The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1908-07-17
The DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM

| Of the Democracy of the United States
In delegate convention assembled, re-
affirm faith in and pledge III 10y
atty to the principles of our party.
We rejoice at the increasing signs Of
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
DDS by which they have debauched
elections and preyed upon a defense
less public through the subservient
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 a business
asset of the favor-seeking corporation.
1t must become again IA government
of the people, by the people and for
the people, and be administered in
it's departments according to the JEFF
fersonian maxim: Equal rights to all
and special privileges to none"
This Is the overshadowing issue at
this time; 1t manifests itself in all the
questions now under discussion and
demands immediate consideration.
Publicity for Funds-We heartily ap-
prove of the laws prohibiting the pass
and the rebate and insist upon further
legislation. state and national, making
it unlawful for any corporation to con-
tribute to campaign funds and provid-
ing for publication before the election
of all the individual contributions
above a reasonable minimum.
States Rights-Believing with JEFF
ferson in the support of the state
governments in all their rights as the
most competent administrations for
our domestic concerns and the surest
bulwark against anti-republican tend
encies,' and in "the preservation of
the general government In its whole
constitutional vigor, as the sheet an
Choir of our peace at home n safety
abroad" we are opposed to the CEN
tralization implied in the suggestions,
now frequently made, that the powers
of general government should be ex-
tended by judicial construction.
Senators by Direct vote-We favor
the election of United States senators
by direct vote of the people and re-
gard this reform as the gateway to all
other national reforms.
Trusts and MonopoIies-A private
monopoly is ~indefensible and intoler-
able; we therefore favor the vigorous
enforcement of the criminal law
against trusts and trust magnates, and
demand the enactment of such addi-
tional legislation as may be necessary
to make it impossible for ID private mo-
nopoly to exist in the United States.
Among the additional remedies we
specify three: First, a law preventing
the duplication of directors among
competing corporations; second, a IL
cense system which will, without
abridging the right Of each state to
create corporations, or its right to reg
u!ate as it will foreign corporations do.
ing business within it's limits, make
1t necessary for a manufacturing or
trading corporation engaged in inter.
state commerce to take out q federal
license before it shall be permitted
to control as much as 25 per cent. of
the product in which it deals,
the license to protect the pub
lie from watered stock and to
prohibit the control by such corpora
ton of more than so per cent. of the
total of any product consumed in the
United States; and third, a law com
pelling 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.
Tariff Revision-We welcome the be
lated promise of tariff reform, now Of
fered by a part of the Republican par
ty, as a tardy recognition of the right
eousness of the Democratic position
OF this question, but the people can
not safely intrust the execution of this
important work to a party which is sc
obligated to the highly protected in
) terests that It postpones relief unti
after the election. And we call a:
! tention to the significant fact that the
! promise now made by those Republi
cans who favor tariff revision is Who'll
ly vitiated by the use of the very
qualifying words under which the pres
ent tariff iniquities have grown up. W.
favor an immediate revision of the tar
III by the reduction Of import duties
Articles entering into competition will
articles controlled by trusts should b.
placed upon the free list; material re
; auctions should be made in the tariff
upon the necessaries of life, and reduc
. tons should be made in such othe
, schedules as may be necessary to re
! store the tariff to a revenue basis.
, Income and Inheritance Tax-W
) favor an income tax as part of GU
revenue system, and VIZ urge the sui
. mission of a constitutional amend
ment specifically authorizing congress
to levy and collect a tax upon indivit
ual and corporate incomes, to the en-
a that wealth may bear its proportional
ehorn ~ tho h,rJanH % fha fa6ora