Valdez daily prospector., 1912-07-15
DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM

Democratic party of the United States, in national convention as- sembled, reaffirm our devotion to the principles of democratic gov ernment formulated by Thomas Jefferson and enforced by a long and illuStriOus line of democrat ic presidents.
 Tarlff Reform.
 We declare it to be a funda- mental principle of the Demo- cratic party that the federal gov ernment under the constitution has no right or power to impose or collect tariff duties, except for the purposes of revenue, and we demand that the collection of such taxes shall be limited to the necessities of government, hon. estly and economically adminis- tered.
 The big Republican tariff is the principal cause of the unequal distribution of wealth; it is a system of taxation which makes the rich richer and the poor poor CT; under it's operation the American farmer and laboring man are the chief sufferers; it raised the cost of the nccrssarirs s of life to them, but does not pro- feet their products or wages. The farmer sells largely in free mar krls and buys almost entirely in he protected markets.
 In the most highly protected industries, such as cotton and wool, sIrri and iron, the wages of the lal"rrrS are inc lowest paid in any of our industries. We de nnunrr the Republican prclrnsc OH that subject and assert thai American wages are established by competitive conditions and not by the Iarifr.
 We favor the downward rcvis- ion of the existing and, in many cases. prOhibitivc tariff duties insisting that material reductions be speedily made upon the nac- eSSaries of life. Articles entering into competition with lrust.con- IrOllcd products and articles ot American manufacture which arc sold abroad more ch"aply than al home should be put on the free liSi.
 w" rrrogniZr that our system nf tariff taxation is intimately l connected with the business Oi inc country and We favor the ul- innate attainment of inc prin- riplrS we advocate by Legislation that will not injurr OF destroy Legitimate industry.
 We dcnounce inc action ot Prc sidcnt Taft in vrIoing tho bills to reduce the tarim in col ion, woolen, metal and chcmica schedules and the farmers free i list bill, all of which were design ird io give immediate relief tO thC masses from the rXarlinns of tho trusts.
 The Republican party, while prrnllSing Iarin revision. has "n"wE hv ifs IariT legislation Ihai such revision is not in tho peoples interest and, having beer faiIhicSS tu is pledges of 1908 II shCuld no longer enjoy the con- lidrncc of the nation. We appeal [" the American people to sup port Us in our demand for tar Iff for revenue only.
 High ost of Liyinq.
 The high cost of living is a serious problem in every Amcri- can home. The Republican party ln it's platform attempts to as- cape from responsibility for pres rnt conditions by denying that They are due tO protective tar IT. We take issue with thcm on this subject and charge that ex- ccssivc prices result in a large measure from inc high tariff laws enacted and maintained by the Republican party and from trusts and criminal conspiracies, fos- tered and encouraged by such laws, and we assert that no sub stantial relief can be secured for the people until import duties on the ncccssaries of life are ma teriaIIy reduced and these crim- lnal conspiracies broken up.
 Antl-truss Law.
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