YALE UNIVERSITY
SEP 9 1908
LIBRARY.

Republican Platform
1908

Adopted by the
Republican National Convention
at
CHICAGO
June 18th, 1908

Cist Z50

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Republican Platform — 1908

Otice more the Republican Party, in National Convention as
sembled, submits its cause to the people. This great historic or
ganization, that destroyed slavery, preserved the Union, restored
credit, expanded the national domain, established a sound finan
cial system, developed the industries and resources of the country,
and gave to the nation her seat of honor in the councils of the
world, now meets the new problems of government with the same
courage and capacity with which it solved the old.
Republicanism Under Roosevelt
In this greatest era of American advancement the Republican
Party has reached its highest service under the leadership of
Theodore Roosevelt. His administration is an epoch in American
history. In no other period since national sovereignty was won
under Washington, or preserved under Lincoln, has there been
such mighty progress in those ideals of government which make
for justice, equality, and fair dealing among men. The highest as
pirations of the American people have found a voice. Their most
exalted servant represents the best aims and worthiest purposes
of all his countrymen. American manhood has been lifted to a
nobler sense of duty and obligation. Conscience and courage in
public station and higher standards of right and wrong in private
life have become cardinal principles of political faith ; capital and
labor have been brought into closer relations of confidence and
interdependence ; and the abuse of 'wealth, the tyranny of power,
and all the evils of privilege and favoritism have been put to scorn
by the simple, manly virtues of justice and fair play.
The great accomplishments of President Roosevelt have been,
first and foremost, a brave and impartial enforcement of the law;

the prosecution of illegal trusts and monopolies ; the exposure and
punishment of evil-doers in the public service; the more effective
regulation of the rates and service of the great transportation
lines ; the complete overthrow of preferences, rebates and discrim
inations ; the arbitration of labor disputes ; the amelioration of the
condition of wage-workers everywhere ; the conservation of the
natural resources of the country ; the forward step in the improve
ment of the inland waterways, and always the earnest support and
defense of every wholesome safeguard which has made more se
cure the guarantees of life, liberty and property.
These are the achievements that will make Theodore Roosevelt
his place in history, but more than all else the great things he has
done will be an inspiration to those who have yet greater things to
do. We" declare our unfaltering adherence to the policies thus in
augurated, and pledge their continuance under a Republican ad
ministration of the Government.
Equality of Opportunity
Under the guidance of Republican principles the American
people have become the richest nation in the world. Our wealth
today exceeds that of England and all her colonies, and that of
France and Germany combined. When the Republican Party was
born the total wealth of the country was $16,000,000,000. It has
leaped to $110,000,000,000 in a generation, while Great Britain
has gathered but $60,000,000,000 in five hundred years. The
United States now owns one-fourth of the world's wealth and
makes one-third of all modern manufactured products. In the
great necessities of civilization such as coal, the motive power of
all activity ; iron, the chief basis of all industry ; cotton, the staple
foundation of all fabrics ; wheat, corn and all the agricultural prod
ucts that feed mankind, America's supremacy is undisputed. And
yet her great natural wealth has been scarcely touched. We have
a vast domain of three million square miles, literally bursting with
latent treasure, still waiting the magic of capital and industry to be
converted to the practical uses of mankind ; a country rich in soil
and climate, in the unharnessed energy of its rivers and in all the
varied products of the field, the forest and the factory. With grat
itude for God's bounty, with pride in the splendid productiveness

of the past and with confidence in the plenty and prosperity of the
future, the Republican Party declares for the principle that in the
development and enjoyment of wealth so great and blessings so be
nign there shall be equal opportunity for all.
The Revival of Business
Nothing so clearly demonstrates the sound basis upon which
our commercial, industrial and agricultural interests are founded,
and the necessity of promoting their continued welfare through
the operation of Republican policies, as the recent safe passage of
the American people through a financial disturbance which, if ap
pearing in the midst of Democratic rule or the menace of it, might
have equaled the familiar Democratic panics of the past. We con
gratulate the people upon this renewed evidence of American su
premacy and hail with confidence the signs now manifest of a com
plete restoration of business prosperity in all lines of trade, com
merce and manufacturing. Recent Republican Legislation
Since the election of William McKinley in 1896 the people of
this country have felt anew the wisdom of entrusting to the Repub
lican Party through decisive majorities the control and direction of
national legislation.
The many wise and progressive measures adopted at recent
sessions of Congress have demonstrated the patriotic resolve of
Republican leadership in the legislative department to keep step in
the forward march toward better government.
Notwithstanding the indefensible filibustering of a Democratic
minority in the House of Representatives during the last session,
many wholesome and progressive laws were enacted, and we es
pecially commend the passage of the emergency currency bill, the
appointment of the national monetary commission, the employers'
and Government liability laws, the measures for the greater effi
ciency of the Army and Navy, the widow's pension bill, the child
labor law for the District of Columbia, the new statute for the
safety of railroad engineers and firemen, and many other acts con
serving the public welfare.

