Rensselaer Republican, Volume 22, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 October 1889 — NEW DEMOCRATS. [ARTICLE]

NEW DEMOCRATS.

New York Democrats met at Syracuse on the Ist. Jones of Binghamton was made temporary Chairman and made a speech eulogistic of President Cleveland’s administration. The platform says: The Democratic .party of the State of New York, Jn convention assembled, re-, news the pledges of its fidelity to Democratic faith and reaffirms of the national platform of 1888, adopted at St. Louis. We have not advocated and do tot advocate free trade, Ml wo steadfastly advocate the principles of tariff reform, believing that adherence to the right carries in itself the certainty of We

heartily indorse the honest and fearless administration of the National Government by Grover Cleveland. Second—We charge that the Republican party at the last federal election obtained power in the nation by corruption and false pretenses, by intimidation and coercion of voters; by promises unperformed; and by shameless trafficking of Cabinet and other offices in its gt/t to the highest bidders; and though its candidates by these unscrupulous means received more than half the Votes of the Elecloral College,"-its doctrines and principles were repudiated by a majority of the voters of the country. We arraign the chief Executive of the United States for a disgraceful violation of the pledge contained in his letter of acceptance, to-Wit: “In appointments to every grade and department fitness and not party service should be .the essential and discriminating test, and fidelity and efficiency the Only sure tenure of office;” in that not in exceptional instances, but with sweeping hand he has removed hundreds of honest and capable officers before the expiration of the terms for which they were appointed. Third—Maintaining as heretofore, that improper combinations of capital which limit production, fix the price of commodities regardless of the cost of production, reduce the wages of labor and crush out the smaller independent dealers, and thus strangle legimate competition, are conspiracies. —. •. : The Republican party in this State, is next arraigned for having, last year, made the heaviest tax rate since 1875, heing an increase of from 39,000,000 td|12,500,000. Governor Hill is, on the other hand,lauded for having saved to the people, by his vetoes, about $2,000,000.' The plank dealing with the excise question, in part, thus: We do not favor the unrestricted sale of intoxicating liquors on the one hand, nor prohibition on the other hand. We believe that the liquor traffic should be restrained and regulated by just and equitable excise laws, rigidly enforced, which laws,in their operation, should be substantially uniform throughout the State. We believe all excise revenues, whether called license fees or taxes, should belong to the local treasuries of the localities under whose authority licenses are issued, to be applied in reducing the burden of local taxation. We oppose the passage of the prohibition amendment, upon which the next Legislature is required to-act, and we denounce hypocrisy of the Republican party of this State, and of the States of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania, in submitting, or proposing to submit, prohibition amendments only to defeat them at the polls. We arraign the Republican party for its dishonest treatment of the temperance question. Frank Rice was nominated for Secretary of State.