OCTOBER i, 1907
The Commoner.
Nebraska Democratic Platform
The platform adopted by the Nebraska
democratic convention September 24, 1907,
follows:
We rejoice at the increasing signs of a
moral awakening in the United States. The
various investigations have traced graft and
political corruption to the representatives of
predatory wealth and laid bare the unscrupulous
methods by which they have debauched elections
and preyed upon a defenseless public through
the subservient officials whom they have raised
to place and power. The conscience of the
nation is now awakened and must not sleep until
the government is freed from the grip of those
who have made it a business asset of the favor
seeking corporations; it must become again "a
government of the people, by the people and for
the people'- and be administered in all its de
partments according to the Jeffersonian maxim
"equal rights to all and special privileges to
none."
We heartily approve of the laws prohibit
ing the pass and the rebate, and insist upon
further legislation, state and national, making
it unlawful for any corporation to contribute
to campaign funds, and providing for publica
tion, before the election, of all individual con
tributions above a reasonable minimum.
Believing, with Jefferson, in "the support
of the state governments in all their rights as
the most competent administrations for our do
mestic concerns and the surest bulwark against
anti-republican tendencies;" and in "the preser
vation of the general government In its whole
constitutional vigor, as the sheet anchor of our
peace at home and safety abroad;" wo are op
posed to the centralization implied in the sug
gestions, now frequently made, that the powers
of the general government should' be extended
hy judicial construction. While we favor the
exercise by- the general government of all its
constitutional authority for the prevention of
monopoly and for the regulation of interstate
commerce, we insist that federal remedies shall
be added to, and not substituted for, state
remedies.
We favor the election of United States sen
ators by direct vote of the people, and regard
this reform as the gateway to all other national
reforms.
A private monopoly is indefensible and in
tolerable. We, therefore, favor the vigorous
enforcement of the criminal law against trusts
and trust magnates, and demand the enactment
of such additional legislation as may be neces
sary to make it impossible for a private mon
opoly to exist in the United States. Auiong
the additional remedies we specify three, first
a law compelling corporations engaged in inter
state commerce to sell to all purchasers in all
parts of the country on the same terms, after
making due allowance for cost of carriage; sec
ond a law preventing the duplication of direc
tors among competing corporations; and third
a license system which will, without abridging
the right of each state to create corporations,
or its right to regulate as it will foreign cor
porations doing business within its limits, make
it necessary for a manufacturing or trading
corporation engaged in interstate commerce to
take out a federal license before it shall be per
mitted to control as much as twenty-five per
cent of the product in which it deals, the license
to protect the public from watered stock and
to prohibit the control ry such corporation of
more than 50 per cent of the total amount of
any product consumed in the United States.
We insist upon the recognition of the dis
tinction between the natural man and the arti
jficlal person, called a corporation, and we favor
the enactment of such law as may be necessary
to compel foreign corporations to submit their
legal disputes to the courts of the states in
which they do business, and thus place them
selves upon the same footing as domestic cor
porations. We favor an immediate revision of the
tariff by the reduction of import duty. Articles
entering into competition with articles controlled
hy trusts should be placed upon the free list;
material1 reductions should be made in the tariff
upon the necessaries -of life, and reductions
should be made in such other scheduler as may
he necessary to restore the tariff to a revenue
basis. -!
We favor an income tax as a part of our
revenue system, and wo urge the submission of a
constitutional amendment specifically authoriz
ing congress to levy and collect a tax upon in
dividual and corporate Incomes, to tho end that
wealth may bear its proportionate share of tho
burdens of tho federal government. Wo favor
a national inheritance tax to reach the "swollen
fortunes" already in existence, but we believe
that it is better to permanently prevent "swollen
fortunes" by abolishing tho privileges and
favoritism upon which they are based.
We assert tho right of congress to exorcise
complete control over Interstate commerce, and
we assert tho right of each state to exercise
just as complete control over commerce within
its borders. We demand such an enlargement
of the powers of national and stnte railway
commissions as may bo necessary to givo full
protection to persons and places from discrim
ination and extortion. Wo believe that both
tho nation and the various states, should, first,
ascertain tho present value of tho railroads,
measured by the cost of reproduction; second,
prohibit the Issue of any more watered stock or
fictitious capitalization; third, prohibit tho rail
roads from engaging in any business which
brings them into competition with their ship
pers; and fourth, reduce transportation rates
until they reach a point where they will yield
only a reasonable return on the present value
of the roads such reasonable return being de
fined as a return sufficient to keep the stock of
the roads at par when such roads are honestly
capitalized. To supplement tho reductions made
by the various states in passenger rates, wo
favor an act of congress, requiring the railroads
to sell Interstate tickets at a rate not exceeding
the sum of the local rates.
