The San Francisco call., 1908-07-08

VOTCu. FHySECI VdIudtIOH VI III
the earlier periods of our nations his
tory. In recent years our party has
given signal proof of its ability to
grasp the opportunity of building up
an internal policy, of developing the
natural resources Of America, and con-
VertinS them to the use and beneht or
This policy of domestic development
was strongly urged in former demo- !
cratic national platforms, and so ear
hestly advocated by democratic MEM
bers in both houses of congress that 1t
stands in brilliant contrast with the
imperial policy of the republican party
for the benefit of favored 8ew. Witness
irrigation, which had it's origin in the
Newlands bill and which owes its place
upon our statute books not to the
support of republican leaders in con-
gress, but to Francis g. Newlands
and his democratic colleagues. who
reclamation of our arid lands under |
federal aid and supervision. The pre-
servation of our forests and reserVa-
tlon or all our natura! resources were
taken up by republican president
only after years of agitation by the
temperate party. 1t is the demo-
cratic party today that is leading the
fight for the improvement of our in
land waterways along comprehensive
and scientific lines. The last republican
congress turned a deaf ear to the ap-
organize an inland waterways com
mission to examine and report, upon
the subject The opposition of the re
publican party to the policy of pre-,
serving and developing our natural
wealth to the interests of the whole
people has it's origin in that unhOly
alliance between the republican party
and the land transportation monopolieS
of the country.
REVISE TARIFF IN
INTEREST OF PEOPLE
With the power and opportunity to
carry out democratic principles we
Will be called upon to revise the tarln
laws in interest of the whole people.
This issue cannot be disposed or by
the assertion that the republican party
also stands for tariff reform. Repub-
lican revision and democratic revision
are two different things.
The democratic idea is that where
the tariff enables the trusts to main
tain a system of eXtortion the duty
should be removed from all trust made
goods so that competition from abroad
may compel reasonable prices to our
own people. There is a vast difference
between the protection OF American In
dustries and the protection or Grim
inal monopolies.
The expenses of our government.
even when most economically admins
tered, will always require substantial
tariff rates for the customs duties will
always be our chief source of revenue.
The distribution of tariff rates must
always be established with special ref
erence TO the expenditures of govern
ment, keeping in view the greatest
good to the greatest number, and par
ticularly prohibiting the conversion OF
the tariff into an accomplice OF monop-
oily in the robbery of the American
consumer. The democratic idea is that
the collection of sufficient revenue TO
meet the necessities Of government
must be the basis for tariff regulations
and that the philosophy of excluding
competition by tax on the American
consumer which requires him to pay
NriR Of a .
manded abroad is pernicious abuse
of the taxing power and a manifest
injustice to our own people.
CORRUPT USE OF
CAMPAIGN MONEY
The corrupt use of large sums of
money in political campaigns is large
ly responsible for the subversion of
the peoples will at the polls. The
tion of the great power of gold in con-
tests that ought to be determined ac
cording to the character of nominees
and the soundness and morality of po-
litical issues; and there is a general
demand for publicity in the collection
and use of campaign funds so that our
citizens may know whether political
party has purchased its way into office
or has won its victories by honest
means.
In the Chicago convention a minority
report of the committee on resolutions
containing a declaration in favor of
campaign publicity was overwhelming
ly defeated on a roll call of the con-
vention and the republican party
favor of concealing the names of the
contributors and the amounts of their
subscription by vote of 90 to in
than 10 to l in the convention they
confessed their guilt. They thus ad
mitted the charge so frequently made
by our party that republican success
in the past has largely depended upon
the vast amount of money collected
from the great monopolies of the coun-
try and corruptly used in the conduct
of their campaigns. Let the voters of
this country seriously consider whether
the refusal of the republican party to
election finances is not a confession
of the debasing and corrupt use of
money in it's campaigns.
1t is eminently proper that this con-
attitude toward the regulation of
transportation companies and call the
attention of the country to the in
disputable fact that it was only after
years of democratic effort that an
amendments was made to the interstate
commerce law authorizing the COM
mission to establish reasonable rates
whenever 1t appeared that an existing
schedule was unjust or unreasonable.
The national platforms of the repub-
lican party remained silent upon this
great question for years and the fact
that the necessary change was advo-
Gated by republican president, who
succeeded only through the aid Of the
democrats in both branches of con-
gress in placing the amendment upon
our statute books, does rot affect the
credit to which our party is entitled
for having worked persistently for
such enactment. Further amend
ment to our laws giving the federal
government supervision ever the issu-
ance of railroad stocks and bonds is
demanded
VALUATION
OF RAILROADS
The fixing of transportation charges
and the control of issuances of railroad
securities are inseparably connected
with the actual valuation OF railroads
The democratic party believes that the
first thing to do is to secure q physical
valuation of the roads. that is valu-
alton of the solid rather than the
liquid assets of railroad companies
On the other hand. the republic
an party on roll call in the con-
vention. bv an overwhelming vote took
an unequivocal stand in favor of
system Of water rates without giving
the people the benefit of meter
We search in vain for one syllable
in the Chicago platform pIedging the
republican party to retrenchment and
reform: and It is no mere coincidence
that has given us q billion dollar ses-
sion of CONGRESS- on the eve OF a ma
| tiona1 election and the possible re-