The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1916-07-20
IOWA DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM
ADOPTED JULY ~, 1916.

tlonal convention at st. LoIls, ana
does NEST heartily approve and COM
mend the administration of Its tried,
trusted and able leader, Woodrow
Wilson For more than tire. years
and amidst times of unusual stress
and conflict, he has held up the ban
ner of freedom; he has maintained
the honor of America, preserved the
nation in peace, and won the conf
dence of the world In his manner
Of handling our troubles with Mexico
he has taken the course that will, in
years to come, redoWn to the glory
of America and cement the friend
ship of our neighbors. During the
same time, he has found time. work
ing in harmony with the democratic
congress, to emancipate the country
from the grasp of the money trust;
to enact income and tariff laws which
have equalized the burden of taxa
ton, lifted the load from the should
ers of the consumer and placing 1t
where it can best be bourne; to enact
series of antitrust laws which have
removed an unfair burden from le-
ultimate business; to enact the Lever
agricultural bill and the rural cred
its bill, both in the interest OF the
American farmer; and in many other
ways, to promote the interests of all
the people. We commend him, and
we commend the democratic con-
gress, which has SO Loyalty supported
him, and which has redeemed every
promise made to the people by the
democratic party at the Baltimore
convention. They have earned, and
the democracy of Iowa will gladly
give to them our earnest and loyal
support.
Meredith.
We take pride in presenting to the
people of Iowa our candidate for gov
ernor, Hon. E. T. Meredith, persona
flies all that is best in the manhood
of Iowa, in his personal character and
his spirit of unselfish devotion to the
public service. With Wilson and
Meredith we make our appeal to all
the voters of Iowa, regardless of
party, who have the best interests of
our country and our state at heart.
Primary Law.
We favor such a modification of
the present primary laws will re-
duce the enormous expense to the
taxpayers, increase their effective
ness and yet preserve the principle
thereof.
WOrkmen's Compensation.
We favor the principle of the
workmen's compensation law, but the
law now in force in this state is in
adequate to render justice to those
intended to be benefited thereby.
We therefore favor such amendments
to the law as will increase the amount
of compensation, and such other
amendments as will more nearly do
justice to the employer, employe, and
the public. The author of the COM
pensation act is an honored democrat
of this state, the Hon. John T. Clark
son. For twenty years he has been
the able champion of the laboring
forces in Iowa. Recognizing nis
worth, his services and his ability,
our party presents him as candidate
for attorney general, in the full be-
lief that he will be trimphantly
elected.
Road Making.
The democratic party and our can
didates stand for such business adj
ministration of our present road rev.
enues as will give us a dollars
worth of road for every dollar spent,
We favor such a law as will give
us local option in the matter of road
building and will give such commun-
tiles as desire better roads authority
to build them.
We believe the practical road pro-
gram at this time should be limited
to the cutting down of hills, grading
of roadbeds, proper drainage, surface
ing with gravel where such gravel is
available, and the erection of perma-
nent bridges and culverts. And we
pledge the candidates of our party to
this program.
We unreservedly believe in local
control of road expenditures, and that
the local community alone has the
right to say what Improvements shall
be made. And we further declare
that rural communities must be pro-
tected against unfair or burdensome
expenses being saddled upon them by
cities in the same community.
We further pledge our candidates,
if elected, to eliminate all waste in
the administration of our road affairs
in each and every department there
of.
We expressly declare that we are
opPOoSN w oiAS ~ oSA etAiA SAA"S AASSAAAo
increase in the taxes for road pur-
poses. We denounce the fragrant
campaign of Misrepresentation pub
licly and privately made that our
party or candidates stand for paved
roads, 100000 bond issues, or
eXtravagant expenditures.
Prohibition.
We commend the stand of our can
didate for governor upon the liquor
question, and it being fundamental
principle of democracy that the peo-
pie shall rule, we favor the resub-
mission of the prohibitory amend
ment to the people, and pledge our
selves, if given the power, to so SUBJ
NIT it. We further favor such legis-
lation as may be necessary, if any,
for the effective enforcement of the
present prohibitory laws.
State Business.
The business of the state has ex-
banded until there are at this time
about fifty departments or commits
sions, each being more or less indie
pendent of the others. We favor such
a reorganization of these depart