The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-07-13
DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM
Platform Adopted BY Vermont DEM
ocrats This Year

principles of our party and pledge
our loyal support TO the candidates
named at the convention to be held
in Baltimore.
The Payne-Aldrich tariff law
! should be at once revised by elimina-
ting the protection which promotes
monopoly, produces private profit in
stead of public revenue, obstructs
free domestic competition and the
sale of American products in foreign
| markets.
We commend the efforts of the
Democratic majority in the national
House of Representatives to lower
the cost of living by removing the
burdens of the Payne-Aldrich tariff
| from the necessities o. the people
and from our industrial interests.
Closely allied with the tariff issue
is the question of how TO deal with
the great cooperative organizations
commonly known as the trusts. a
recent indictment of these lawless
combinations declares that,
I'VE live in an age which the vast
enterprises essential to the progress
OF the world require the association
of men of large means under corpor-
ate management Out of this nee
essity have grown serious wrongs
and consequent resistance
Organized capital stands indicted
at the bar of public judgment for
the gravest crimes against the com
mon welfare. Among the counts in
that indictment are such as these:
Il. Conspiring to advance prices
on the staple commodities indispen-
sible to the life, well being and pro-
gress of the people.
"2. Resorting TO aduteration of
foods, fabrics, and materials in or
| der TO increase profits already exces-
siye.
80. Destroying the competition in
trade through which relief might be
expected under normal conditions.
"A. Suborning legislation, and
thus robbing the people of the first
| orderly recourse OF the weak against
the strong"
We favor a genuine restriction of
| the enormous powers thus described
and stern and vigorous prosecution
of the men responsible for those con
ditions.
We believe in the election of Uni
ted States senators by direct vote of
the people and recommend such a
change in the federal constitution
as will provide for the election OF
the president in the same manner.
We also favor the federal income
tax amendment.
We renew our demand for the
| equalization of taxation. Under ex-
listing laws, 50 long forced upon the
people by the Republican party the
farmers and small property owners
are paying more than their just
share of taxes.
The law taxing money deposited in
banks at less rate than to individ-
uals has become oppressive to the
people, and We favor a law extending
the same rate of taxation to individu-
| ais, but demand that the tax be
assessed by and paid to the towns.
We also especially and emphati-
cally demand the enactment OF a
tax law which will compel the special
| interests to pay the same rate as
the individual. The railroad, ex-
press, telegraph, telephone. insur-
ance and other interests are being
especially favored by vicious laws in
| their behalf
We condemn the attempts of the
Republican party to enact a direct
Inheritance tax law
We promise our most earnest en-
deavors to place upon the statutes
books a state primary law adapted
to the demands of the present day so
| thaf he fhnr,,u,I,s....
ect their candidates for office. We
condemn the present republican eau
Gus law and demand the abolition
of party enrolment as a prerequisite
for voting at primaries and that a
ballot system be provided to obviate
compulsion upon the voter to de-
clare his party preference.
We have always favored progress
in education. We pledge our sup.
port to a broad and efficient public
school system looking not only TO
education as it is commonly under
stood. but also to the moral instruc-
ton and physical betterment of our
youth. We favor a more liberal ex-
tension of the benefits of our school
system to the rural communities and
the introduction of more efficient su-
pervision of such schools. Our
school should strive to foster a love
FOR the soil and to this end agricul-
ture as now elevated to science
should be taught in our public
schools.
We condemn the failure of the re-
publican legislature of 1910 to enact
a reasonable employers liability law
and demand the enactment of a law
that will relieve the employee of
those technical rules and doctrines
which deprive him of just compensa-
ton for injuries received in the
course OF his employment.
We condemn the republican party
for repeatedly ignoring its pledge
TO enact a law providing a generous
exemption of employees wages from
the trustee process and we demand
the enactment of a law granting such
exemption.
We believe in good roads. We
would change the method of expend-
ing money on state roads by elimina-
ting petty politics in the selection
OF local commissioners and by the
Introduction Of business methods in
carrying on the work. The work of
permanent road building should be
more rapidly extended.
We believe in the retention of the
local option high license law and in
view Of the possibilities OF Vermont
as summer resort We recommend
such notifications Of the law as will
permit granting, under salutary res
trictions OF licenses to summer no.
| Le-s- Without relerenna To the ro-o