JMWjP" '
The Commoner.
13
aOGUST 16, 1912
lng. Our business men are strong 1
executives, strong organizers. In
every way possible our federal gov
ernment should co-operate in this
important matter. Anyone who has
had opportunity to study and ob
serve first hand Germany's course
in this respect must realize that the
policy of co-operation between gov
ernment and business has in com
paratively few instances made them
a leading competitor for the com
merce of the world. It should bo re
membered that they are doing this
on a national scale and with large
units of business, while the demo
crats would have us believe that we
should do it with small units of busi
ness, which would be controlled not
by the national government, but by
forty-nine state sovereignties. Such
a policy is utterly out of keeping
with the progress of the times and
gives our great commercial rivals in
Europe, hungry for international
markets, golden opportunities of
which they are rapidly taking ad
vantage. Conservation
The national resources of the na
tion must be promptly developed
and generally used to support the
people's needs, but we can not safely
allow them to bo wasted, exploited,
monopolized or controlled against
the general good. We heartily favor
the policy of conservation and we
pledge our party to protect the na
tional forests without hindering
their legitimate use for the benefit
of all the people. Agricultural lands
in. the national forests are for and
should remain open to the genuine
settler. Conservation will not re
tard legitimate development. The
honest settler must receive his
patent promptly without hindrance,
rules or delays.
Wo believe that the remaining
forests, coal and oil lands, water
power sites and other natural re
sources, still In state or national
control (except agricultural lands)
are more likely to be wisely con
served and utilized for the general
welfare if held in the public hands.
In order that consumers and pro
ducers, managers and workmen now
and hereafter need not pay toll to
private monopolies of power and raw
material, we demand that such re
sources shall be retained by the
state or nation, and opened to im
mediate use under laws which, will
encourage development and make
to the people a moderate return for
benefits concurred.
In particular we pledge ourselves
to require reasonable compensation
to the public for water power rights
hereafter granted by the public. We
pledge legislation to lease the public
grazing lands under equitable pro
visions now pending which will In
crease the production of the food for
people and thoroughly safeguard the
rights of the actual homemaker. Na
tional resources whose conservation
is necessary for the national welfare
should be owned or controlled by
the nation.
Good Roads
We recognize the vital importance
of good roads, and we pledge our
party to foster their extension In
every proper way and we favor the
early construction of national high
ways. We also favor the extension
of the rural free delivery service.
Alaska
The coal and other national re
sources of Alaska should be opened
to development at once. They are
owned by the people of the United
States and are safe from monopoly,
waste, or destruction only while so
owned. We demand that they shall
neither be sold nor given away, ex
cept under the homestead law, but
while held in government ownership
fchall be opened to use promptly upon
literal ferms requiring immediate
development. Thus the benefit of
cheap fuel Accrue to the soverament
of the United States and to the
people of Alaska and the Pacific
coast the settlement of extensive
agricultural lands will bo hastened;
the extermination of the salmon will
be prevented and the just nnd wise
development of Alaskan resources
will take the place of private ex
tortion or monopoly in transporta
tion shall be prevented by the prompt
acquisition, construction of improve
ment by the government of such rail
roads, harbor or other .facilities for
transportation as the welfare of the
people may demand.
We promise the people of the ter
ritory of Alaska the samo measure
of local self-government that was
given to other American territories,
and that federal officials appointed
there shall be qualified by previous
bonafido residence in the territory.
Waterways
The rivers of the United States
are the natural arteries of this conti
nent. We demand that they shall
bo open to traffic as indispensable
parts of a great nation-wide system
of transportation, in which the Pana
ma canal will bo the central line,
thus enabling the whole interior of
the United States to share with the
Atlantic and Pacific seaboards in the
benefits derived from the canals. It
is a national obligation to develop
our rivers, especially the Mississippi
and its tributaries, without delay,
under a comprehensive general
plan covering each river system from
its source to Its mouth, designed to
secure its highest usefulness for
navigation, irrigation, domestic sup
ply and the prevention of floods. We
pledge our party to the immediate
preparation of such a plan which
should be made and carried out In
close and friendly co-operation be
tween the nation, the states and the
cities affected. Under such a plan
the destructive floods of the Missis
sippi and other streams, which rep
resent a great and needless loss to
the nation, would be controlled Ijy
forest conservation and water stor
age at the head waters, and by levees
below.
Water power enough to transform
the industrial operations of whole
states would be developed; adequate
water power for water terminals
would be provided; transportation by
river would revive and the railroads
would be compelled to co-operate
with the boat lines as with each
other. The equipment, organization
and experience acquired in construct
ing the Panama canal zone would bo
available for construction of the gulf
deep waterway and other portions of
this great work and should be uti
lized by the nation in co-operation
with the various states, at the low
est net cost to the people.
Panama Canal
The Panama canal, built and paid
for by the American people, must be
used primarily for their benefit. We
demand that the canal shall be so
operated as to break the transporta
tion monopoly now held and misused
by the transcontinental railroads by
maintaining sea competition with
them; that ships directly or indirect
ly owned or controlled by American
railroad corporations shall not be
permitted to use the canal and that
American ships engaged in coastwise
trade shall pay no tolls.
The progressive party shall favor
legislation having for its aim the de
velopment of friendship and com
merce between the United States and
Latin-American states.
The Tariff
We believe in a protective tariff
which shall equalize conditions of
competition between the United
States and foreign countries, both
for the farmers and the manufac
turers, which shall entertain for
labor an adequate standard of living.
