Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1910-08-04
Official County Paper
REPUBLICAN, PLATFORM
Adopted at the State Republican conveu-
tion at Sioux Falls, s. D., July 5, 1910.

We. the republicans Of South Dakota, In
convention assembled believe our party
Is true TO the basic principles upon which
II was founded; that 1t will continue to be
the party of equality and progress that
created by the changing economic and in
dustrial condition, holding human rights
above property interests; that it will
maintain a government for and by the
whole people with equal opportunity for
all and special privilege for none.
We declare our determined support OF
those great policies developed under
Theodore Roosevelt, and demand that
they be given full effect in legislation and
administration. We commend President
Taft for his repeated declarations OF 10y
atty to these principles, We indorse his
administration for the many substantial
measures Of reform it has written into
our statutes and assure MIN or our ap-
proval and support in all efforts secure
further effective reform In legislator and
administration.
The true measure Of protection in tar
iff law should be the difference In cost OF
production here and in foreign countries,
as declared for in the last republican ma
tional convention That dlffereace shoui9
be ascertained with the utmost speed and
the present law modified accordingly. The
protective principle should De appned
solely to protect American workers IN q
good and liberal wage and to secure to
American capital, actually invested in In
dustries, a fair and reasonable proft, and
not to build a wall or exclusion behlnd
which giant combinations, formed 10 elm
mate competition and monopliZe lines OF
trade, may flourish and practice extortion
on the American consumer; we oeheVe
. the Payne tariff law, is a step in this di-
rection but it should have given us at
least free iron ore, lumber and coal, and
should have made very material reduc-
tions in many other schedules. we faVor
a permanent and non-partisan tariff COM
mission with ample power and duties TO
be fixed by law.
merce law-the railway measure-as fin-
allv amended in the Senate and House,
passed and signed by the president, Is a
the power OF the Interstate Commerce
commission and furnishing substantial
protection and relief, There yet remains
rights of the public. The correct physical
valuation OF all railway property of the
country Is absolutely essential TO an In,
telligent adjustment of railway rates and
charges, and we favor provision FOR such
valuation, and pledge our support 10 such
law.
The country has been threatened with
monopolfstic control Of the necessaries of
life. The danger is not yet passed. Cor
porations large and small are necessary
to modern business A combination or cor
porations, for the purpose of controlling
prices, Is both unnecessary and unlaw-
full. This is the modern trust.
We indorse the proposal to grant to con-
gress the power to levy graduated in-
come tax.
we believe in thorough system of fed
eral regulation OF corporation In inter-
state commerce that will prevent and sup
press unlawful monoPolies; Free com
petion is the only safety for the people
against the greed of monopoly. This is
the principle of the Sherman antitrust
law New legislation should not modify
this act, but should aid In its enforcement.
We believe that all our natural re-
sources should be carefully conserved and
developed for the general good and that
all public ofticials-state and national
G,nl Inxrn ton lI1NRn
pointment whose powers extend to the
control of natural resources should be
chosen for their peculiar fitness and for
their known record and opinions touching
the conservation and development Of such
resources.
The dominant national issue is the
wrestling of control of national legislation
from special interests and we heartily ap-
prove of the notifications of the rules of
the House of Representatives recently
body are permitted a larger latitude of
individual action, thereby enabling them
more fully to represent by voice and vote
the will of their constituents We recon-
mend that the members from this state
favor necessary notifications of the rules
so as to further curb the arbitrary In
nuence and power of the speaker.
We are opposed TO appointment to fed
eral judgeships, corporation lawyers whose
environment is such as to create distrust
or weaken public confidence in cases
where such corporate interests may be in
volyed.
No backward steps should be taken by
the republicans of South Dakota I'm the
various reform measures enacted into
law by the recent sessions Of the legisla-
ture The primary law should be amend
ed to meet deficiencies made apparent in
it's actual operation and a party recall is
suggested with proper safeguards to pre-
vent abuse. Additional legislation should
be enacted regulating common carriers
and other public service corporations and
restraining the powers of combinations Of
capital for purposes of monopoly and re-
straint of legitimate competition.
We heartily commend the last legisla-
ture for the enactment of depository
law by which all interest in state deposits
is paid into the state treasury and by
means of which the state treasury is en-
riched from fifteen to twenty thousand
dollars per annum.
We favor party nomination of post
masters for presidential postoffces by
popular vote Of the resident party electors
OF the municipality In which the post
office is located.
We favor the repeal OF the law requir-
ing publication of insurance statements.
We commend the act of the last legisla-
ture in dividing the state into two con-
Eressional districts and urge the approval
Of this act by the people at the coming
November election.
We commend the conservative upright
and business like administration OF Gov
ernor Vessey and his associates and
pledge our hearty support TO the entire
republican ticket nominated at the recent
primary election.