Show PLATFORM republicans DECLARE THEIR POLICY FOR COMING ELECTION efforts to tru ts approved gold standa d upheld protect on declared Dc lared cord arl pol cy of the party powerful navy the first day s proceedings of the republican national convention at chicago was carr ed out e clock work not a discordant note aping sounded an organization was per preparatory to the adoption of a platform and fie mal ing of nomi nations in the succeeding das of the convention the keynote to the campaign of 1904 was sounded by elihu root in his speech as temporary chairman his address was a review of the ac of the present admin and a defense of republican policies in general when that had been delivered and the various work lag committees dispatched to their la bors the business of the session was completed speaker joseph G cannon was the central figure at the second day s sion of the republican national con from the standpoint of political am the adoption of the party platform was the event of the day it contained declarations of party policy that are to form the basis of much of the oratory in the coming campaign republican PLATFORM following Is the platform adopted by the republican national contention fifty years ago the republican party came into existence dedicated among other purposes to the great task of ar resting the extension of hun an slavery in it elected its first president dur ing twenty four of the forty four years which have elapsed since the election of lincoln the party has held complete control of the government for eighteen more of the forty four years 1 has held partial control through the possession of one or two branches of the government wl lie the democratic party the same period has had corn control for only two years this long tenure of power by the party Is not due to chance it Is a dem that the republican party has commanded the confidence of the ameri can deop e for nearly two generations to a degree never equalled equal led in our history and has d splayed high capacity for rule and government which has been made even more conspicuous by the in capacity and infirmity of purpose shown its opponents ahe can party entered upon its present period f complete supremacy in 1891 we have every rig t to condrat ourselves upon the work since then accompli hed for it has added luster even to the traditions of the party which carried the government through the storms of civil war we then found the country after tour years of democratic rule in evil pi oppressed nith misfortune and doubtful of the ut re public credit had been lowered the revenues were declining ithe debt growing tl a administration s attitude tov ard spain was feeble and mortifying the standard of values waa threatened and uncertain labor was crippled crin pled business was sunk in the de pr esclon which had succeeded the panic of 1893 hope was taint and confidence was gone we met thee unhappy conditions alg porously effectively and alone V e re placed a democratic tariff law based on tree trade with protect loK a protective tariff end industry from opples elon and stimulated oy the encourage ment of wise laws has expanded to a de gree never before known has conquered new markets and has created a volume of exports whick has surpassed lon tinder the dingley tariff labor has fully cropped wages have risen and all industries lave revived and prospered we firmly dished the gold stand ard which was then menaced with de confidence returned to b sl boess and with confidence an unexampled prosperity for deficient revenues supplemented y improvident issues of bonds we gave he country an income which produced large surplus and which enabled us only four years after the spanish war lad closed to remove over of annual war taxes reduce the public debt and lower the interest charges of the government fhe public credit which had been so cowered that in tin e of peace a demo cratic made large loans at extravagant rates of interest in order to lay current expenditures rose under administration to its i point and enabled us to borrow at 2 per cent eien in time of war we refused to palter longer with the tel serles of cuba we fought a vis oro war with spain we 1 cuba free governed the island for three years and then gave it to the cuban peo pie with order restored with ample rev denues with education and public health established free from debt and connect d with the united states by wise pro inions tor our mut al interests we have organ ed the government of orto rico and its people now enjoy peace freedom order and prosperity in the philippines we have suppressed insurrection celab shed order and given life and property a security never known there before we have organized civil made it effect he and strong in administration and have conferred upon the people of those islands the largest civil liberty they have ever en boyea by our possession of the philippines we were enabled to take prompt and ef action in the relief of the lega alons at pekin and a decisive part in preventing the partition and the preserve ap of the integrity of china the possession of a ro te for an esth mian canal so long the dream of ameri can statesmanship 1 now an accod baet the greit work of connect ins the and atlantic oceans by a canal Is at last begun and it Is due to the rep allcan party we haie passed laws watch will baire brire the arid lands of the united states with in the area of cultivation we have reorganized the and put t to the highest state of efficiency we have passed laws for the improve and support of the militia we have pushed forward the building of the navy the defense and the krotec alon of our honor and interests our administration of the great depart ments of ohp government hag been ho est and efficient and wherever wrong has been discovered the republican admin has not hesitated to the evil and brine the offenders to justice without regard to party or political ties laws enacted by the republican party which the democratic party failed to enforce and which were intended for the protection of the against the i just discrimination of the illegal en croach ment of vast aggregations of a ital have been fearlessly enforced by a republican president and new laws en buring responsible publicity as to the operation of great corpora tlona and pro viding additional remedies for the pre of discrimination in freight rates have been passed by a can con gress in this record of achievements durar p the past eight years may be read the pledges which the rep bl can party has fulfill ea e ropo e to continue this apfl e and n e declare constant arih to the fol owing principles protect en wh ch guards and develops r industries Is a card nal policy of the rep b lean party the measure of pro i shou d always 11 least equal the difference jn the t of production at 1 on e a d abroad e insist upon the ce of the principles princ ples of krotec tl n arid thereto e rates anty should ie readjust d ahen cond alons have so chingpo that the public interest de mands their alteration but thia work cannot safely be corn mitt d to any other hands than those of can party to entrust it to he democratic party is to invite