Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1912-07-18
uniting the foods to continue as here
tofore, agents of destruction.

hitting the floods to continue as here
tofore, agents Of destruction.
We hold that the control Of the
Mississippi River Is a national prob
! lem. The preservation Of the depths
OF Its waters for the purpose Of navi-
cation; the building OF levees to main
tain the integrity OF It's channel, and
the prevention OF the overflow of the
land and Its consequent devastation,
resulting In the interruption of inter
state commerce, the disorganization
Of the mail service and the enormous
loss Of life and property impose an
obligation which alone can be dis
charged by the general government.
To maintain an adequate depth OF
water the entire year and thereby en-
courage water transportation is con-
summation worthy Of legislative at
tentlon ano presents an issue national
In its character. II calls for prompt
action on the part of congress, and
the Democratic party pledges itself
to the enactment of legislation lead
ing to that end.
We favor the cooperation Of the
United States and the respective
states In plans for the comprehensive
treatment Of all waterways with
view of co-ordinating plans for chan
mel improvement with plans for drain
age of swamp and overfowed lands,
and to this end we favor the appro-
priation by the federal government
of sufficient funds to make surveys Of
such lands. to develop plans for drain
ing the same and to supervise the
work Of construction.
! We favor the adoption OF a liberal
and comprehensive plan for the de-
velopment and improvement Of our
inland waterways, with economy and
efficiency, so as to permit their navi-
| cation by vessels Of standard draft
Post Roads.
We favor national aid to state and
local authorities in the construction
and maintenance of post roads.
The Rights of Labor.
We repeat our declarations of the
platform of 1908, as follows: 1.-THE
courts of justice are the bulwarks of
in our purpose to maintain their dig
nifty. Our party has given to the
bench q long line of distinguished
| justices who have added to the re-
spect and confidence in which this de-
! partment must be jealousy main
tanned We resent the attempt Of
the Republican party to raise a false
issue respecting the judiciary. 1t is
an unjust reflection upon a great body
of our citizens to assume that they
lack respect for the courts.
1T is the function of the courts
! to interpret the laws which the people
enact, and If the laws appear to work
economic, social, or political injus-
tees it is our duty to change them.
The only basis upon which the integ-
rity Of our courts can stand is that Of
answering justice and protection Of
life. If judicial processes may be
abused, we should guard them against
abuse.
Experience has proved the neces-
sity of a modification of the present
law relating to injunction, and we
reiterate the pledges of our platforms
of 1896 and 1904 in favor of meas
ure which passed the United States
Senate in 1896 relating to contempt
in federal courts and providing for
trial by jury in cases of indirect con-
tempt.
Questions of judicial practice have
arisen, especially in connection with
industrial disputes. We believe that
the parties to all judicial proceedings
should be treated with rigid impair
TALLY, and that injunctions should
not be issued in any case in which
an injunction would not issue If no
individual dispute were involved"
The expanding organization of in
dustry makes it essential that there
should be no abridgment to the right
of the wage earners and producers to
organize for the protection of wages
and the Improvement Of labor condi-
tons, to the end that such labor or
CARNATIONS and their members should
not be regarded as illegal combination
in restraint OF trade.
We pledge the Democratic party to
the enactment of law creating a de-
ately in the presidents cabinet, in
which department shall be included
the subject of mines and mining.
We pledge the Democratic party,
so far as the federal jurisdiction ex-
tends, to an employees compensation
law providing adequate indemnity for
INJURY to body or loss of life.
Conservation.
We believe in conservation and the
development for the use of all the
people, Of the natural resources Of
the country. Our forests, our sources
of water supply, our arabic and our
mineral lands, our navigable streams
and all the other material resources
with which our country has been so
lavishly endowed constitute the
foundation Of our national wealth.
Such additional legislation as may be
necessary to prevent their being
wasted OF absorbed by special or priv
LEGGED interests should be enacted and
the policy of their conservation should