The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1914-07-23
Iowa Republican Platform


ed the general prosperity of 1912 into
the general depression of 1914. It
has injured the producer without ben
eft to the consumer. 1t has destroy
ed the profit of the home manufactur
er without increasing the wages of
labor and without reducing the price
which the people must pay, 1t has
increased our imports, diminished our
exports and reduced the volume of
our domestic production without les
SEEMING the cost OF living.
1t has transferred to foreign coun.
tries the work formerly done at home
and great numbers of our working
men and women are now without EN-.
ployment. 1t has opened our ports
to vast quantities of agricultural pro-
ducts so that the markets of our
coast cities are filled with corn and
beef from South America, butter and
eggs from Asia and wheat and barley
from Canada, thus driving our farmers
from their own market places witt
out lowering the cost of any of these
things to the man who consumes
them.
Unwise Foreign Policy.
1t has revised our financial system
by strengthening the lender without
adding to the facilities of the borrow
er. 1t has established foreign pol
icy which will inevitably involve us
in those entangling alliances which
our forefathers labored so earnestly
to avoid. and which, If carried for
ward, will fasten upon US the per
petual hostility of our sister repub-
lies of this continent, unless we are
willing to submit to the pillage of our
public treasury to satisfy their de-
hands.
II has filled many of our high Of
fees with appointees not in sympathy
with the body of the people, and the
less important places by return to
he spoils system.
In all these things, for the proof of
which we appeal to the common know.
ledge of the people. the democratic
party has again exhibited its incom.
potency to conduct the affairs of a
great nation.
Ratify Convention Reform.
We ratify the action of the national
republican committee in respect to
determining the basis Of the repre-
sentation of the next national conven.
ton. In doing this, however, we do
not indorse the election laws OF
southern states unjustly disfranchts,
ing thousands of American citizens
in contravention of the fourteenth
and fifteenth amendments to the con-
stitution of the United States; and
We recommend to the next national
convention the further modification
of the rules governing the holding OF
national conventions, to the end that
the representation in succeeding ma
tional conventions shall be substan-
tally in proportion to the republican
votes cast in each state.
Favor Trade Commission.
We favor such amendments to the
Sherman antitrust law as will make
il effective in accomplishing the pur-
poses for which It was enacted, and
we indorse the policy of a trade COM
mission for the better control, regu-
lation and enforcement of the laws
governing large aggregations of CAPT
tai, commonly known as trusts; and
we favor the enactment of such laws
as will completely control the issu-
ance of stock and securities by cor
porations engaged in interstate com
merce by the federal government, to
the end that all stock or bonds issued
should represent capital actually in
vested in the enterprise.
For EquaIizinq Tax Burdens.
We adopt as our recommendation
% the legislature of the state of Iowa
in the language of Governor Clarke:
That no more of the peoples money
shall be taken than is necessary for
government so administered, that
for every dollar taken there shall be
realized its full value in a permanent
public good; that our revenue laws
in the matter of assessments shall be
obeyed or revised, to the end that
there shall be equality of sacrifice as
between individuals and uniformity as
between taxing districts and Coun-
ties, and to the end that tax leVieS
may be very greatly reduced and
Iowa known not as land OF nigh
taxes, but as land of assessments
at fair actual value and very moder.
ate rates" And we recommend to
he legislature such further legisla
ton as may be necessary to submit
% the vote of the people an amend
""nt TO the constitution of the state
of Iowa for the taxation of railroads,
express and telegraph companies,
ats, an. eyempting and divorcing the
counties entirely from taxation for
state purposes.
Shorter Ballot.
We heartily indorse the principle
If the primary law of the state, but
believe the law as now enacted
should be amended that the ballot
will be shortened, and the voters re.
quired to vote only for the candidates
for the most important state offices
and for local candidates.
We favor a law limiting the hours
IT employment of female labor in com.
mercial and industrial enterprises to
ten hours per day.
We are opposed to the contract la
Dor system at our penal institutions
and believe that the same should be
abolished at the earliest practicable
Prison Farms.
We are opposed to the present sys-
tenn of maintaining persons convicted
Of crimes in the county jails in idle
ness at the expense of the taxpay-
ers. and believe that the county jail
should be used only as a place of de-
tention for persons awaiting trial
and petty offenders; that as a sub
stitute for the present jail system