collect tax upon individ-
ual and corporate incomes, to the end
that wealth may bear it's proportions
ate share of the burdens of the federal
government. We favor a national in
heritance tax to reach the Swollen
fortunes" already In existence, but
we believe that 1t is better to per-
manently prevent swollen fortunes
by abolishing the privileges and favor
itism upon which they are based.
We assert the right of congress to
exercise complete control over inter-
state commerce, and we assert the
right of each state to exercise Just as
complete control over commerce with.
in it's borders. We demand such al
enlargement Of the powers of national
and state railway commissions as may
be necessary to give full protection TO
persons and places from discrimina-
ton and extortion. We believe that
both the nation and the various states.
should, first, ascertain the present
value of the railroads, measured by
the cost of reproduction; second, pro.
htbit the issue of any more watereJ
stock or fictitious capitalization; third,
prohibit the railroads from engaging
in any business which brings them
into competition with their shippers;
and fourth, reduce transportation
rates until they reach point where
they will yield only reasonable re-
ar no nj, <1f Is
such reasonable return being de.