Gloucester County Democrat., 1912-07-11
THE DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM.
Continued from Page Onel

by the States of their reserved sover-
eign powers, we denounce as usurpa-
ton the efforts of our oponents to de-
prive the States of any of the right
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
people from injustice at the hands of
those who seek to make the Govern
ment a private asset in business.
There is no twilight zone between the
nation and the State in which exploit
ing interests can take refuge from
both. 1t is as necessary that the
Federal Government shall exercise the
powers reserved to them, but we in
sist that Federal remedies for the
regulation of interstate commerce and
for the prevention of private monopoly
shall be added to and not substituted
for State remedies
Income Tax and Popular Election
of Senators.
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 Sena-
tors, and we call upon the people of
all the States to rally to the support
of the pending propositions and Sc
cure their ratification.
Publicity Before Election.
We note with qualification the unan-
imous sentiment in favor of publicity
before the election, of campaign con-
tributions-a 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 Representatives for
extending the doctrine of publicity to
recommendations verbal and written,
upon which Presidential appointments
are made, to the ownership and con-
troll of newspapers and to the ex-
penditures made by and in behalf of
those who aspire to Presidential nomi
nations, and we point for additional
justification for this legislation to the
enormous expenditures of money in
behalf of the President and his prede-
cessor in the recent presidential con-
test for the Republican nomination
for president.
Presidential Primaries.
The movement towards more popu-
lar government should be promoted
through legislation in each State
which will permit the expression of
the preference of the electors for
national candidates at presidential
primaries.
We direct that the National Com
mittee incorporate in the call for the
next nominating convention a require
ment that all expressions of prefer
ence for presidential candidates shall
be given and the selection of delegates
and alternates made through prin-
airy election conducted by the party
organization in each State where such
expression and election are not pro-
Xided for by State law. Committee
men who are hereafter to constitute
the membership of the Democratic
National Committee and whose cleo
ton is not provided for by law shall
be chosen in each State at such pri-
mary elections and the service and
uthority of committeeman, however
nosen, shall begin Immediately upon
the receipt of their credentials re-
spectively.
Campaign Contributions.
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 any amount above
a reasonable maximum
Term Of President.
We favor a single presidential term
and to that end urge the adoption of
an amendment to the constitution
making the President of the United
States Ineligible for reelection, and
We pledge the candidate of this con-
Vention to this principal
Work Of Democratic House.
At this time, when the Republican
party, after a generation of unlimited
power in its control of the Federal
is rent into fractions, it
is opportune to point to the record of
accomplishment of the Democratic
House of Representatives in the Sixty
second Congress. We endorse it's ac-
tion and we challenge comparison of
its record with that of any Congress
which has been controlled by our
opponents.
We call the attention of the pat
riotic citizens of our country to its
record of efficiency, economy and con-
stractive legislation:
It has, among other achievements.
revised the rules of the House of
Representatives so as to give to the
representatives of the American peo-
pie the freedom of speech and of ac-
tion in advocating, proposing and per-
fecting remedial legislation.
1t has passed bills for the relief of
the people and the development of
our country; it has endeavored to
revise the tariff taxes downward in
the interest of the consuming masses
and thus to reduce the high cost of
living.
1t has proposed an amendment to