USA > Wisconsin > The Wisconsin blue book 1893 > Part 49
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We approve the action of the present house of representatives in passing bills for ad- mitting into the Union as states, of the territorics of New Mexico, and Arizona, and we favor the early admission of all the territories having the necessary population and re- sources to entitle them to statehood, and while they remain territories we hold that the officials appointed to administer the government of any territory, together with the District of Columbia and Alaska, should be bona fide residents of the territory or district in which their dities are to be performed. The Democratic party believes in home rule and the control of their own affairs by the people of the vicinage.
we favor leri: lation by congress and state legislatures to protect the lives and limbs of railway employes and those of other hazardous transportation companies, and denounce
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POLITICAL PLATFORMS.
the inactivity of the Republican party, and particularly the Republican senate for causing the defeat of measures beneficial and protective to this class of wage workers.
We are in favor of the enactment by the states of laws for abolishing the notorious sweating system, for abolishing contract convict labor, and for prohibiting the employ- ment in factories of children under fifteen years of age.
We are opposed to all sumptuary law as an interference with the individual rights of the citizen.
Upon this statement of principles and policies the Democratic party asks the intelligent judgment of the American people. It asks a change of administration and a change of party, in order that there may be a change of system and a change of methods, thus as- suring the maintenance unimpaired of institutions under which the republic has grown great and powerful.
DEMOCRATIC STATE PLATFORM.
Adopted August 31, 1892.
Two years [ago the Democratic convention charged the Republican party with extrava- gance, corruption and unjustifiable interference with individual and constitutional rights and denounced that party for permitting state treasurers to appropriate the interest earned by state funds, declaring that the interest on these funds is the money of the people.
We pledged the Democratic party to honesty and economy in administration.
To a repeal of the Republican assault upon individual rights.
To the payment into the treasury of the interest earned by state moneys, and
To the prosecution of suits to recover to the people the interest money already mis-ap propriated.
We present to the people of Wisconsin the record of the performance of party pledges. Economy and business methods have characterized every branch of the state govern- ment and the profit results to the tax-payers.
Already more than $60,000 have been saved in administrative and legislative expenses.
The cost of maintaining the several state institutions has also been economized more than $52,000 and their efficiency has been greatly improved.
As a result the Democratic treasurer will have on hand at the close of his term a general fund of more than $300,000 instead of the deficiency which existed two years before.
Interest to the amount of more than $42,000 on bank deposits has accrued and been promptly covered into the treasury.
The trust funds have been promptly invested for the benefit of the schools instead of being held in banks to enrich office-holders and party politicians, and as a result the inter- est earnings of these funds already exceed those of the last administration by more than $64,000.
Suits have been vigorously prosecuted to establish the right of the people to the interest earned by their money in the treasury and that right has been adjudged and liability fast- ened upon the two last state treasurers to the amount of more than $350,000 for interest money misappropriated by them. And upon the same basis of computation an aggre- gate liability will result in the actions now pending of more than $725,000,
The Bennett law has been repealed and the Democrats of Wisconsin have shown their loyalty to the cause of popular education in practical form by adding over a hundred thousand dollars to the school fund income, and by increasing the appropriations to the state university over $65,000 a year for the next six years.
We are opposed to and will combat the abhorrent doctrine of centralization and patern- alism and all mischievous meddling with rights of conscience and religion, especially in the care and education of children.
We oppose sumptuary laws as unnecessary and unwise interference with individual liberty .
We pledge the Democratic party anew to continued honesty and economy in the admin- istration of the government.
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WISCONSIN BLUE BOOK.
The record of the present administration is a sufficient assurance that no relinquishment of the rights of the people against the defaulting treasurers need be feared at the hands of the Democratic party.
We endorse the action of the national Democratic convention in nominating Cleveland and Stevenson for president and vice-president, and give cheerful allegiance to the princi- ples enunciated by the Chicago platform.
