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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (June 1, 1916)
The Commoner JUNE, 1916 motion of a common prosperity. To that end we favor all measures which may be necessary to facilitate Intimate intercourse and promote commerce between the United States and neigh bors to the south of us, and such international understandings as may be practicable and suit able to accomplish these ends. "We commend the action of the democratic administration in holding the Pan-American fi nancial conference at "Washington, in May, 1915, and organizing the International High commis sion which represented the United States in the recent meeting of representatives of Latin- Amer ican republics at Buenos Aires, in April, 1916, which have so greatly promoted the friendly re lations between the people of the western hem isphere. MEXICAN POLICY "The Monroe doctrine is reasserted, as the principle of democratic faith. That doctrine guarantees the independent republics of the two Americas against aggression from another con tinent. It implies as well the more scrupulous regard upon our part for the sovereignty of each of them. The want of a Liable, responsible gov ernment in Mexico, capable of repressing and punishing marauders and bandit bands, who have not only taken the lives and seized and de stroyed the property of American citizens in that country, but have insolently invaded our soil, made war upon and murdered our people there on, has rendered it necessary tem porarily to occupy, by our armed forces, a portion of the territory of that friendly state. Until, by the restoration of law and order therein, a repetition of such incur sions is improbable the necessity for their re maining will continue. Intervention, implying as it does military subjugation, is revolting to the people of the United States, notwithstanding the provocation to that course has been great and should be resorted, to, if at all, only as a last resort. The stubborn resistance of the President and his advisers to every demand and suggestion to, enter upon it is creditable alike to them and to the people in whose name he speaks. . , , MERCHANT MARINE Immediate provsl'n should be made for the development of the carrying trade pf the United States. Our foreign commerce has in the past been subject to many unnecessary and vexatious obstacles, in the way of 'egislation of republican congresses. Until the recent democratic tariff legislation, it was hamnered by unreasonable burdens of taxation. Until the recent banking legislation, it had at its disposal few of the necessary instrumentalities of international credit and exchange. Until the formulation of the pending act to promote the construction of a merchant marine, it lacked even the prospect of adequate carriage by sea. We heartily endorse the purposes and policy of tho pending shipping bill, and favor all such additional measures of constructive or remedial legislation as may be necessary to restore our flag to the seas and to provide further fnoimip'or our foreign com merce, particularly such laws as may be made to remove unfair conditions of competition in the dealings of .American merchants and producers with competitors in foreign markets. , CONSERVATION "For the safeguarding and quickening of the life of our own people re favor the conservation and developmentrof the natural resources of the country through a policy which shall be positive rather than negative a policy which shall not withhold such resources from development, but which, while permitting . nd encouraging their use, shall prevent both waste and monopoly in their exploitation, and we earnestly favor the passage of- acts which will accomplish these ob jects and we reaffirm the declaration of the plat form of 1912 on this subject. "The policy of reclaiming our arid lands should be steadily adhered to. ADMINISTRATION AND THE FARMER "We favor the vigorous, prosecution of investi gations and plans to render agriculture more profitable and country life more healthful, com fortable and attractive, and we believe that this should be a dominant aim of the nation as well as of the states. With all its recent improve ment, farming- still lags behind other occupa tions in development as a business and the ad vantages of an advancing civilization have not accrued to rural communities in a fair propor tion. Much has been accomplished, in this field under the present administration far more than under any previous administrations. In the federal reserve act of the last congress and the rural credits act of the presont congress, the machinery has been created which will make credit available to the farmer, constantly and readily, and ho has at last been put upon a foot ing of equality with the merchant and the man ufacturer in securing the capital necessary to carry on his enterprises. Grades and standards necessary to the intelligent and successful con duct of the business of agriculturo have also been established or aro in the course of being established by law. The long needed cotton futures act, passed by the Sixty-third congress, has now been in successful operation for nearly two years. A grain grades bill, long needed, and a permissive warehouse bill, intonded to provide better storage facilities and to enable the farmer to obtain certificates upon which he may secure advances of money, have been passed by the house of representatives, have been favor ably reported to the senate and will probably be come law during the present session of congress. Both houses have passed a good roads measure, which will be of far-reaching benefit to all agri cultural communities. Above all, the most ex traordinary and significant progress has been made under the direction of the department of agriculture in extending and perfecting practical farm demonstration work, which is so rapidly substituting scientific for empirical farming. But it is also necessary that rural activities should be better directed through co-operation and organization, that unfair methods of com petition should be eliminated and the conditions v requisite for the just, orderly and economical" marketing of farm products created. "We approve the democratic administration for having emphatically directed attention for the first time to the essential interests of agri culture involved in farm marketing and finance, for creating the office of markets and rural or