The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1912-07-05
DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM


ocratic party of the United States in
national convention assembled. reaf-
firm our devotion to the principles of
Democratic government formulated by
Thomas jefferson and enforced by
long and illustrious line of Democratic
presidents.
Tariff Reform.
We declare it to be a fundamental
principle of the Democratic party that
the federal government under the con-
stitution has no right or power to i'm
pose or collect tariff duties except for
the purpose OF revenue, and we de-
mand that the collection of such taxes
shall be limited to the necessities Of
government honestly and economically
administered.
The high Republican tariff is the
principal cause of the unequal diStri-
button of wealth: it is a system of
taxation which makes the rich richer
and the poor poorer. Under its opera
tons the American farmer and labor
ing man are the chief sufferers; it
raises the cost of the neceSSaries OF
life to them, but does not protect their
product or wages. The farmer sells
largely in free markets and buys al
most entirely in the protected mar
kets. In the most highly protected in
dustries such as cotton and wool, steel
and iron the wages of the laborers
are the lowest paid in any of our in
dustries We denounce the Republican
pretense on that subject and assert
that American wages are established
by competitive conditions and not by
the tariff.
We favor the immediate downward
revision of the existing high and, in
many cases. prOhibitive tariff duties.
insisting that material reductions be
speedily made upon the necessaries of
life. Articles entering into cOmpeti-
ton with trust controlled products and
articles of American manufacture
which are sold abroad more cheaply
than at home should be put upon the
free list
We recognize that our system Of tar
iff taxation is intimately connected
with the business of the country. and
we ldNOI luC dLld1nLuChL VI
the principles we advocate by legisla-
ton that will not injure or destroy le-
ultimate industry.
We denounce the action of President
Taft in vetoing the bills to reduce the
tariff in the cotton, wooden, metals and
chemical schedules and the farmers
free list bill all of which were design
cd 70 give immediate relief to the
MASSES from the exactions Of the
trusts.
High Cost of Living.
The high cost of living is serious
problem in every American home. The
Republican party in it's platform at
tempts to escape from responsibility
for present conditions by denying that
they are due to a protective tariff. We
take issue with them on this subject
and charge that excessive prices result
in a large measure from the high tariff
laws enacted and maintained by the
Republican party and from trusts and
commercial cOnSpiracieS foStered and
encouraged by such laws, and we as
sert that no such substantial relief can
be secured for the people until import
duties on the necessaries of life are
materially reduced and these criminal
cOnSpiracies broken up.
Antitrust Law.
A private monopoly is indefensible
and intolerable We therefore favor
the vigorous enforcement of the Grim
inal as we'll as the civil law against
trusts and trust officials and demand
the enactment of such additional leg
islation as may be necessary to make
it impossible for a private monopoly
to exist in the United States.
We favor the declaration by law of
the conditions upon which corpora
lions shall be permitted to engage in
interstate trade. including among 9th
ers the prevention of holding cOmpa-
MES of interlocking directorates. Of
stock watering. of discrimination in
price and the control by any one cor
poration of so large a proportion of
any industry as to make it a menace
to competitive conditions.
We condemn the action of the Re-
publican administration in compromis-
ing with the Standard Oil company
and the tobacco trust and its failure
to invoke the criminal provisions OF
the antitrust law against the officers
of those corporations after the court
had declared that from the undisputed
facts in the record they had violated
the criminal provisions of the law.
income Tax and Popular Election of
Senators.
We congratulate the country upon
the triumph of two important reforms
demanded in the last national platform
namely, the amendment of the feder-
al constitution authorizing an income
tax and the amendment providing for
the popular election Of senators-and
we call upon the people Of all the
states to rally to the support of the
pending propositions and secure their
ratification.
Presidential Primaries.
Tho movement toward more nOnuIar