The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1908-04-17
SOUTH DAKOTA
DEMOCRATS FOR
MANY REFORMS
Against Private Monopoly, for
Tariff Revision, and Postal
Saving Banks.

Sovsu6 S0UNSs
| The text of the resolutions adopted by
the democratic state convention assembled
at Michel, s. d., April T. 1908, are fol
lows:
We. the representatives of the demo
cracy of South Dakota. In delegate con-
Nention assembled re-affirm our faith in
and pledge our loyalty to the principles
of our party
We rejoice at the increasing signs of an
awakening i'll the United States. The
various Investigations have. traced graft
and political corruption to the representa-
tives of predatory wealth and laid bare
the unscrupulous methods by which they
have debauched elections and preyed up
on defenseless public through the sub
servient officials 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 1t business asset
of the favor seeking corporations: 1t must
become asoin "a government of the peo.
pie. by the people and for the people,
and be administered In all Its It's depart
maxim. equal rights to all and special
privileges to none
Th.s is the overshadowing issue at this
| time; 1t manifests itself in all the ques-
tions now under discussion and demands
immediate consideration.
We heartily approve of the laws pro
In
sist upon further legislation, state and
| national, making 1t unlawful for any cor
poration to contribute to campaign funds,
and providing for publication, before the
election. of all individual contributions
above a reasonable minimum, believing,
with Jefferson. in the support of the
state governments in all their rights as
the most competent administrations for
our domestic concerns and the surest bull
wark against anti-republican tendencies;
and in "the preservation of the general
yl,Dln t;ny,
visor as the sheet anchor of our peace
at home and safety abroad" we are op-
posed to the centralization implied in the
suggestions. now frequently made that
should he extended by judicial construc-
tion. While we favor the exercise by the
al authority for the prevention of monop-
oily and for the regulation OF interstate
commerce, we insist that federal remedies
shall be added to, and not substituted for
state remedies
And we favor an amendment to the con-
stitution, if necessary, SO as to restore
to the states the rights of which they have
been deprived by the recent decisions of
the supreme court in the Minnesota and
North Carolina cases.
We insist upon the recognition OF the
distinction between the natural man and
the artificial person, called corporation
and we favor the enactment OF such laws
as may be necessary to compel foreign
corporations or stockholders to submit
their legal disputes to the cots of the
states in which they do busines.-. and thus
place themselves upon the same footing
as domestic corporations.
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.
No Private Monopoly.
A private monopoly is indefensible and
intolerable. We. therefore, favor the Wig
orous enforcement of the criminal law
against trusts and trust magnates. and
demand the enactment OF such additional
legislation as may be necessary to make 1t
impossible for private monopoly to ex-
list in the United States. Among the ad-
ditional remedies we specify three: First,
rectors among competing corporations;
second, license system which will, with
out abridging the right of each state to
create corpora tions or its right to regu-
late as it will foreign corporations doing
business within it's limits, make 1t neces-
sary for manufacturing or trading COR
to take out a federal license before 1t shall
be permitted to control as much as Is per
cent of the product in which it deals, the
license to protect the public from watered
stock and to prohibit the control by such
corporation Of more than 80 per cent Of
the total amount of any product con-
sumed in the United States: and, third a
law compelling such licensed corporations
to sell to all purchasers in all parts Of the
country on the same terms after making
due allowance for cost Of transportation.
reform. now offered by a part of the re-
publican party. as tardy recognition of
the righteousness of the democratic posi-
tion on tn. this question; but the people can IAN:
Important work to party which is so
obligated 10 the highly! protected Interests
that 1t postpones relief until after the
election. And we call attention to the
significant fact that the promise now made
by those republicans who favor tariff re-
vision is wholly vitiated by the use of
fhI, tf1,t,, yjy ,t<l,
the present tariff iniquities have grown
up
Revise Tariff Now.
We favor an immediate revision of the
Articles entering into competition with ar
ticles controlled by trusts should be
placed upon the free list; material reduc-
tions should be made in the tariff upon
should be made in such other schedules
as may be necessary to restore the tariff
to revenue basis.
We favor graduated income and an
inheritance tax as part of our revenue
system, and urge the submission of 4
constitutional amendment specifically au-
tax upon individual and corporate in
comes. to the end that wealth may bear
its proportionate share of the burdens of
the federal government We favor grad
the swollen fortunes" already In exist
ence, but we believe that it is better to
permanently prevent swollen fortunes
by abolishing the privileges and favoritism
upon which they based.
We assert the right of congress to eN-
ercise complete control over interstate
commerce. and we assert the right of each
state to exercise just as complete control
over commerce within it's borders. We de-
mand such an enlargement of the powers
of national and state railway commissions
as may be necessary to give full protec-
ton to persons and places from dscrim-
ination 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 re-
building the same or similar lines:
third. prohibit the railroads from
engaging in any business which
brings them into competition with their
shippers; and fourth. reduce transporta-
ton rates until they reach a point where
they will yield only reasonable return
on the present value of the rOads-such
reasonable return being defined as a re-
turn sufficient to keep the stock of the
,, roads at par when such roads are hon.