Show democratic we the democrats of the united states in national convention assembled do our allegiance to those great essential principles 0 justice and liberty upon which our institutions founded and which the democratic part baa advocated from jeffersons time tc our own freedom of speech freedom ol 01 the creps preps treed am ot conscience the preservation of personal rights the equality of all citizens before alie law and the faithful observance of constitutional limitations during all these years the democratic party hae resisted the tendency 0 selfish interests to the centralization ol 01 governmental power and steadfastly maintained the integrity of the dual scheme of the government established by tte founders of this republic of republics under its guidance and teachings the great principle of local self government has found its best expression in the maintenance of the rights 0 the states and in its assertion of the necessity of confining the general government to the exercise of power granted by the constitution ution of the united states the constitution of the united states guarantees to every citizen the rights cf civil and religious liberty the democratic parta has always been the exponent of political liberty and religious freedom and it renews its obligation and reaffirms its devotion to these fundamental principles 0 the constitution MONEY MAIN ISSUE recognizing that the money question ie paramount to all others at his time we invite attention to the fact that the federal constitution names silver and gold together as the money metals of the united states and that the first law passed by congress under the constitution made the the monetary unit and admitted gold to free coinage at a ratio based upon the silver dollar unit we declare that ctol 1873 dilver without the knowledge or approval of the american people resulted in the appreciation ot gold and a corresponding fall in the prices of commodities produced by the people a heavy increase in the burden of taxation and all debts public and private the eu rich men t of the money lending at ln me and abroad the prostration of industry and impoverishment ol 01 the people we are unalterably opposed to copo mopo which has locked fast the prosperity ct an industrial people in the paralysis of hard times god is a british policy and its adoption has brought other nations into financial servitude in london it is not only american un but anti american and it can be fastened on the united states only by the stifling of that spirit and love of liberty which proclaimed our political independence in 1770 and won it in the war 0 the revolution THE SILVER PLANK wo demand the tree and unlimited coinage ot both cold and silver at the present legal ratio of 10 to 1 without waiting for the aid or consent of any other nation we demand that the standard silver dollar shall be a full legal tender equally arita gold for all debts public and private and we favor such legislation as will prevent in the future abo of any kind ot legal tender money by private contract we are opposed to the policy and practice 0 surrendering to the holders of the obligations of the united states the options reserved by law to alie government of redeeming such obligations iu either silver coin or gold coin SO IN TIME OP we are opposed to the issuing of in terest bearing bonds of the united states in time f peace and condemn the trafficking with banking syndicates with and in exchange for bonds at an enormous profit to themselves to supply alie federal treasury with gold to maintain tho policy 0 gold CONGRESS TO ISSUE MONEY congress alone has the power to coin and issue money and president jackson declared that this power could not be delegated to corporations or individuals we therefore denounce the issuance of notes as money for national bunks as in derogation of the constitution and we demand that all paper which ie made legal tender for public and private deoto or which is receivable for dues to the united state shall be issued by the government of tho united states aud ceball be redeemable in coin TUB 1 AD TAX we abid that the tariff duties should be levied r or purposes of revenue duties to be so adjusted as to operate cooperate co equally the country and not discriminate between class or ejection and that taxation should be limited by the needs of the government honestly and economically administered we denounce as disturbing to busi cees the republican threat to restore the me kinley law which has been twice condemned by the people in national elections and which enacted under the falee plea of protection to home industry proved a prolific breeder of trusts and monopolies enriched the few at the empei of the many restricted trade and deprived the producers ot the great american staples of accles to their natural markets until the money question is settled we are opposed to any agitation for further changes in our tariff laws except lucli ae are necessary tt inept the deficit in revenue aused by the alveree decision by the supreme court on the income tax but for the decision by the supreme court there would be no deficit in the revenue the law passed by a democratic congress in strict pursuance of tho uniform decisions of that court lor nearly years that court has in that decision sustained constitutional objections to its enactment which had previously been overruled by the best judges who have set on that bench we declare that it is the duty 0 congress to use all the constitutional power which remain after that decision or which may come from its reversal by the court aa it acay hereafter be constituted so that the burdens of taxation may be equally and impartially laid to the end that wealth may lear its due proportion of the expense of the government we bold that the most efficient way of protecting american interests is to prevent the importation of foreign pauper la aror to complete with it la the home market and that the value of the borne market to farmers aud artisans is greatly bv the monetary system depresses the of their pro aucta below the cost of production and thus deprives them ol 01 the means of purchasing the products of our home manufacturers rs the absorption of stealth by the few the consolidation of our leading railway systems and the formation of our trusts and pools require a et control bv the federal government of these arteries of commerce we demand the enlargement of the powers of the interstate commerce commission and such restrictions and guarantees in the control of railroads as will protect the people from robbery and oppression WASTE OF MONEY we denounce the profligate waste of the money wrung from the people by oppressive aud the lavish appropriation of recent republican congresses gr esses which havo kept taxes high while the laborer that pays them is unemployed products of the peoples toil are depressed in price till they no longer repay the cost of production we demand a return to that simplicity and economy which befits a democratic government and reduction in the number of useless offices the salaries of which draw the substance ot the country DENOUNCES NATIONAL INTER IN LOCAL AFFAIRS we denounce arbitrary interference by federal authorities in local affairs as a violation of the constitution of the united states and a crime against free institutions we especially object to government by injunction as a new and highly dangerous form of oppression by which federal judges in contempt of the laws and the rights of citizens become at once legislators judges and executioner sand we approve the bill parsed at the last session of the united stales senate and now pending in the representatives relative to con tempts in federal courts and providing for trials by jury in certain cases of contempt PACIFIC AND FUNDING BILLS discrimination be indulged by the government of the united states in favor of any of its debtors we approve of the of the fifty third congress to pass the pacific railroad funding bill and denounce the efforts of the present republican congress to enact a similar measure JUST PENSION LAWS recognizing the just claims of deserving union soldiers we heartily in doree the rule of the commissioner of pensions that no names shall be arbitrarily dropped from the pension rolls and the fact of enlistment and service should be deemed conclusive evidence against disease and disability before ADMISSION OF we favor the admission of the territories of new mexico aad arizona into the union as states and we favor the early admission of all the having the necessary population and resources to entitle tb em to statehood and while they remain territories we hold that the officials appointed to administer the government of any terii tory the ground with the district of columbia and alaska should be bona fide residents of the territory or district in which the duties are to bo performed the democratic party believes in horre rule and that all public lands ol 01 the united states houlb be appropriated to the establishment of broo tor citizens we recommend that alaska be granted a delegate in congress and that the general land and timber laws of the united states be extended to said territory SYMPATHY FOR CUBA the monroe doctrine as originally de clued and as interpreted by our leading presidents ie a permanent pait of the loreign policy of the united staled aej must at all times bo maintained we extend our sympathy to alie people of cuba in their heroic struggle for liberty and independence CIVIL SERVICE NO we declare it to be the unwritten law of this republic established by custom and usage of one hundred years and sanctioned by the examples of the great state and the wisest of those who founded it that no man be eligible for a third term to the presidential otilde lai the federal government should care for and improve the mississippi river aad other areat waterways of the republic so as to secure for the interior states easy and clieaf transportation to tide water whenever any waterway of the republic is of sufficient importance to demand aid of the government such aid should be extended apon a definite plan of continuous work until permanent improvement pro is te cured confiding in the justice of our cause and the necessity of its success at the polls we submit the foregoing declaration of adles and purposes to the considerate judgment of the american people we invite the support cf all citizens who approve them and who desire to have them made effective through legislation for the relief of the people and the restoration of the prosperity |