Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1912-07-03
DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM
Baltimore Convention Practically
Reaffirms Principles Of By
gone Years.

He opening paragraph ol Lnc tarlll
plank is almost Identical in language
with paragraph in the platform of
1892, and in substance it agrees with
numerous other Democratic platforms.
Reciprocity is ignored.
Among the planks are the follow
ing:
We declare to be 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 ecomically
administered.
A private monopoly is indefensible
and intolerable. We therefore favor
the vigorous enforcement of the GRIM
inal as well as the civil laws against
trusts and trust officials, and demand
the enactment of such additional legis-
lation as may be necessary to make it
impossible for a private monopoly to
exist in the United States.
We congratulate the country upon
the triumph of two important reforms
demanded in the last national plat
form-namely, the amendment of the
Federal Constitution authorizing an
income tax and the amendment provid-
ing for the popular election of SEN
ators-and we call upon the people
of all the states to rally to the sup
port of the pending propositions and
secure their ratification.
We note with qualification the unan-
imous sentiment in favor of publicity,
before the election of campaign con-
measure demanded in
our national platform of 1908 and at
that time opposed by the Republican
party-and we commend the Demo-
cratic House of Representative for
the doctrine of publicity to
verbal and written,
upon which presidential appointments
are made, to the ownership and control
Of newspapers and to the expenditures
made by and in behalf of those who
aspire to presidential nominations,
and we point for additional justiti
cation for this legislation to the enor-
nous expenditures of money in be-
half of the president and his prede
cessor in the recent contest for the
nomination for president.
We pledge the Democratic party to
the enactment of a law prohibiting
any corporation from contributing to
a campaign fund and any individual
from contributing.
The movement towards more popu-
lar government should be promoted
legislation in each state,
which vii! permit the expression Of
the preference of the electors for nat
ional candidates at presidential prim-
aries.
We favor a single presidential term
and to this end urge the adoption Of
an amendment to the Constitution
making the President of the United
States ineligible to reelection, and we
pledge the candidate of this conven-
ton to this principle.
We favor the efficient supervision
and rate regulation of railroads, eX-
press companies, telegraph and tele-
phone lines engaged in interstate
commerce.
We pledge the Democratic party to
a law creating a department of labor
separately in the Presi-
dents 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.
We reaffirm the position thrice an
nounced by the democracy in national
assembled against policy
of imperialism and colonial eXploitat-
ion in the Philippines or elsewhere.
We favor national aid to state and
local authorities in the construction
and maintainance of postroads.
We repeat our declaration of the
platform of 1906 as to the rights of
labor.