The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-06-16

course and promote commerce be-
/ tween the United States and her
/ neighbors to the south of us and
such international understandings as
/ may be practicable and suitable to
accomplish those ends. We commend
the action of the democratic admins.
| tration in holding the pan-American
! financial conference at Washington
| in May, 1915. and organizing the in
/ ternational high commits sion which
! represented the United States in the
recent meeting of representatives OF
| Latin-American republics at Buenos
/ Ayres April, 1916, which have so
! greatly promoted the friendly rela-
lions between the people Of the west
ern hemisphere.
Mexico.
The Monroe doctrine is reasserted
as a principle of the people of demo-
cratic faith. The doctrine guarantees
the republic OF two Americas against
aggression from another continent.
1t implies as well the more scrupul-
Gus regard upon our part for the SOW
ereignty of each of them. We court
their good will. We seek not to de-
spoil them. The want of a stable,
capable of REFRESHING and Furnishing
marauders and bandit bands, who
have not only taken the lives and
seized and destroyed the property of
American citizens in that country,
but have insolently invaded our soil,
made war upon and murdered our
people thereon, has rendered it nee
essary temporarily TO occupy by our
armed forces, a portion OF the terri
tory of that friendly state. Until, by
the restoration of law and order,
there is assurance that repetition
OF such incursions is improbable,
the necessity for their remaining
will continue, they must remain.
Intervention, implying as it does,
military subjugation, is revolt
ing to the people of the United States
notwithstanding the proyocation to
that course has been great and has
been resorted to only as last resort.
The stubborn resistance of the pres
ident and his advisors to every de-
mand and suggestion to enter upon
it, is creditable alike to them and the
people in whose name be speaks.
Merchant Marine.
Immediate provision should be
made for the development of the
carrying trade Of the United States.
Our foreign commerce has in the past
been subject to many unnecessary
and vexatious obstacles in the way OF
legislation OF republican congresses.
Until the recent democratic tariff
legislation, it was hampered by I'M
reasonable burdens of taxation. I'm
til the recent banking legislation 1t
hoH OF oil nf
sary instrumentalities of information
al credit and exchange Until the
formulation of the pending act to
promote the construction of mer-
chant marine, it lacked even the pros
pect of adequate carriage by seas.
We heartily endorse the purpose and
policies of the pending shipping bill
and endorse all such measure Of con-
structive or legislative measures as
may be necessary to restore our flag
to the seas and to provide further
facilities for our foreign commerce,
particularly such laws as may be
made to remove unfair conditions of
competition in the dealings OF Amer
lean merchants and producers with
competitors in foreign markets.
Conservation.
For the safeguarding and quicken
ing of the life of our own people, we
favor the conservation and develop
ment of the natural resources OF the
country by means OF a policy which
shall not withhold such resources
from development, but which while
permitting and encouraging their
use, shall prevent both waste and
monopoly in their exploitation, and
We earnestly favor the passage Of
acts which will accomplish these OBJ
jects, and we reaffirm the declara-
tion of the platform of 1912 on this
subject The policy of retaining our
arid lands should be steadily adhered
10.
The Administration and the Farmer.
We favor the vigorous prosecution
of Investigations and plans to render
agriculture more profitable, the coun-
try more heaIthful, comfortable, at
tractive and we believe that this
should be a dominant effort Of
nation as well as states. With
recent improvement, farming still
lags behind other occupations in
development of business Advant-
ages of advancing civilization have
have not accrued to rural COM
munities in a fair proportion. Much
has been accomplished in this field
under the present administration
far more than under any previous adj
ministration. In the federal reserve
act of the last congress and the rural
credits act of the present congress,
the machinery has been created which
will make credit available to the farm
er constantly and readily, and he has
at last been put upon footing of
equality with the merchant and the
manufa cturer in securing the capital
necessary to carry on his enterprises.
Grades and standards necessary to
the intelligent and successful conduct
of business of agriculture have also
been established or in the course of
being established by law. The long
needed cotton futures act passed by
the sixty-third congress has now been
in successful operation for nearly
two years. A grain grades bill, long
needed and permissive warehouse
bill, intended to provide better stor-