4 Conservative ,
REPUBLICAN PLATFORM.
The following is the text of the plat
form adopted by the republicans nt the
national convention in Philadelphia ,
Juno 20th :
The republicans of the United States ,
through their chosen representatives ,
met in national convention , looking
back upon an unsurpassed record of
achievement and looking forward into
a great field of duty and opportunity ,
and appealing to the judgment of their
countrymen , make these declarations :
Expectation in which American people
ple , turning from the democratic party ,
entrusted power four years ago to a
republican chief magistrate and repub
lican congress , has been met and satis
fied. When people then assembled at
polls after a term of democratic legisla
tion and administration , business was
dead , industry paralyzed and the national
credit disastrously impaired. The coun
try's capital was hidden away and its
labor distressed and unemployed. Demo
crats had no other plan with which to
improve the ruinous conditions which
they had themselves produced than to
coin silver at a ratio of 16 to 1. The
republican party denouncing this plan
as sure to produce conditions even worse
than those from which relief was sought ,
promised to restore prosperity by means
Tf two legislative measures a protective
tariff and a law making gold the stand
ard of value. The people by great
majorities issued to the republican party
a commission to enact these laws. This
commission has been executed and re
publican promise is redeemed. Pros
perity more general and more abundant
than we have ever known has followed
these enactments. There is no longer
controversy as to the value of any
government obligations. Every Ameri
can dollar is a gold dollar or its assured
equivalent and American credit stands
higher than that of any nation. Capital
is fully employed and everywhere labor
is profitably occupied. No single fact
can more strikingly tell the story of
what republican government means to
the country than this : That while dur
ing the whole period of one hundred and
seven years , from 1790 to 1897 , there
was an excess of exports over imports of
only $888,028,497 ; there has been in the
short three years of the present repub
lican administration an excess of exports
over imports in the enormous sum of
$1,494,788,094 , and while American people
ple sustained by this republican legisla
tion , have been achieving these splendid
triumphs in their business and commerce ,
they have conducted and in victory
concluded a war for liberty and human
rights. No thought of national aggran
dizement tarnished the high purpose
with which American standards were
unfurled. It was war unsought and
patiently resisted ; but when it came the
American government was ready. Its
fleets were cleared for action. Its
armies were in the field and quick the
signal triumph of its forces on land and
sea bore equal tribute to the courage of
American soldiers and sailors and to the
skill and foresight of republican states
manship. To the ten millions of the
human race there was given "a new
birth of freedom" and to the American
people a new and noble responsibility.
Endorse the Administration.
Wo endorse the administration of
William McKinley. Its acts have been
established in wisdom and in patriotism ,
and at home and abroad it has distinctly
elevated and extended the influence of
the American nation. Walking untried
paths and facing unforseen responsi
bilities , President McKinley has been in
every situation a true American patriot
and upright statesman , clear in vision ,
strong in judgment , firm in action ,
always inspiring and deserving the con
fidence of his countrymen. In asking
the American people to endorse this
republican record and to renaw their
commission to the republican party , we
remind them of the fact that the menace
to their prosperity has always resided in
democratic principles , and no less in the
general incapacity of the democratic
party to conduct public affairs. Prime
essential of business prosperity is public
confidence in good sense of government
and its ability to deal intelligently with
each new problem of administration and
legislation. That confidence the demo
cratic party has never earned. It is
hopelessly inadequate and the country's
prosperity when democratic success at
the polls is announced halts and ceases
in mere anticipation of democratic
blunders and failures.
Financial Plank.
We renew our allegience to the prin
ciple of the gold standard and declare
our confidence in the wisdom of legisla
tion of the fifty-sixth congress by which
the parity of all our money and the
stability of our currency on a gold basis
has been secured.
We recognize that interest rates are a
potent factor in production and business
activity and for the purpose of further
equalizing and of further lowering the
rates of interest we favor such monetary
legislation as will enable the varied
needs of season and of all sections to be
properly met in order that trade may be
evenly sustained , labor steadily em
ployed and commerce enlarged. The
volume of money in circulation was
never so great per capita as it is today.
We declare our steadfast opposition to
free and unlimited coinage of silver. No
measure to that end could be considered
which was without the support of the
leading commercial countries of fhe
world. However firmly republican legis
lation may seem , to have secured the
country against the peril of base and
discredited currency , the election of a
democratic president could not fail to
impair the country's credit and to bring
once more into question the intention of
the American people to maintain upon
the gold standard the parity of their
money circulation.
Chicago Platform Intolerable.
The democratic party must be con
vinced that the American people will
never tolerate the Chicago platform.
We recognize the necessity and pro
priety of the honest cooperation of
capital to meet new business conditions
and especially to extend our rapidly in
creasing foreign trade , but we condemn
all conspiracies and combinations in
tended to restrict business , to create
monopolies , to limit production or to
control prices , and favor such legisla
tion as will effectually restrain and
prevent all such abuses , protect and
promote competition and secure the
rights of producers , laborers and all who
are engaged in industry and commerce.
We renew our faith in the policy of
protection to American labor. In that
policy our industries have been estab
lished , diversified and maintained. By '
protecting the home market competition
has been stimulated and production
cheapened. Opportunity to inventive
genius of our people has been secured ,
and wages in every department of labor
maintained at high.rates , higher now
than ever before , always distinguishing
our working people in their better con
ditions of life from those of any com
peting country. Enjoying the blessings
of the American common schools , secure
in the right of self-government , and
protected in the occupancy of their own
markets , their constantly increasing
knowledge and skill have enabled them
finally to enter the markets of the world.
We favor an associated policy of reci
procity , so directed as to open our
markets on favorable terms for what we
do not ourselves produce , in return for
free foreign markets. In further inter
est of American workmen , we favor
effective restriction of immigration of
cheap labor from foreign lands , exten
sion of opportunities of education for
working children , raising of the age
limit for child labor , protection of free
labor as against contract convict labor ,
and an effective system of labor in
surance.
Ship Subsidy.
Our present dependence upon foreign
shipping for nine-tenths of our foreign
carrying is a great loss to the industry
of this country. It is also a serious dan
ger to our trade , for its sudden with
drawal in the event of European war
would seriously cripple our expanding
foreign commerce. The national defense
and naval efficiency of this country ,
moreover , supply a compelling reason
for legislation which will favor us to
recover our former place among the
trade-carry ing fleets of the world.
Liberal Pensions.
The nation owes a debt of profound
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