.1,1 . " ' M V.
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The Commoner
JULY, 1920
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Democratic National Platform
Tbo following is the text otthe platform
donted by the Democratic national convention
It San Francisco, July t V
"The Democratic party; iir its national conven
tion now assembled, sends greetings to tho presi
dent of the United States, Woodrow Wilson, and
hails with patriotic pride the great achievements
for country and the, world, wrought by a Demo
cratic administration under his leadership.
"It salutes the mighty people of this great
republic, emerging with imperishable honor,
from tho severe tests and grievous strains of the
most tragic war in history, having earned the
plaudits and the gratitude of all free nations.
"It declares its adherence to the fundamental
progressive principles of social, economic and in
dustrial justice and, advance, andT purposes to re
sume the great work of translating these prin
ciples into effective laws, begun and carried far
by the Democratic administration and inter
rupted only when the war claimed aJl'Hhe na
tional energies for the single task of victory.
LEAGUE OF NATIONS
"The Democratic paxty favors the league of
nations as the surest, if not the only, practicable
means of maintaining the permanent peace of
the world and terminating the insufferable bur
den of great military and naval establishments.
It was for this that America broke away from
traditional isolation and spent her blood and
treasure to crush a colossal scheme of conquest.
It was upon this basis that the president of the
United States in pre-arrangeraent with our allies, ,
consented to a' suspension , of (hostilities against
the imperial German Government r the armistice
was granted and a treaty of peace negotiated
upon tho definite assurance to Germany, as well
as to the powers pitted against Germany, that
'a general association , qt nations must be
formed under specific covenants for the purpose
of affording mutual guarantees of political inde
pendence and territorial" integrity to great and
ssmaU states .alike.' Hence; we -not only con
gratulate the president on the vision manifested
and the vigor exhibited In tho prosecution of the
war; but we felicitate him and his associates on
the exceptional achievements at Paris involved
in tho adoption of a league and treaty so near
akin to previously expressed American ideals and
bo intimately related to the aspirations of civil
ized people everywhere. "
"We commend the president for his courage
and his high conception of good faith in stead
fastly standing for. the covenant agreed to by all
the associated and allied, nations at war with
Germany, and we condemn the Republican sen
ate for its refusal to ratify the treaty merely
because it was the product of Democratic states
manship, thus interposing partisan envy and per
sonal hatred in the wa of the peace and re
newed prosperity of' the world.
"By every accepted standard -of international
morality the president is justified in asserting
that the honor of the country isMnvolved in this
business; and we point to the accusing fact that,
before it was determined to initiate political
antagonism to the treaty, the now Republican
chairman of the senate foreign relations com
mittee, himself publicly proclaimed that' any
Proposition for a separate peace withGermany,
such as he and his party associates thereafter re
Ported to the senate, would make us 'guilty of
tb0 blackest crime,'
"On May IB, last, the Knox substitute for the
Versailles treaty was passed by the Republican
senate; and this convention carc contrive no more
fitting characterization Of its obloquy than that
made In the Forum Magazine, of December,
108, hy Henry Cabot Lodge, when he said;
"If wo send our armies and young men
abroad to be killed and. wounded in northern
Prance and Flanders, with no result but this,
ur entrance into' war with uuch an intention
fas a crime which nothing can justify. The in
tent of congress and the intent of the president
as that there could be no peace until we could
create a situation where no such war as this
could recur. We cahnot make peace except in
company With our allies iV would brand us
with everlasting dishonor, and bring ruin to us
wbo. if wo undertook to make a separate peace.
Thus to tliat which Mr. Lodge, insaner mo
Sent8 considered 'the blackest crime,' ho and
wa Party associates f sought to give the .Sanctity
Wrwhat,?ulch eightce mths ago was of
c3wlBf di8b0n0r th0 RePean party and
wo favor tho president's view of our intor
natlonal obligations and his firm stand against
reservations designed to cut to pieces tlmvUa
SlT th Ver8ailles trea d w! com
mend the Democrats in congress for voting
against resolutions for separate peaco which
would disgrace the nation. Wo advocato the
immediato ratification of tho treaty without res
ervations which would impair its essontial in
tegrity i but do not oppose the acceptance of any
reservations making clearer or more specific the
obligations of the United States to tho league
associates. Only by doing this may wo retrlevo
the' reputation of this nation among the powers
of tho earth and recover tho moral leadership
which Eresident Wilson won and which Repub
lican politicians at Washington sacrificed. On
ly by doing this may we hope to aid effectively
in the restoration of order throughout tho world
and to take the place which we should assume
in the front rank of spiritual, commercial and
industrial advancement.
"We reject as utterly vain, if riot vicious, the
Republican assumption that ratification of the
treaty and membership in tho league of nations
would in anywise impair tho integrity and in
dependence of our country. Tho fact that tho
covenant has been entered into by twenty-nine
nations all as jealous ef their independence as
we are of ours, is a sufficient refutation of such
charge. The president repeatedly has declared
and this convention reaffirms, that all our duties
rfnd obligations as a member of the league, must
be fulfilled in strict conformity with tho const!-1
tutidn of' tho United States embodiod in which is
the fundamental requirement of declaratory ac
tion by the congress before this nation may be
come a participant in any war.
