The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-07-21

We. the representatives of the Dem
ocratic party of the United States, in
national convention assembled re-
affirm our devotion to the principles
of Democratic government formulated
BY Thomas Jefferson and enforced by
a long and illustrious line of Demo-
cratic presidents.
TARIFF REFORM.
We declare it to be fundamental
principle of the Democratic party that
the federal government, under the
Constitution. has no right or power to
impose or collect tariff duties, except
for the purpose of revenue, and we de-
rnand that the collection of such taxes
shall be limited to the necessities Of
government honestly and economical
~ administered.
The high Republican tariff is the
prinCsEal cause of the unequal dis
trihution of wealth; it is a system OF
taxa. On which makes the rich richer
and he poor poorer; under Its opera
tions the American farmer and labor
ing man are the chief sufferers; 1t
raises the cost of the necessartes 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 markets
In the most highly protected indus
and iron, the wages of the laborers
are the lowest paid in any Of our in
dustries We denounce the Republi-
can pretense on that subject and as
sert that American wages are estab-
lished 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 necessartes of
life Articles entering into competi-
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
tariff taxation is intimately connected
witb the business of the country and
we favor the ultimate attainment Of
the principles we advocate by legisia-
ton that viii not injure or destroy
legitimate industry.
We denounce the action of President
Taft in vetoing the bills to reduce the
tariH I'm cotton, wooden, metals and
chemical schedules and the farmers
free list BILL all of which were de-
signed to give immediate relief to the
masses from the exactions OF the
trusts.
me HeDuDllCan WniIe pTOIu1S-
ing terih revision, has shown by its
tariff legislation that such revision is
not to he in the peoples interest and
having been faithless to its pledges of
1903 il 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 serious
problem in every American home. The
Republican party in it's 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
subject 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 con-
spiracies fostered and encouraged by
such laws and we assert that no sub
stantial relief can be secured for the
people until import duties on the
necessaries of life are materially re
duced and these criminal conspiracies
broken up.
ANTITRUST LAW.
A private monopoly is indefensible
and intolerable. We therefore favor
the vigorous enforcement Oh lAi5
criminal as well as the civil law
against trusts and trust officials, and
demand the enactment of such addi-
tionhl legislation as may be necessary
to make it impossible for a private
monopoly TO exist in the United States.
We favor the declaration by law of
the conditions upon which corpora
lions shall be permitted to engage in
interstate trade, including, among
others. the prevention of holding com
pauies, of interlocking directorates, of
stock watering, of discrimination in
price and the control by any one cor
poration OF so large a proportion OF
any industry as to make It menace
to competitive conditions.
We condemn the action Of the Re-
publican administration in compro-
missing with the Standard OIL Com
pany the Tobacco Trust and its failure
to invoke the criminal provisions of
the anti trust law against the officers
Of those corporations after the court
had declared that from the undisput-
ed facts in the record they had vio-
lated the criminal provisions of the
law.
We regret that the Sherman anti
trust law has received a judicial con-
struction depriving it of much of its
efficacy, and we favor the enactment
Of legislation which will restore to
tlte statute the strength or which II
has been deprived by such interpre-
tation,
RIGHTS OF THE STATES.
We believe in the preservation and
maintenance in their full strength and
integrity of the three coordinate
branches Of the federal government
the executive, the legislative and the
Judicial-each keeping within its own
bounds and not encroaching upon the
JEst powers Of either of the others.
Believing that the most efficient re-
suits under our system of government
are to be attained by the full exercise
BY the states of their reserved SOW
erefgn powers, we denounce as usur-
patton the efforts of our opponents to
deprive the states of any of the rights
reserved to them and to enlarge and
magnify by indirection the powers OF
the federal government
we insist upon the full exercise OF
all the powers of the government. both
state and national, to protect the PEG
PIE from injustice at the hands OF
those who seek to make the govern
ment a private asset in business.