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Conservative *
PROGRESS.
[ For THE CONSERVATIVE. ]
Since man began his toilsome lifo on earth ,
Each generation has increased its store ;
The mind enlarging daily , more and more ,
Gave to the race now dignity nnd worth.
The lessons learned at the domestic hearth ;
Religion , and the mythic gods of yore ;
The wise traditions , nnd the treasured lore ;
Placed culture high among "tho rights of
birth. "
This is the truth to which the seer alludes
"Tho child is born in age an hundred years ; "
Thus , for its course , starts on a higher plain.
The occult instincts , inbred aptitudes ,
And ( mark of genius , when it appears ,
Are in the blood , and latent in the brain.
PIIOF. E. EMERSON.
July , 1000.
PLATFORM : ADOPTED AT KANSAS
CITY.
Following is the official text of the
platform as agreed upon by the com
mittee on resolutions and adopted by
the democratic national convention at
Kansas City , Jnly 6th :
We , the representatives of the demo
cratic party of the United States , as
sembled in national convention on
the anniversary of the adoption of the
declaration of independence , do reaffirm
our faith in that immortal proclamation
of the inalienable rights of man and our
allegiance to the constitution framed in
harmony therewith by the fathers of the
republic. We hold with the United
States supreme court that the declara
tion of independence is the spirit of our
government , of which the constitution
is the form and letter. We declare
again that all governments instituted
among men derive their just powers
from the consent of the governed ; that
any government not based upon the
consent of the governed is a tyranny ;
and that to impose upon any people a
government of force is to substitute the
methods of imperialism for those of a
republic. We hold that the constitution
follows the flag and denounce the doc
trine that an executive or congress de
riving their existence and their powers
from the constitution can exercise law
ful authority beyond it , or in violation
of it. We assert that no nation can
long endure half republic and half em
pire and we warn the American people
that imperialism abroad will lead
quickly and inevitably to despotism at
home.
Denounce Porto Rico X.IUT.
'Believing in these fundamental prin
ciples , we denounce the Porto Rico law ,
enacted by a republican congress against
the protest and opposition of the demo
cratic minority , as a bold and open violation
lation of the nation's organic law and a
flagrant breech of the national good
faith. It imposes upon the people of
v-4 ! Porto Rico a government without their
consent and taxation without repre
sentation. It dishonors the American
people by repudiating a solemn pledge
made in their behalf by the command-
ing general of our army , which the
Porto Ricaus welcomed to a peaceful
and unrestricted occupation of their
land. It doomed to poverty and dis
tress a people whose helplessness ap
peals with peculiar force to our justice
and magnanimity. In this , the first act
of its imperialistic program , the repub
lican party seeks to commit the United
States to a colonial policy , inconsistent
with the republican institutions and
condemned by the supreme court in
numerous decisions.
Good Faith With Cuba.
We demand the prompt and honest
fulfillment of our pledge to the Cuban
people and the world , that the United
States has no disposition nor intention
to exercise sovereignty , jurisdiction , or
control over the island of Cuba , except
for its pacification. The war ended
nearly two years ago. Profound peace
reigns over all the island , and still the
administration keeps the government of
the island from its people , while repub
lican carpet bag officials plunder its
revenues and exploit the colonial theory
to the disgrace of the American people.
Duty to Philippines.
We condemn and denounce the Phil
ippine policy of the present administra
tion. It has embroiled the republic in
an unnecessary war , sacrificed the lives
of many of its noblest sons and placed
the United States , previously known
and applauded throughout the world as
the champion of freedom , in the false
and un-American position of crushing
with military force the efforts of our
former allies to achieve liberty and self-
government. The Filipinos cannot be
citizens without endangering our civil
ization ; they cannot be subjects without
imperiling our form of government , and
as we are not willing to surrender our
civilization or to convert the republic
into an empire , we favor an immediate
declaration of the nation's purpose to
give the Filipinos , first , a stable form
of government ; second , independence ;
and third , protection from outside inter
ference , such as has been given for
nearly a century to the republics of
Central and South America.
TVar of Criminal Aggression.
The greedy commercialism which dic
tated the Philippine policy of the repub
lican administration attempts to justify ,
with the plea that it will pay , but even
this sordid and unworthy plan falls
when brought to the test of facts. The
war of "criminal aggression" against
the Filipinos , entailing an annual ex
pense of many millions , has already cost
more than any possible profit that could
accrue from the entire Philippine trade
for years to come. Furthermore , when
trade is extended at the expense of lib
erty , the price is always too high.
The Right Expansion.
We are not opposed to territorial ex
pansion , when it takes in desirable ter
ritory which can be erected into states
in the union and whose people are wil
ling and fit to become American citizens.
We favor trade expansion by every
peaceful and legitimate means. But we
are unalterably opposed to the seizing or
purchasing of distant islands to be gov
erned outside the constitution and
whose people can never become citizens.
We are in favor of extending the re
public's influence among the nations ,
but believe that influence should be ex
tended not by force and violence , but
through the persuasive power of a high
and honorable example.
The importance of other questions
now pending before the American people
ple is in no wise diminished and the
democratic party takes no backward
step from its position on them , but the
burning issue of imperialism , growing
out of the Spanish war involves the very
existence of the republic and the de
struction of our free institutions. We
regard it as the paramount issue of the
campaign.
Monroe Doctrine Good.
The declaration of the republican
platform adopted at the Philadelphia
convention , held in June 1900 , that the
republican party "steadfastly adheres to
the policy announced in the Monroe
doctrine , " is manifestly insincere and
deceptive. This profession is contra
dicted by the avowed policy of that
party in opposition to the spirit of the
Monroe doctrine , to acquire and hold
sovereignty over large areas of territory
and the large numbers of people in the
eastern hemisphere. We insist on the
strict maintenance of the Monroe doc
trine and in all its integrity , both in
letter and in spirit , as necessary to pre
vent the extension of European au
thority on this continent and essential
to our supremacy in American affairs.
At the same time we declare that no
American people shall ever be held by
force in unwilling subjection to Euro
pean authority.
Danger of Militarism.
We oppose militarism. It means con
quest abroad and intimidation and op
pression at home. It means the strong
arm which has ever been fatal to free
institutions. It is what millions of our
citizens have fled from in Europe. It
will impose upon our peace-loving people
ple a large standing army , and unneces
sary burden of taxation and a constant
menace to their liberties. A small
standing army and a well disciplined
state militia are amply sufficient in time
of peace. This republic has no place for
a vast military service and conscription.
When the nation is in danger the volun
teer soldier is his country's best de
fender. The national guard of the
United States should ever be cherished
in the patriotic hearts of a free people.
Such organizations are ever an element
