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
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