NATIONAL PLATFORM, PEOPLE'S PARTY,
Adopted at Omaha, July 4th, 1892.
Assembled upon the one hundred and sixteenth anniversary of the Declaration of In- dependence, the People's party of America in their first national convention, invoking upon their action the blessing of Almighty God, puts forth, in the name and on behalf of the people of this country, the following preamble and declaration of principles:
PREAMBLE.
The conditions which surround us best justify our co-operation. We meet in the midst of a nation brought to the verge of moral, political and material ruin. Corruption dominates the ballot box, the legislatures, the congress, and touches even the ermine of the bench .. The people are demoralized ; most of the states have been compelled to iso- late the voters at the polling places to prevent universal intimidation or bribery. The newspapers are largely subsidized or muzzled; public opinion silenced; business pros- trated; our homes covered with mortgages; labor impoverished and the lands concentrat- ing in the hands of the capitalists. The urban workmen are denied the right of organi- zation for self-protection; imported pauperized labor beats down their wages; a hireling standing army, unrecognized by our laws, is established to shoot them down, and they are rapidly degenerating into European conditions. The fruits of the toil of millions are boldly stolen to build up colossal fortunes for a few, unprecedented in the history of mankind; and the possessors of these, in turn, despise the republic and endanger liberty. From the same prolific womb of governmental injustice we breed the two great classes - tramps and millionaires.
The national power to create money is appropriated to enrich bondholders; a vast public debt payable in legal tender currency has been funded into gold-bearing bonds, thereby adding millions to the burdens of the people.
Silver, which has been accepted as coin since the dawn of history, has been demone- tized to add to the purchasing power of gold by decreasing the value of all forms of prop- erty as well as human labor, and the supply of currency is purposely abridged to fatten usurers, bankrupt enterprise and enslave industry. A vast conspiracy against mankind has been organized on two continents and it is rapidly taking possession of the world. If not met and overthrown at once it forebodes terrible social convulsions, the destruction of civilization, or the establishment of an absolute despotism. We have witnessed for more than a quarter of a century the struggles of the two great political parties for power and plunder, while gricvous wrongs have been inflicted upon the suffering people. We charge that the controlling influences dominating both these parties have permitted the existing dreadful conditions to develop without serious effort to prevent or restrain. Neither do they now promise us any substantial reform. They have agreed together to ignore in the coming campaign every issue but one. They propose to drown the outcries of a plun- dered people with the uproar of a sham battle over the tariff, so that capitalists, corpora- tions. national banks, rings, trusts, watered stock, the demonetization of silver, and the oppressions of usurers may all be lost sight of. They propose to sacrifice our homes, lives and children on the altar of mammon; to destroy the multitude in order to secure corruption funds from the millionaires.
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POLITICAL PLATFORMS.
Assembled on the anniversary of the birthday of the nation and filled with the spirit of the grand generation who established our independence, we seek to restore the govern- ment of the republic to the hands of "the plain people" with whose class it originated. We assert our purposes to be identical with the purposes of the national constitution- "to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty for our- selves and our posterity."
We declare that this republic can only endure as a free government while built upon the love of the whole people for each other and for the nation; that it cannot be pinned to- gether by bayonets, that the civil war is over and that every passion and resentment which grew out of it must die with it, and that we must be in fact as we are in name one united brotherhood of freemen.
Our country finds itself confronted by conditions for which there is no precedent in the history of the world. Our annual agricultural productions amount to billions of dollars in value, which must within a few weeks or months be exchanged for billions of dollars of commodities consumed in their production; the existing currency supply is wholly inade- quate to make this exchange; the results are falling prices, the formation of combines and rings, the impoverishment of the producing class. We pledge ourselves that if given power we will labor to correct these evils by wise and reasonable legislation in accordance with the terms of our platform.
