Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-07-05

Baltimore, July, 2.-The full text
of the platform submitted to the
Democratic national convention TOT
adoption is as follows:
We, the representatives OF the
Democratic party of the United States,
in the national convention assembled
reaffirm our devotion to the princi-
ples of Democratic government FOR
mulated by Thomas Jefferson and en-
forced by a 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
constitution has no right or power
70 imposes or collect tariff duties, ex-
cent for the purposes Of revenue, and
we demand that the collection Of such
taxes shall be limited to the necessl-
ties of government honestly ana
economically administered.
The high Republican tariff Is the
nrinciple cause the unequal distri-
button of wealth; It is system OF taxa
ton which makes the rich richer and
the poor poorer; under its operations
the American farmer and laboring
man are the chief sufferers; 1t raises
the cost of the necessaries OF lie 10
them, but does not protect their pro-
duct or wages. The farmer sells large
ly in free markets and buys almost
entirely in the protected markets. In
the most highly protected industries
such as cotton and wool, steel and
iron, the wages Of the laborers are
the lowest paid in any Of our indus
tries. 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 COM
petition 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
tariff taxation is intimately connected
with the business of the country and
we favor the ultimate attainment OF
the principles we advocate by legisla-
ton that will not injure or destroy
legitimate industry.
We denounce the action Of Presi-
dent Taft in vetoeing the bills to re-
duce the tariff in the cotton. woolen,
metals and chemical schedules and the
farmers free list bill, all Of which were
designed to give immediate relief to
the masses from the eXactions of the
trusts.
The Republican party, while prom
ising tariff revision as shown by its
tariff legislation that such revision Is
not to be in the peoples interests and
having been faithless to its pledges of
1908 1t should no longer enjoy the
confidence Of the nation. We appeal
to the American people to support us
in our demand for tariff for revenue
only.
High Cost of Living.
The high cost of living Is a serious
problem in every American home. The
Republican party, in its 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 sub
ject and charge that excessive prices
result in a large measure from the
high tariff laws enacted and main
tanned by the Republican party and
from trusts and commercial conspira'
cies fostered and encouraged by such
laws, and we assert that no substantial
relief c~1 be secured for the people
until import duties on the necessaries
Of life are materially reduced and
these chiminal conspiraces 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
legislation as may be necessary to
make it impossible for a private
monopoly to exist in the United
States.
We favor the declaration by laws OF
the conditions upon which corpora
tions shall be permitted to engage ir
interstate trade, including. among
others. the prevention Of holding com
panies, of interlocking directors, o1
stock watering, of discrimination ir
price. and the control by any one
corporation of so large a proportion
of any industry as to make it a men
ace to competitive conditions.
We condemn the action of the Re-
publican administration in compro.
missing with the Standard Oil Company
and the Tobacco Trust and it's failure
to invoke the criminal provisions o.
the antitrust law against the Officers
of those corporations after the cour
had declared that from the undisput
ed facts in the record they had VIC
lated the criminal provisions Of th'
law
We regret that the Sherman anti
trust law has received judicial con
struction depriving it Of much Of IT
efficacy and we favor the enactmen
of legislation which will restore t
the statute tho strength of which |
has been deprived by such lnterpreta
ton.
Rights of the States.
We believe in the preservation ant
maintenance in their full strength anC
integrity of the three co-ordinat
branches of the Federal government
the executive, the legislative and tn
judicial-each keeping within its owl
bounds and not encroaching upon tn
just powers Of either Of the others.
Believing that the most efficient re