New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1912-07-10
DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM

\
DEMOCRATIC platform
We. ths representative Of the Dem
ocrauc party Of the United States 4
national convention assembled, roaf
drm our devotion to the principles .
Democratic government formulated b,
Thomas Jefferson and enforced By I
long and illustrious line Of Democrat,
presidents.
| Tariff Reform.
We declare It to be q Fundamental
principle Of the Democratic party tina,
the federal government under the con
sdtuton has no right or power to i'm
pose or collect tariff Nuttes except FOL
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 sge7
The high Republican tariff 10 the
principal cause Of the unequal distri.
button Of wealth; it Is system Of
taxation which makes the rich richer
and the poor poorer. Under its opera.
lions the American farmer apd labor.
Ing man are the chief sufferers; II
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
dustriea 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. productive tariff duties.
insisting that material reductions be
speedily made upon the necessaries Of
life. Articles entering into compet-
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.
III 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 L.
climate industry. Vs.. ..a
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.
ed to give immediate relief to the
masses from the exacdons Of the
trusts.
High Cost qf Living. -..,.,,,-
The high cost Of living Is a serious
problem in every American home. The
Republican party ln its platform at
:ef1pts to escape from responsibility
.or present conditions by denying that
hey are due to protective tariff. We
AXE issue with them on this subject
md charge that excessive prices result
n large measure from the high tariff |
avs enacted and maintained by the
party and from trusts and
commercial conspiracies. fostered and !
by such laws, and we as
ert that no such substantial relief can
'e secured for the people until import
luties on the necessaries Of life are
materially reduced and these criminal
onspiracies broken up
Antitrust Law.
A private monopoly Is indefensible
nd tntolerable. We therefore favor
be vigorous enforcement Of the GRIM
nal as we'll as the civil law against
rusts and trust officials and demand
be enactment Of such additional leg
Station as may be necessary to make
impossible for a private monopoly
D exist in the United States.
We favor the declaration by law of
be conditions upon which corpora
ions shall be permitted to engage in
lterstate trade, including among 9th.
rs the prevention of holding compa-
les Of interlocking directorates, Of
took watering, of discrimination in
rice and the control by any one cor.
grafton Of so large proportion of
ny Industry as to make it a menace
, competitive conditions.
We condemn the action of the Re-
ubllcan administration in compromis.
lg with the Standard OIL company
nd the tobacco trust and its failure
} invoke the criminal provisions of
Re antitrust law against the officers
those corporations after the court
ad declared that from the undisputed
let's in the record they had violated
le criminal provisions of the law. IL
'eoms Tax and Popular Election Of
Senators.
We congratulate the country upon :
Re triumph Of two important reforms