Primarily, the benefit of any tariff
should be disclosed in the pay enve
lope of the laborer. We declare that
no industry deserves protection
which Is unfair to labor or which Is
operating in violation of federal law.
Wo believe that the presumption is
always in fayor of the consuming
public.
We demand tariff revision down
ward becauso the present tariff is
unjust to the people of the United
States. Fair dealing toward the
people requires an immediate down
ward revision of these schedules
wherein duties are shown to bo un
just or excessive
We pledge ourselves to the estab
lishment of a non-partisan scientific
tariff commission, reporting both to
the president and' to oithor branch of
congress, which shall report first the
costs of production, efficiency of
labor, capitalization, industrial or
ganization and efficiency and the gen
eral competitive position in this
country and abroad of industries
seeking protection from congress;
second, as to tho revenue-producing
power- of tho tariff and its relation
to the resources of government, and
third, as to tho offoct of tho tariff on
prices, operations of middlemen and
on tho purchasing power of tho con
sumer. We beliovo that this commission
should have plenary powers to elicit
information and for this purpose to
prescribe a uniform system of ac
counting for the great protected in
dustries. Tho work of tho commis
sion should not prevent the immedi
ate adoption of acts reducing these
schedules gonerally recognized as
excessive.
Wo condemn the Payne-Aldrich
bill as unjust to tho people. The re
publican organization is in the hands
of those who have broken pledges
and can not again be trusted to keep
the promises of necessary downward
revision. .
Tho democratic party is com
mitted to the destruction of tho pro
tective system through a tariff for
revenue only, a policy which would
Inevitably produce widespread in
dustrial and commercial disaster.
Wo demand the immediate repeal
of the Canadian reciprocity act.
Inheritance and Income Tax
We believe in a graduated inheri
tance tax as a national means of
equalizing the obligations of hold
ers of property to the government
and wo hereby pledge our party to
enact such a federal law as will tax
large inheritances, returning to the
states an equitable percentage of all
amounts collected. Wo favor tho
ratification of tho pending amend
ment to the constitution giving tho
government power to levy an in
come tax.
Peace and National Defense
The progressive party deplores the
survival in our civilization of the
barbaric system of warfare among
nations with its enormous waste of
resources, even in time of peace and
the consequent imperishment of the
life of the toiling masses. We pledge
the party to use its best endeavors
to substitute judicial and other
peaceful means of settling interna
tional difficulties.
We favor an international agree
ment for the limitation of naval
forces. Pending such an agreement,
and as the best means of preserving
peace, we pledge ourselves to main
tain for the present, the policy of
building two battleships a year.
Treaty Rights
We pledge our party to protect
the rights of American citizenship
at home and abroad. No treaty
should receive the sanction of our
government which discriminates be
tween American citizens because of
birthplace, race or religion or that
does not recognize the absolute right
of expatriation.
The Immigrant
Thr ought the establishment ot
industrial standards we propose to
sccuro to tho able-bodlod immigrant
to his native follow workers, a largo
share of American opportunity. Wo
denounco tho fatal policy of Indiffcr
once and neglect which has left our
foreign population to bocomo the
prey of chance fnd cupidity.. Wo
favor governmental action to cn
courago the distribution of immi
grants away from tho congested
cities, to rigidly superviso all present
agencies dealing with them and to
promote their assimilation, educa
tion and advancement.
Pensions
Wo pledge ourselves to a wine and
just policy of pensioning American
soldiers and sailors and the widows
and children of tho federal govern
ment, and wo approve tho policy of
tho southern states In grnnting pen
sions to the ex-confederate soldiers
and sailors and their widows and
children.
Parcels Pot
Wo pledge our party to tho im
mediate creation of a parcels post,
with rates proportionate to distance
nnd service.
Civil Servico
We condemn tho violations of tho
civil service law under the prosent ad
ministration, including the coercion
and assessment of subordinate em
ployes and the president's refusal to
punish such violation after a finding
of guilty by his own commission;
his distribution of patronage among
subservient congressmen, while
withholding it from those wiio re
fuse support of administration
measures; his withdrawal of nomi
nations from the senate until politi
cal support for himself was secured,
and tho open use of the offices toward
those who solicited for his rcnomina
tion. To eradicate these abuses we de
mand not only tho enforcement of
the civil service act in letter and
spirit, but also legislation that will
bring under the competitive system
postmasters, collectors, marshals and
other non-political officers as well as
the enactment of an equitable retire
ment law, and we insist on continu
ous service during good behavior and
efficiency.
Government Business Organization
Wo pledge our party to readjust
ment of the business methods of the
national government and a proper co
ordination of the federal bureaus,
which will Increase the economy and
efficiency in tho government service,
prevent duplications and securing
better results to the tax payers for
every dollar expended.
Governmental Supervision Over In
vestments The p"eoplo of tho United States
are swindled out of many millions of
dollars every year through worthless
Investments. The plain people, the
wage-earner and the men and wo
men with small savings have no way
of knowing the merit of concerns
sending out highly colored prospec
tuses offering stock for sale, pros
pectuses that make big returns seem
certain, and fortunes easily within
grasp.
Wo hold It to be the duty of the
government to protect Its people
from this kind of piracy. We there
for demand wise, careful thought
out legislation that wlllgive us such
governmental supervision over this
matter as will furnish to the people
of tho United States this much
needed protection, and wo pledge
ourselves thereto.
Conclusion
On these principles and on the
recognized desirability of uniting the
progressive forces of the nation into
an organization which shall unequi
vocally"" promote tho progressive
spirit and policy we appeal for the
support of all American citizens
without regard to previous political
affiliations.
WjM&'- & &
. rV
win..