Democratic Platform

The Democratie party of Michigan in convention assembled stand upon and affirm the platform of the Democracy adopted at Grand Rapids in 1890, which is asfollows: "When the people are asked to judge or choose between principies and policies of opposing political parties, whether those of one or the other be for the goodorforthe ill of the nation, whether those of the one or the other will bring the greatest good to the greatest number, a comparison of influence and results following the practical application in government of their respective principies and policies affords the best means for judgment and choice. We, the Democrats of Michigan, in convention assembled, claiming for ourselves motives and purposes of the highest patriotism, and without reflecting upon the motives of the great mass of those who have heretofore voted with ouropponents, invite such comparison and solicit the support of all good citizens of Michigan in the coming election. First - We reaffirm the declaration of principies in the platform adopted by the party in its last national convention. Second - With just pride we point to the prudent, wise and statesmanlike administration of Graver Cleveland. Third - We condemn the tration of Benjamin Harrison for the utter disregard of its solemn pledge: made to the people before election We denounce it for its unparallelec extravagance, which has in the firsi eighteen months of its life dissipated the greater part of the vast surplus left in the treasury by the preceding frugal Democratie administration, and brought the country to confront the possibility of an early deficiency and higher taxation as a result of such extravagance. We condemn it for its delibérate abandonment of civil service reform; for its use of cabinet positions and other high stations in payment of financial campaign debts; for using the public patronage of a family appendage instead of a public trust; for its complete subserviency to Wall street and the money power, and its undisguised hostility or indifference to the the rights and interests of the producing and laboring classes. Fourth - We reaffirm the obligations of the people to the soldiers and sailors of the war for the preservation of the unión, and favor a policy of liberal pensions to the disabled survivors and dependent families. Fifth - The power to tax is wholly a prerogative of sovereignty, and should be delegated to Congress by the people for these purposes only; to pay the public debts, to provide for the common defense, and to provide for the general welfare. The enactment of a system of taxation avowedly for different ends, and under which the national treasury may be congested by an enormous surplus collected from the people in taxes on the necessaries of life, but also under which the prerogative to tax is actually re-delegated by Congress to f avored classes, who, for their own enrichment, may levy a tariff upon such necessaries in addition to fair cost and fair profits, which would be a radical perversion of the power to tax conferred upon Congress by the people. Sixth - Wedenounceand condemn the high tariff policy of the present administration, and demand that our tariff and internal revenue taxes shall not be higher than required to maintain the government, economically administered. We especially condemn the McKinley tariff bill which still further restricts the market for American products while it iñcreases the burden of taxation. We denounce it becauseit has nota section or line that will open a new market for a single bushei of wheat or a single barrel of pork; [and also cause it still further restricts our markets and limits our trade with the world - a policy that must more depress American agriculture, lessen the valué of American farms and increase the cost of living to the American people. Seventh - We believe in the free and unlimited coinage of gold and silver, unhampered by conditions as to the legal tender qualities of either, and unhampered by the proviso suspending coinage of silver after July i, 1891. We condenn the Republican policy because it de monetÍ7.ed silver and still refuses the demand of the people for a restora tion of silver to a complete equalit' with gold. We condemn the Re publican members of Congress from the state of Michigan who votec against the complete remonetization of silver. Eighth- We demand that henee forth the issuing of all circulating medium be made under acts of Congress through the national treasury in such amounts as the business wants of the country require. Ninth - We denounce the Lodge Porce bilí which has passed the house ind has the active support of the idministration, as revolutionary and jnconstitutional. It strikes down home rule and local self-government provides the machinery to accomplish dishonest returns and false certificates of election; fosters sectionalism and bayonet rule where every interest of the people invites to peace, fraternity and unity; outrages the traditions and customs of a century by giving life tenure to partisan returning boards; makes the legislative and executive branches dependent upon the judiciary,and convertsthe judiciary into an instrument of oppression and corruption; involves. the unnecessary expenditure of millions of the people's money. We declare that interference of any kind by the federal government with state elections is a dangerous menace to the form of government bequeathed to us by the framers of the constitution, and that the intelligence and patriotism of the American people may safely be trusted to remedy any evils that may exist in our elections. Tenth - The public domain should be reserved for homesteads for actual settlers. Lands granted as subsidies to corporations whichwere not earned in strict conformity with the terms of the grants should be declared forfeited and settlers upon them should be protected. We denounce the repeated acts of the republican senate in refusing to pass the bilis of the democratie house, declaring forfeited more than fiftyfour million of acres of unearned lands, and we denounce the action or the repubhcan iegislature ol Michigan, when, after the poor act of meagre justice to the homesteaders of Michigan had been wrested from the senate of the United States (changed and mangled from an act of full justice to the settlers as it came from the house), that legislature refused to put the construction upon the act that the state of Michigan accepted it for the benefit of those who had settled upon the land in good faith, and not for the benefit of subsidized corporations. Eleventh - Wecondemn the policy of giving bounties to promote commercial relations with other countries until closer commercial rela tions with those countries can be maintained. We believe in the ere ation of a merchant marine, whic] can be best brought about by unre stneted commerce. Until the free dom of commerce permits the recip rocal return in profitable exchange for American products sold abroad we condemn the system of subsidie which only maintains a line so long as the subsidy lasts. ' ' We are in favor of a secret bal lot and of such legislation as shal be adequate to effectually preserve the purity of elections while securing to each voter the exercise of his right of suffrage." We congrrtulate the democrats o: the national congress on their splendid battle against and permanent defeat of the infamous bill. The McKinley bill is a law, but the democratie party pledges itself to the people to execute their judgment pronounced in 1890 for the repeal of the law, and that this shali be done in the vear of our Lord. i893The great communities of farmers are too numerous to form effective trusts and as this large body of our citizens raise a surplus, the selling price must by a natural law be fixed by the prices of the world's markets abroad. Reciprocity merely with countries which do notj demand or need our agricultural products and increase but which will buy only oúr manufactures will not suffice. Those great markets of the farmer, too loeg closed, and whose dense populations are the great consumers of the world, must be opened by inviting repeals of retaliatory laws, and by striking off the shackles which fetter exchange of trade. We challenge the policy of the republican party, which, while seeking to enact prohibitory duties for the destruction of trade with other countries, at the same time proposes to appropriite millions of dollars of the earnings of the people as subsidies to steamship lines, under the pretense of restoring trade. We endorse the action of the state senate in fearlessly deciding the late contest for seats according to the testimony, and in unseating members holding their places by fraud, and giving their seats to the members chosen by the people.