We believe that the powers of government, in other words, of the people, should be ex- panded (as in the case of the postal service) as rapidly and as far as the good sense of an intelligent people and the teachings of experience shall justify, to the end that oppression, injustice and poverty shall eventually cease in the land. .
While our sympathies as a party of reform are naturally upon the side of every propo- sition which will tend to make men intelligent, virtuous and temporate, we nevertheless regard these questions-important as they are-as secondary to the great issues now press- ing for solution, and upon which not only our individual prosperity but the very existence of free institutions depend; and we ask all men to first help us to determine whether we are to have a republic to administer before we differ as to the condition upon which it is to be administered; believing that the forces of reform this day organized will never cease to move forward until every wrong is remedied, and equal rights and equal privileges securely established for all the men and women of this country; we declare therefore:
First-That the union of the labor forces of the United States this day consummated shall be permanent and perpetual-may its spirit enter into all Learts for salvation of the republic and the uplifting of mankind.
Second-Wealth belongs to him who creates it, and every dollar taken from industry without an equivalent is robbery. "If any will not work, neither shall he eat." The nterests of rural and civic labor are the same ; their enemies are identical.
Third-We believe that the time has come when the railroad corporations will either own the people or the people must own the railroads, and should the government enter upon the work of owning and managing any or all railroads, we should favor an amendment to the constitution by which all persons engaged in the government service shall be placed under a civil service regulation of the most rigid character so as to prevent the increase of the power of the national adminisration by the use of such additional government em- ployes.
FINANCE AND CURRENCY.
We demana a national currency, safe, sound and flexible, issued by the general go, q- ment only, a full legal tender for all debts, public and private, and that without the use of banking corporations, a just, equitable and efficient means of distribution direct to the people, at a tax not to exceed 2 per cent per annum to be provided as set forth in the sub- treasury plan of the farmers' alliance, or a better system ; also by payments in the dis- charge of its obligations for public improvements.
1. We demand free and unlimited coinage of silver and gold at the present legal ratio of 16 to 1.
2. We demand that the amount of circulating medium be speedily increased to not less than $50 per capita.
3. We demand a graduated income tax.
4. We believe that the money of the country should be kept as much as possible in the hands of the people, and hence we demand that all state and national revenues shall be limited to the necessary expenses of the government, economically and honestly ad- ministered.
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WISCONSIN BLUE BOOK.
5. We demand that postal savings banks be established by the government for the safe deposit of the earnings of the people and to facilitate exchange.
TRANSPORTATION.
Transportation being a means of exchange and a public necessity, the government should own and operate the railroads in the interest of the people.
(a.) The telegraph and telephone, like the postoffice system, being a necessity for the transmission of news, should be owned and operated by the government in the interest of the people
LAND OWNERSHIP.
The land, including all the natural sources of wealth, is the heritage of the people and should not be monopolized for speculative purposes, and alien ownership of land shoud be prohibited. All land now held by railroads and other corporations in excess of their actua needs, and all lands now owned by aliens, should be reclaimed by the government and held for actual settlers only.
ADDITIONAL RESOLUTIONS.
WHEREAS, Other questions have been presented for our consideration, we hereby submit the following, not as a part of the platform of the People's party, but as resolutions ex- pressive of the sentiment of this convention:
Resolved, That we demand a free ballot and a fair count in all elections, and pledge our- selves to secure it to every legal voter without federal intervention through the adoption of the states of the unperverted Australian or secret ballot system.
Resolved, That the revenue derived from a graduated income tax should be applied to the reduction of the burden of taxation now resting upon the domestic industries of this country.
Resolved, That we pledge our support to fair and liberal pensions to ex-Union soldiers and sailors.
Resolved, That we condemn the fallacy of protecting American labor under the present system, which opens our ports to the pauper and criminal classes of the world and crowds out our wage earners; and we denounce the present ineffective laws against contract labor and demand the further restriction of undesirable immigration.
