The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1912-07-03
DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM

We, the representative Of the Dem
ocratic party Of the United States In
national convention assembled. reaf'
arm our devotion to the principles OF
Democratic government formulated by
Thomas Jefferson and enforced by q
long and illustrious line OF Democratic
presidents.
Tariff Reform.
We declare It to be a funda mental
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 economically
administered.
? The high Republican tariff IL the
principal cause Of the unequal distri-
button Of wealth; 1t is a system Of
taxation which makes the rich richer
and the poor poorer. Under its opera.
lions the American farmer and labor
Ing man are the chief sufferers; 1t
raises the cost Of the necessaries Of
life to them. bat does not protectstheir
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 40 cotton and wool, steel
and iron the wages of the laborers
are the lowest paid in any Of our In.
dustries. 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 tho Immediate downward
revision of the existing high and. In
many cases. prohibiuve tariff duties.
insisting that material reductions be
speedily made upon the necessaries Of
ME. Articles entering into comped-
don 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 IL Intimately connected
With tile business Of the country. and
We favor the ultimate attainment Of
the principles We advocate by legisla-
ton that viii not injure or destroy le-
climate industry.
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 exactions Of the
trustS
High csst Of Living.
The high cost of living Is 4 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 protective tariff. We
take issue with them on this subject
and charge that excessive prices result
In large measure from the high tariff
laws enacted and maintained by the
Republican party and from trusts and
commercial conspiracies fostered and
encouraged by such laws, and we as.
sert that no such substantial relief can
be secured for the people until import
duties on the necessaries of life are
materially reduced and these criminal
broken up.
Antitrust Law.
A private monopoly 10 indefensibIs
and intolerable. We therefore favor
the vigorous enforcement of the Grim.
inal al vel! as the civil law against
trusts and trust officials and demand
the enactment Of such additional leg.
SSlation az may be neefssary to make
It Impossible Tor : private monopoly
to exist in the Uplted States.
We favor the declaration By law Of
the conditions upon which corpora
lions shall be permitted to engage -
interstate trade, Including among 9th
err the prevention Of holding compa-
Slea Of interlocking directorates. Of
stock watering. Of discrimination In
price and the control by any enc cor.
poratiop Of 20 large q proportion Of
any industry 40 to make it . menace
to competitive conditions.
We condemn the action Of the Re-
publican administration In compromis.
Ing with the Standard Oh company
and the tobacco trust and it, failure
to invoke the criminal provisions of
the antitrust law against the omcers
Df those corporations after the court
had declared that from the undisputed
facts in the record they had violated
the criminal provisions Of the law.
Income Tax and Popular. Election 81
Senators.
j We congratulate the country upon
the triumph Of two important reforms
Aelna nd.4i IN the last national platform
-namely. the amendment Of the feder'
al constitution authorizing an income
tx ard the amendment providing for
the popular election Of senators-and
We call upon the people Of all the
states 10 rally to the support Of the