dasas tr whether as in the democratic the p tariff un on or whether it demands arlel reform or tariff rev ion its real act la always tl e destruction of the protective however s the name the pur 0 o is ever the same A Democrat io r 1 aiwas been followed by b sl ess ad a republican tariff by h iness prosperity to a republican cong ess ard a rep b lean president this T at estion can be safely In trusted the free trade country among th great nations agitated a return to protect on the chief protective country should not falter in maintaining it we have extended widely our foreign markets and v e belle e in the adoption of all practicable methods tor their fur ther extension include ng commercial rec wherever reciprocal arrange ments can be effected consistent with the principles of protection and without in aury to american agriculture american labor or any american industry we believe it to be the duty of the re publican party to uphold the gold stand ard and the integrity and val e of our national currency the maintenance of the gold standard established by the republican party cannot safely be cora bitted to the democratic party which resisted its adoption and has never given any proof since that time of belief in tt or to it 1 every other ind sarv proa under the fostering aid of alcan legislation american shipping en biped in foreign trade in competition w th the low cost of construction low wages and heavy of foreign governments has not for many eara re calved from the government of the unit ed states adequate encouragement of any kind we therefore favor legislation which will encourage and build up the american merchant marine and we cor dia approve the legislation of the last congress wh ch created the merchant mar ne commission to investigate and report upon this subject A navy powerful enough to defend the united states against any attack to up ho d the monroe doctrine and watch over our commerce Is essential to the safety and the welfare of the american people to maintain such a navy 1 the fixed policy of the republican party we cordially approve the attitude of president roosebelt Roos eielt and congress in re gard to the exclusion of chinese labor and promise a continuance of the pe publican policy in that direction ahe civil service law was placed on the statute books by the republican party wh ch has always sustained it and we renew our torn er declarations that it shall be thoroughly and honestly en arced ve are always mindful ol 01 the country s debt to the soldiers and sailors of the united states and we believe in making ample provision for them and in the lib eral adm of the pension laws we favor the peaceful settlement 0 international d faculties by arbitration we commend the vigorous efforts made by the administration to protect amer can citizens in foreign lands and pledge ourselves to insist upon the just and equal protection of a our citizens abroad it Is the duty of the government to procure for all our citizens without distinction the rights travel and sojourn in friendly coun tries and we declare ourselves in favor of all proper efforts tending to that end our great interests and our growing commerce in the orient render the con d tion of ch na of high importance to the united states we cordially com mend the policy pursued in that d rec t on by the administration of presidents ackin ey and roosevelt we favor such congressional action aa shall ne whether by special dis criminations the elective franchise in my state has been unconstitutionally 1 cited and it such Is the case we de mand that representation in congress and in ohp electoral college shall be pro reduced as directed by the states comb nations of capital and of labor are the ot the economic move ment of the age but neither must be perm eted to lags upon the rights and interests of the people such corn when lawful formed for law tul puru poses are al ke entitled to the protect io i of the laws but both are subject to the laws and neither can be permitted to break them the great statesman and patriotic american will am mckenley who waa re elected by the republican party to the presidency four year ago was as sass bated just at the threshold of hia second term the ent re nation mourned his untimely death and d d that justice to his great qualities of mind and char acter which 1 story will confirm and re peat the american people were fortunate in ats successor to whom they turned with a trist tr and confidence which have been fully justified president roosevelt brought to the great responsibilities thus sadly forced upon him a clear head a brave heart an earnest patriotism and high ideals of public duty and publia service true to the principles of the republican party and to the duties to vh ch the party had declared he also 1 as shown himself ready for every emergency and has met new and vital quest ons with ability and with success the confidence of the people in hi justice inspired by his public career enabled him to render personally an in estimable service to the country by bringing about a settlement of the coal strike wh ch threatened such disastrous results at the opening of the winter ot foreign policy under his adminis has not only been able vigorous and d but in the highest degree successful th comp a which arose in venez ela were settled in such a way by president roosevelt that the monroe doctrine was signally bindl bated and the cause of peace and greatly advanced his prompt and vigorous action in panama which we commend in the highest terms not only secured to us the canal route but avoided foreign comell which might have been of very serious character he has con tin ed the policy of president mckenley in the orl nt and pur position in ct ina signalized by our recent commercial treaty wit that empire has never been so high he becu ed the tribunal by which the vexed and perilous question of the alas kan boundary was finally settled whenever crime against hia anity have been perpetrated which have shocked hg protest has been made and our good offices have been ten dered b t always with due to in athons under his gu dance we find ourselves it peace with all the world and never were we more respected or our wishes regarded bv foreign nations pre e nine aly successful in regard to our foreign relations he has been equally fortunate in dealing with domestic ques alons the country haf known that the public credit and the currency was abdol tely safe in the hands of his administration in the enforcement ol 01 the laws he has shown not only courage but the wisdom which understands that to permit laws to be violated or diere opens the door to ar archy while the just enforcement of the law Is the soundest conservatism he has held firmly to the fundamental american doc trine that all men must obey the law hat there may be no distinction rich and poor between s and weak but that justice and equal protection under the law must be secured to ivery citizen without regard to race reed or condition 1 administration has thorough vigorous and honorable high minded and patriotic we commend it without reser nation to the considerate judgment of he american people |