Resolved, That we cordially sympathize with the efforts of organized workingmen to shorten the hours of labor, and demand a rigid enforcement of the existing eight hour law on government work and ask that a penalty clause be added to the said law.
Resolved, That we regard the maintenance of a large standing army of mercenaries, known as the Pinkerton system, as a menace to our liberties and we demand its abolition, and we condemn the recent invasion of the territory of Wyoming by the hired assassins of plutocracy, assisted by federal officials.
Resolved, That we commend to the favorable consideration of the people and to the re- form press the legislative system known as the initiative and referendum.
Resolved, That we favor a constitutional provision limiting the offices of president and vice-president to one term and providing for the election of senators of the United States by a direct vote of the people.
Resolved, That we oppose any subsidy or national aid to any private corporation for any purpose.
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POLITICAL PLATFORMS.
PEOPLE'S PARTY, STATE PLATFORM.
Adopted May 24, 1892.
The People's party of Wisconsin calls attention to the fact that both old parties having fully accomplished all the objects for which they were organized, have outlived their use- fulness and have sunk to the level of office hunting syndicates. This is conclusively proved by their platforms and tactics, which, with the exception of a difference of 5 per cent. on the tariff, consists mainly in personal villification and mutual abuse. The People's party submits that there are questions of far greater importance than the tariff, which amounts to only $3.40 per capita per annum and that this question has very little bearing on economic conditions. It is a matter of notorious fact that under the existing system, wealth accumulates in the hands of non-producers in free trade countries and that labor endures unnecessary hardships in protected countries. The most oppressive and unjust legislation has centralized the means of production, exchange and transportation in the hands of favored classes, who by special and unnatural privileges are enabled to deprive or restrict the many of equal rights and opportunities. The system makes life to all men one continued struggle for existence : each man is arrayed against his brother and no one is sure that his life will not end in the poor house.
The People's party was formed to abolish this unnatural and barbarous struggle and secure to all men and women equal rights and equal opportunities.
We demand a national currency, safe, sound and flexible, issued by the general govern- ment only, a full legal tender for all debts, public and private, and that without the use of banking corporations, a just, equitable and efficient means of distribution direct to the people, at a tax not to exceed 2 per cent per annum to be provided as set forth in the sub- treasury plan of the farmers' alliance, or a better system ; also by payments in the dis- charge of its obligations for public improvements.
We demand free and unlimited coinage of silver and gold at the present legal ratio of. 16 to 1.
We demand that the amount of circulation medium be speedily increased to not less than $50 per capita.
We demand a graduated income tax.
We believe that the money of the country should be kept as much as possible in the hands of the people, and hence we demand that all state and national revenues shall be limited to the necessary expenses of the government, economically and honestly adminis- tered.
We demand that postal savings banks be established by the government for the safe deposit of the earnings of the people and to facilitate exchange.
TRANSPORTATION.
Transportation being a means of exchange and a public necessity, the government should own and operate the railroads in the interest of the people.
The telegraph and telephone, like the postoffice system, being a necessity for the trans- mission of news, should be owned and operated by the government in the interest of the people.
LAND OWNERSHIP.
The land, including all the natural sources of wealth, is the heritage of the people and should not be monopolized for speculative purposes, and alien ownership of land should be prohibited. All land now held by railroads and other corporations in excess of their actual needs, and all lands now owned by aliens, should be reclaimed by the govern- ment and held for actual settlers only.
In addition we make the following demands:
1. All public improvements, necessities and conveniences shall be owned and controlled by the public and not be exploited for private gain.
2. We demand the establishment of the initiative and the referendum by which the peo- ple will be enabled to vote down obnoxious laws and remove dishonest and inefficient officials, thus placing the veto power in the hands of the people, where it belongs.
3. The extraordinary increase in the invention of labor-saving machinery requires a material reduction in the hours of labor in industrial pursuits. In the growth of monop- oly the agricultural and industrial classes have received no benefit from labor-saving machinery. It has cheapened production only to benefit the monopolists.