We favor tho establishment of state and
national boards of arbitration which shall have
authority, to Investigate either upon their own
initiative or at the request of either party, any
industrial dispute between corporate employers
and their employes, the findings -of such boards
not to be binding upon either party but to serve
as a guide to public opinion and as a means
of conciliation between labor and capital. .
We favor the eight hour day.
Wo are opposed to "government by injuncf
tlon," the system under which the writ of In
junction is used to deny to laboring men the
protection of trial by jury.
We favor full protection, by both national
and state governments within their respective
spheres, of all foreigners residing in the United
States under treaty, but we are opposed to tho
admission of Asiatic emigrants who can not be
amalgamated with our population, or whoso
presence among us would raise a race issue
and involve us in diplomatic controversies with
Oriental powers.
We welcome Oklahoma to the sisterhood of
states and heartily congratulate her upon tho
auspicious beginning of a great career.
We favor separate statehood for Arizona
and New Mexico and demand for the people of
Porto Rico the full enjoyment of the rights and
privileges of a territorial form of government.
We sympathize with the efforts put forth
for the reclamation of tho arid lands of the west,
and urge the largest possible use of irrigation
in the development of the country.
We favor the speedy completion of the
Panama canal.
We favor a generous pension policy, both
as a matter of justice to the surviving veterans
and their dependents and because It relieves the
country of the necessity of maintaining a large
standing army.
We condemn the experiment in Imperialism
as an inexcusable blunder which has involved
us in an enormous expense, brought us weakness
instead of strength, and laid our nation open
to the charge of abandoning the fundamental
doctrine of self-government. We favor an immed
iate declaration of the nation's purpose to recog
nize the Independence of the Philippine islands
as soon as a stable government can be estab
lished, such independence to be guaranteed by
us, as we guarantee the Independence of Cuba,
until the neutralization of the islands can be
secured by treaty with other powers. In recog
nizing the Independence of the Philippines our
government should retain ruch land as may be
necessary for coaling stations and naal bases.
Desiring the prevention of war, wherever
possible, wo bcllcvo that our nation uhould an
nounce iU determination not to una ojir navy
for the collection of private debts, and its wfll
Ingnoss to ontor Into agreements with other na
tions, providing for tho Investigation, by an Im
partial International tribunal, before any declar
ation of war or commencement of hotlIltlcn, of
every dlxputo which deficH diplomatic ettl-ment.
A SUGGI&STIOX TO COMMOX1SK
KHADKHS
Dr. John M. Fulton, of Audubon, Ia
writes: "Wo should all Join In an effort
to Increase the subscription of The Com
moner for tho coming campaign. Kuch
should bo willing to sacrifice a llttlo for tho
great cause which Tho Commoner Is wag
ing. No one is so poor but what ho could
spend a little time and money. I take three
copies, and although I have no money to
waste, I think I can spend a few dollars
to help to get Tho Commoner to thoso
who have never had a chance to read It.
If each of us who bollovo In the work The
Commoner Is doing would send one copy
to some doubtful republican It would make
a great reduction In some of these repub
lican strongholds and wipe them out In
some of the places.
"I have placed a copy of Tho Com
moner In the library here and tho librarian
tolls me It Is read as much as any periodi
cal or magazine In tho library. Wo surely
ought to bo willing to work if we expect
to reap the harvest, and it Is sure to come
If each democrat will do a little work."
Special Offer
Charles Donohuc, New Richmond, Wis. I
send you herewith list of forty names who have
subscribed for The Commoner at clubbing rates.
1 wish I could make this 100, and will try to
reach that mark later on. If Tho Commoner
can be circulated among the people thoro would
be no question as to what party will win In tho
next election, and if the sentiment horeabout
is any Indication of public sentiment there ta
no doubt of it any way. I have several very
prominent republicans on this list who aro get
ting tired of being robbed by captains of In
dustry protected by a prohibitory tariff. Suc
cess to The Commoner.
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moner's circulation;
The Commoner's Special Offer
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