CONDUCT OF THE WAR
"During the war, President Wilson exhibited
the very broadest conception of liberal Ameri
canism. In his cbnduct of tho war, as in the
general administration of his high office there
was no semblance of partisan bias. He invited
to Washington as his councilors and coadjutors,
hundreds of the most prominent and pro
nounced Republicans in the country. To these
he committed responsibilities of the gravest im
port and most -confidential nature. Many of
them had charge of vital activities of the gov
ernment. And, yet, with tho war successfully
prosecuted and gloriously ended, tho Republican
party in congress, far from applauding : the .mas
terly leadership of the president and felicitating
the country on the amazing accomplishments of
the American government, has meanly requited
So considerate courso of the chief magistrate
bv savagely denouncing the commander in, chief
of thlfrmy and navy and by assailing nearly
every pSbhc officer of every branch of the service
mUmXly concerned in winning the war abroad
SdSSSrte the security of the government
at home. , ,, .
commanders as general fl dedsIv0
?aXa a me5 :- Cught new luster to
who sustained tto J COBtrl..
in the crucial hours oi . succssii,
3M ZertXoone, leadership of
the prtxeNANoiAL urn
' -view of Z"Xn?7
party during tho fl STSStanUal achieve
Wilson Prents a chi pt r oi
meats unsurpassed in aj f thfs admin.
For fifty y 5 pulsions had impeded the
istration Periodical convu an peopl0 and
industrial progress of tne By th(J
caused inest maUle loss ana oW 0yg.
actment oi ih "yn,Tfl was replaced ty a new
which bred panics, wf T, waa an ln-
ystoni, which insa - and tod y
dispensable factor in Win i fe ofibufimess. In
.. v hnne and insimw" ,., , Amor-
i'eed, one "vital danger u "
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jean people should keep, constantly on gurlfc
Is tho committment of this system to partisan
enemies who struggled against its adoption and
vainly attempted to retain in the hands of spec
ulatlvo bankers a monopoly of the currency and '
credits of tho nation. Already there are well
defined indications ofan assault upon the vital
principles of tho system In tho ovant of Repub
lican success in the elections in November.
"Under Democratic leadership tho American
peoplo successfully financed their stupendous
part in tho greatest war of all tlmo. The treas
ury wisely insisted during tho war upon meeting
an adequate portion of tho war expenditure from
current taxes and the bulk of the balance from
popular loans, and, during tho first full fiscal
year after fighting stopped, upon mooting cur
rent expenditures from current receipts notwith
standing the now and unnocossary burdens
thrown upon tho treasury by tho delay, obstruc
tion and oxtravaganco of a Republican congress.
l4Tho nonpartisan federal rosorve authorities
have been wholly froo of political interference
or motive; and, In their own time and their own
way, havo used courageously, though cautiously,
tho instruments at their disposal to prevent un
duo expansion of crodlt in tho country As a
rosult of these sound treasury and federal jre;
servo policies, tho incvitablo war inflation haa
been hold down to a minimum, and the cost of
living has boon prevented from Incroaslng hero .
in proportion to tho Jncroaso In othor bolligerent
countries and In neutral countrlos which are In
close contact with the world's commerce and ox
changes. "After a year and a half of fighting In Europe
and despito another year and a half of Ropubll-'1
can obstruction at homo, the credit of tho'-isdV';
ernment of tho United States stands unimpaired '
tho federal reservo note Is the unit of value
throughout all tho world and the United States
is tho one great country in tho world which
maintains a froo gold market,
"Wo condemn the attempt of the 'Republican
party to deprive tho American people of their
lcgitlmato pride in tho financing of tho war
an achievement without parallel in the financial,
history of this or any other country, In ,thls jr
any othor war. And In particular wo( tfohdeujn
the pernicious attempt of the Republican paty ,
to create discontent among the holders of the
bonds of tho government of tho United States,
and to drag our public finance -and ou;r banking t
and currency system back into the .arena fl,
party politics. .,
TAX REVISIONS
"We condemn tho failure of the present con-1
gresa to respond to the oft-repeated demand dt
the president and tho secretaries of .tho ttdm
ury to revise tho existing tax laws, The con-f
tinuanco In force in peace times Of taxes devised
upon pressure of imperative necessity to pro
duce a revenue for war purposes is indefensible
and can only result in lasting injury to the peo
ple. Tho Republican congress persistently failed,
through sheer political cowardice, to make a'
single mwe toward a readjustment of tax law1,
which It denounced before the last election; and
was afraid to reviso before the next election.
We advocato tax roform and a searching re-
vision of the war revenue acts to fit peace con
ditions so that the wealth of tho nation may not
be withdrawn from productive enterprise and
diverted to wasteful or non-productive expertd-
"Wo demand prompt action by the next con?
Kress for complete survey of existing, taxes anoV
their modification and sfmpMicatlon with a view
to secure greater equity and justice in tax bur
den and improvement in administration,
PUBMC ECON03IY
"Claiming to have effected great economies
in government expenditures, tho. Republican
oarty cannot show the reduction of one dollar in
taxation as a corollary of this false pretense. In
contristr the last Democratic congress enacted
lecislatlon reducing taxes from eight billions,
designed to be raised, to six billions for the first
year after the armistice, and to four billions
thereafter: and there the total is left undimin
ished by our political adversaries. Two years
after armistice day a Republican congress pro
vides for expending the stupendous sum of $5,
403,300,327.30, t . - , -
"Affecting great paper .economies by reducing,,
departmental estimates oT suras which would
not have been spent in any event, and by rcduc:
ing formal appropriations the Republican state-
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