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WISCONSIN BLUE BOOK.
4. A revision of the patent laws giving inventors a premium for their luventions, and then giving its free use to all the people will prevent the system of monopoly now existing and stop the robbery of both the inventors and the people.
5. Arbitration should be generally introduced to take the place of strikes and other in- jurious means of settling labor disputes; child labor should be prohibited in factories, mines and workshops; no more contractors be permitted to prevent the reformation of convicts or undersell honest manufacturers, by the contracting for the labor of prisoners; convicts should be employed in building roads, or other work that will not enter the mar- ket and depress the price of better goods; proper measures be provided for the safety of people working in mines, manufactories and buildings, and the contract system be abol- ished on public work.
NATIONAL PLATFORM, PROHIBITION.
Adopted at Cincinnati, O., June 30, 1892.
The prohibition party in national convention assembled, acknowledging Almighty God as the source of all true government and His law as the standard to which all human mactments must conform to secure the blessings of peace and prosperity, presents the fol- lowing declarations of principles:
PROHIBITION OF LIQUOR TRAFFIC.
1. The liquor traffic is a foe to civilization, the arch enemy of popular government and public nuisance. It is the citadel of the forces that corrupt politics, promote poverty and crime, degrade the nation's home life, thwart the will of the people, and deliver our coun- try into the hands of rapacious class interests. All laws that under the guise of regulation legalize and protect this traffic or make the government share in its ill-gotten gains are "vicious in principle and powerless as a remedy."
WOMAN'S SUFFRAGE.
' 2. No citizen should be denied the right to vote on account of sex, and equal labor should receive equal wages without regard to sex.
AS TO MONEY.
; 3. The money of the country should be issued by the general government only and in sufficient quantities to meet the demands of business and give full opportunity for the em- ployment of labor. To this end an increase in the volume of money is demanded, and no individual or corporation should be allowed to make any profit through its issue. It should be made a legal tender for the payment of all debts, public and private. Its vol- ume should be fixed at a definite sum per capita and made to increase with our increase in population.
THE TARIFF.
4. Tariff should be levied only as a defense against foreign countries which levy tariff upon or bar out our products from their markets, revenue being incidental. The residue of means necessary to an economical administration of the government should be raised by levying a burden on what the people possess instead of upon what we consume.
CONTROL OF RAILROADS.
5. Railroad, telegraph and other public corporations should be controlled by the gov- ernment in the interest of the people and no higher charges allowed than necessary to fair interest on the capital actually invested.
IMMIGRATION LAWS.
6. Foreign immigration has become a burden upon industry, one of the factors in de- pressing wages and causing discontent, therefore our immigration laws should be revised and strictly enforced The time of residence for naturalization should be extended and no naturalized person should be allowed to vote until one year after he becomes a citizen.
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POLITICAL PLATFORMS.
ALIEN LAND OWNERS.
7. Non-residents should not be allowed to acquire land in this country, and we favor the limitation of individual and corporate ownership of land. All unearned grants of lands to railroad corporations should be reclaimed.
THE RECENT LYNCHINGS.
8. Years of inaction and treachery on the part of the Republican and Democratic parties have resulted in the present reign of mob law, and we demand that every citizen be pro- tected in the right of trial by constitutional tribunals.
ONE DAY OF REST.
9. All men should be protected by law in their right to one day's rest in seven.
FAVORING ARBITRATION.
10. Arbitration is the wisest and most economical and humane method of settling na- tional differences.
SPECULATION IN MARGINS.
11. Speculations in margins, the cornering of grain, money and products, and the form- ation of pools, trusts and combinations for the arbitrary advancement of prices should be suppressed .
PENSIONS.
12. We pledge that the Prohibition party, if elected to power, will ever grant just pen- sions to disabled veterans of the Union army and navy, their widows and orphans.
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