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Show A GREAT BIG PLATFORM. The Democratic State platform this year is a mastodon. .It breaks all records rec-ords for size, and upon reading it one cannot help but sympathize with Professor Pro-fessor Evans, who moved to havo it edited ed-ited and condensed; but of course his motion was out of order, as .Judge Powers stated, since the convention had adopted 'the platform as it stands. A very large portion of (his bulky document is taken up with generalities, generali-ties, pronouncements which everyone agrees to and nobody opposes. Every-bod' Every-bod' wants a non-partisan judiciary; everybody wants good roads; everybody- wants equitable labor laws; everybody wauts pure elections; everybody every-body wants relief from the too excessive exces-sive cost in the price of living; everybody every-body wants unadulterated goods, and to know what the right price is; everybody ev-erybody wants women and children to bo treated fairly; and everybody of honest mind and good sense joins with the Democracy in denouncing the action ac-tion of the last legislature in this State in refusing to ratify the income lax amendment, which the party platform of the campaign which elocted it specifically spe-cifically approved and pledged the Republican Re-publican legislature 'to ratify. The failure to ratify was a broach of faith with the people that ought to bo visited vis-ited with condign punishment. The personal allusion to President Taft was undignified, and unworthy of a great Stato convention. The criticism criti-cism of his administration was undeserved unde-served also, so far as ho is concerned personally. It is quite true, however, that the reactionary course of the United States Senate is opon to tho most unrestrained condemnation; but when the platform arraigns "the timid tim-id and vacillating policy of the present administration" with regard to Mexico, Mex-ico, we must arraign the Democracy for its attitude on that question. The declaration of the Democratic party, if it wore adopted b.y the administration, would be a declaration of war with Mexico. IBut the patriotic American citizen who desires a war with Mexico, Mex-ico, is ill advised in that desire, and he is altogether wrong in. his position; for such a war would creato far more distress, and lead to far moro bloodshed blood-shed aud destruction of property than even tho most excited exaggeration of the situation, present and past, would show. In Nicaragun we are invited by the Government to aid it in the protection pro-tection of American lives and property. proper-ty. In Mexico any move on our part is officially and emphatically protested protest-ed against. The difference is that between be-tween friendship and onmity, botween peace and war. When this platform deals with homo matters, however, it is on solid ground. There is no question at all but that tho people who drew this platform understood un-derstood what thoy wcro writing about, when doaling with home affairs, aa they clearly did not so well understand in dealing with tho Mexican situation, and with National matters. Tho arraignment ar-raignment of tho Slate administration is strong and well deserved. The denunciations de-nunciations of the way in which tho public moneys are handled Is proper, and the system under which tho administration ad-ministration acts is rightfully condemned. con-demned. Coming to the State Land Board, the platform makes, by suggestion, a scathing arraignment of tho official acts, doings, and position of that board. Wc believe, however, that this arraignment ar-raignment by suggestion is woll founded, found-ed, and that everything intimated as a dereliction of the Slate Land Board is absolutely truo. Indeed, wo bcllovo that much moro could fairly bo alleged against tho actions of this board, but suroly no moro is needed to stigmatizo it as an unworthy body. To allcgo favoritism fa-voritism which has contributed to the enrichment of certain oflicials and their friends; tho taking advantage of information in-formation to which all tho people wero equally entitled; tho discrimination in terms of salo, negotiations of loans nol authorized by law, tho Belling of watersheds wa-tersheds to favored persons all this suroly is a tremendous arraignment of the State Land Board. , 'Tho truth of the matters suggested, we do not be-Hevo be-Hevo to bo opon to the least doubt. Tho denunciation of the Federal Bunch machine of this State is extremely ex-tremely severe, as was stated on the oor of tho convention; but that it is too severe wo do not believe that many people in this Stato will say. The outrageous out-rageous abuse of position and power by that machine, tho overriding of the popular will, tho committing of tho State to unwholesome and indecent intrigues in-trigues with favored interests; the selfish sel-fish action of the Federal Bunch In selecting favored persons of its own for office, and forcing them upon tho people, to the displacement of better mon; tho arbitrary and insulting methods meth-ods employed, the rough-riding, steamroller steam-roller methods, aro all well known to the people of this State, and tho condemnation con-demnation of them cannot be too severe. se-vere. The platform, iu objecting to tho rigorous and unlawful restrictions in favor of tho "faddy" sort of conscr -ation, is also justly condemnatory. Thcro is no question but that this conservation con-servation fad has retarded to a gric ous extent the development of all this mountain country, and has driven out of the United States and into Canada j scores of thousands of American citizens citi-zens who were desirous of establishing homes for themselves, but were prevented pre-vented from doing so in their own country by these very conservation restrictions re-strictions and obstacles. The platform indorses a reasonable conservation policy, pol-icy, but very properly nnd justly denounces de-nounces the extreme conservation fad-dism fad-dism which has been, and which is yet, altogether too much in evidence all through this portion of the American Ropublic. In this connection the platform denounces de-nounces tho obstructions put in the way of mining development by this same conservation faddism. It calls for a continuation of the policy heretofore here-tofore pursued under our mineral laud laws, and which have always been considered con-sidered fundamental principles for the protection of the prospector and claim owner. There has been no reasonablo cause to say that the privileges afforded af-forded heretofore in that respect have been abused, and therefore the reason for undertaking to crush mineral development de-velopment in all this interior region is all the more indefensible. Tho clamping clamp-ing down of these restrictions upon mining was done without notico and without reasonable cause or excuse. The convention did well to denounce the same, and the public generally will agTCO in this denunciation. For the good things that aro in this platform, the public ma3' well thank the convention. On the mere platitudes, plati-tudes, there is no particular reason to find fault, for "they all do it.' For the unfair assault upon Prosidcnt Taft, we think the convention blameworthy, and it "weakens their platform as a whole very decidedly; but tho good points are undeniably good, aud will be approved by the people. |