ganizations in connection with the department of agriculture and for extending the Co-operative machinery necessary for conveying informa tion to farmers by means of demonstrations. Wo favor continued liberal provision not only for the benefit of production, but also for the study and solution, of problems ofrfarm marketing and finance and for the extension of existing agencies for improving country life. GOOD ROADS , "The happiness, comfort an'd prosperity of rural life and the development of the city are alike conserved by the construction of public highways. We therefore favor national aid in the construction of post roads and roads for military purposes. GOVERNMENT EMPLOYMENT "We hold that the life, health and strength of the men, women and children of the nation are its greatest asset and that in the conserva tion of these the federal government, wherever it acts as the employer of labor, should both on its own account and as an example put into ef fect the following principles of just employment: "First A living wage for all employes. "Second A working day not to exceed eight hour, with one day of rest in seven. "Third The adoption of safety appliances and the establishment of thoroughly sanitary conditions of labor. "Fourth Adequate compensation for indus trial accidents. "Fifth The standard of the 'uniform child labor law4 wherever minors are, employed. "Sixth Sch provisions' for decency, com fort and health in the employment of women as should be accorded the mothers of the race. 1'Sevpnth An equitable retirement law pro viding 'for tb retirement of superannuated and disabled pmninves of the civil service to the end that a higher standard of effidencv mav be maintained. We believe also that the adoption of similar nrfncinles should bo urged and annlied In the Jpfrfqlatinn of the states with rpira.rd to labor wifbn their borders, and that thrnp'h everv possible acrency the life and health of the people of tho nation should be conserved. LABOR "W declare our faith in th Seamen's net passed by the democratic congress and we nrpm jSP our paret continuance of its enforcement. "W favor the speedv enactment of an pffoc tfvp. chMd Jab"r law and the regulation of the pplnmpnt of prison-made goods in interstate commerce. "We favor the creation of a federal bureau of fnfpt'C "n Hi ''onartment of abor rrthpr facts concerning industrial hazards, and to recom mend legislation to prevent the maiming and killing of human beings. "We favor the extension of the powers and functions of tho federal bureau of mines. "We favor the development upon a systematie scale of tho means already begun under the pres ent administration to assist laborers throughout the nation to seek and obtain employment, and the extension by the federal government of the game assistance and encouragement as is now given to agricultural training. "We heartily commend our newly established department of labor for its cxccUont record In settling Industrial strikes by personal advice and through counciliating agouts. PUBLIC HEALTH "Wo favor a thorough reconsideration of the means and methods by which tho federal gov ernment handles questions of public health to the end that human life may be conserved by the elimination of loathsome disease, by tho im provement of sanitation and tho diffusion of a knowledgo of diseaso prevention. "Wo favor establishment by tho federal gov ernment of tuberculosis sanitariums for needy tubercular patients. SENATE RULES "We favor such an alteration of the rules of procedure of the senate of the United States as will permit tho prompt transaction of tho na tion's legislative business. ECONOMY AND THE BUDGET "Wo demand careful economy in all expendi tures for tho support of the government, and to that end favor a return by tho house of repre sentatives to its former practice of initiating and preparing all appropriation bills through a single committee chosen from its membership in order that responsibility may bo centered, ex penditures standardized and made uniform, and waste and duplication in the public service as much as possible avoided. Wo favor this as a practicable first stop toward a budget system. CIVIL SERVICE "We reaffirm our declarations for the rigid enforcement of the civil service laws. PHILIPPINE ISLANDS "Wo heartily endorse the provisions of the bill recently passed by the house of representa tives, further promoting self-government in the Philippine islands as being in fulfillment of the policy declared by the democratic party in its last national platform, and we reiterate our en dorsement of the purpose of ultimate independ ence for the Philippine islands, expressed in the preamble of that measure. WOMAN SUFFRAGE "We recommend the extension of franchise to the women of the country by the states upon the same terms as to men. PROTECTION OF CITIZENS "We again declare the policy that the sacred rights of American citizenship must bo preserved at home and abroad, and that no treaty with any other government shall receive the sanction of our government which does not expressly recognize the absolute equality of all our cit izens, irrespective of race, creed or previous na tionality, and which does not recognize the right of expatriation. The American government should protect American citizens1 n Iheir rights, not only at home, but abroad, and any country having a government should be held to strict ac countability for any wrongs done uiom, either to person or property. At the earliest practical op portunity our country should str've earnestly for peace among the warring nat'os of Europe and seek to bring about the adoption rtff tUe funda mental principles of justice and humariity, that all men shall enjoy enualityof rights and free dom from discrimination in the lands wherein they dwell. ' PRISON REFORM "We demand that the nicdern princ'ples of prison reform be applied in our federal penal system. We favor such work for prisopers as shall give them training in remunerative occu pations, so that they may make an hone"st Hying when released from prison; the setting3apaft of the net. wapres nf the pr'sonTS to be paid to his dependent family or to be reserved for'his own use unon h's. r.elea"e; the liberal extensiSn of the principled. of the federal parole law with due rer. gard both to the welfare of the prisoners'and the (Continued on Page 17) ; '1 i,' ri ,'' l r?m f . i : ''J,JL. .. Jrjr ' . $J.lt.aSut!$ft&mA U2l BKSr-SZZS. i.A. ,2!,L! "1