Republican Pledges for the Future
Tariff The Republican Party declares unequivocally for the revision
of the tariff by a special session of Congress immediately following
the inauguration of the next President, and commends the steps
already taken to this end in the work assigned to the appropriate
committees of Congress which are now investigating the operation
and effect of existing schedules. In all tariff legislation the true
principle of protection is best maintained by the imposition of such
duties as will equal the difference between the cost of production at
home and abroad, together with a reasonable profit Ao American
industries. We favor the establishment of maximum and min
imum rates to be administered by the President under limitations
fixed in the law, the maximum to be available to meet discrimina
tions by foreign countries against American goods entering their
markets, and the minimum to represent the normal measure of
protection at home, the aim and purpose of the Republican policy
being not only to preserve, without excessive duties, that security
against foreign competition to which American manufacturers,
farmers and producers are entitled, but also to maintain the high
standard of living of the wage-earners of this country, who are the
most direct beneficiaries of the protective system. Between the
United States and the Philippines we believe in a free interchange -
of products with such limitations as to sugar and tobacco as will
afford adequate protection to domestic interests.
Currency We approve the emergency measures adopted by the Govern
ment during the recent financial disturbance, and especially com
mend the passage by Congress at the last session of the law de
signed to protect the country from a repetition of such stringency.
The Republican Party is committed to the development of a per
manent currency system, responding to our great needs ; and the
appointment of the National Monetary Commission by the present
Congress, which will impartially investigate all proposed methods,
insures the early realization of this purpose. The present currency
laws have fully justified their adoption, but an expanding com
merce, a marvelous growth in wealth and population, multiplying

the centers of distribution, increasing the demand for the move
ment of crops in the West 'and South, and entailing periodic
changes in monetary conditions, disclose the need of a more elastic
and adaptable system. Such a system must meet the requirements
of agriculturists, manufacturers, merchants and business men gen
erally, must be automatic in operation, minimizing the fluctuations
in interest rates, and, above all, must be in harmony with that Re
publican doctrine which insists that every dollar shall be based upon
and as good as gold.
Postal Savings
We favor the establishment of a postal savings bank system for
the convenience of the people and the encouragement of thrift.
Trusts The Republican Party passed the Sherman Anti-Trust law over
Democratic opposition, and enforced it after Democratic dereliction.
It has been a wholesome instrument for good in the hands of a wise
and fearless administration. But experience has shown that its
effectiveness can be strengthened and its real objects better attained
by such amendments as will give to the Federal Government greater
.supervision and control over, and secure greater publicity in, the
management of that class of corporations engaged in interstate com
merce having power and opportunity to effect monopolies.
Railroads We approve the enactment of the railroad rate law and the vig
orous enforcement by the present administration of the statutes
against rebates and discriminations, as a result of which the advan
tages formerly possessed by the large shipper over the small shipper
have substantially disappeared ; and in this connection we commend
the appropriation by the present Congress to enable the Interstate
Commerce Commission to thoroughly investigate and give publicity
to the accounts of interstate railroads. We "believe, however, that
the interstate commerce law should be further amended so as to
give railroads the right to make and publish traffic agreements sub
ject to the approval of the Commission, but maintaining always the
principle of competition between naturally competing lines and

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avoiding the common control of such lines by any means whatsoever.
We favor such national legislation and supervision as will prevent
the future overissue of stocks and bonds by interstate carriers.
Railroad and Government Employees
The enactment in constitutional form at the present session of
Congress of the Employers' Liability law, the passage and enforce
ment of the safety appliance statutes, as well as the additional pro
tection secured for engineers and firemen, the reduction in the hours
of labor of trainmen and railroad telegraphers, the successful exer
cise of the powers of mediation and arbitration between interstate
railroads and their employees, and the law making a beginning in
the policy of compensation for injured employees of the Govern
ment, are among the most commendable accomplishments of the
present administration. But there is further work in this direction
yet to be done, and the Republican Party pledges its continued de
votion to every cause that makes for safety and the betterment of'
conditions among those whose labor contributes so much to the
progress and welfare of the country.
Wage Earners Generally
The same wise policy which has induced the Republican Party
to maintain protection to American labor, to establish an eight-hour
day in the construction of all public works, to increase the list of
employees who shall have preferred claims for wages under the
bankruptcy laws, to adopt a child labor statute for the District of
Columbia, to direct an investigation into the condition of working
women and children, and, later, of employees of telephone and tele
graph companies engaged in interstate business to appropriate $150,-
000 at the recent session of Congress in order to secure a thorough
inquiry into the causes of catastrophes and loss of life in the mines
and to amend and strengthen the law prohibiting the importation
of contract labor, will be pursued in every legitimate direction within
Federal authority to lighten the burdens and increase the opportunity
for happiness and advancement of all who toil. The Republican
Party recognizes the special needs of wage workers generally for
their well being, means the well being of all. But more important than
all other considerations is that of good citizenship, and we esoecially

stand for the needs of every American, whatever his occupation, in
his capacity as a self-respecting citizen.
Court Procedure
The Republican Party will uphold at all times the authority and
integrity of the courts, State and Federal, and will ever insist that
their powers to enforce their process and to protect life, liberty and
property shall be preserved inviolate. We believe, however, that
the rules of procedure in the Federal Courts with respect to the issu
ance of the writ of injunction should be more accurately defined by
statute, and that no injunction or temporary restraining order should
be issued without notice, except where irreparable injury would re
sult from delay, in which case a speedy hearing thereafter should be
granted.The American Farmer
Among those whose welfare is as vital to the welfare of the
whole country as that of the wage earner is the American farmer.
The prosperity of , the country rests peculiarly upon the prosperity of
agriculture. The Republican Party during the last twelve years has
accomplished extraordinary work in bringing the resources of the
National Government to the aid of the farmer, not only in advancing
agriculture itself, but in increasing the conveniences of rural life.
Free rural mail delivery has been established: it now reaches mil
lions of our citizens, and we favor its extension until every com
munity in the land receives the full benefits of the postal service.
We recognize the social and economical advantages of good country
roads, maintained more and more largely at public expense, and less
and less at the expense of the abutting owner. In this work we com
mend the growing practice of State aid, and we approve the efforts
of the National Agricultural Department by experiments and other
wise to make clear to the public the best methods of road construc
tion. Rights of the Negre
The Republican Party has been for more than fifty years the con
sistent friend of the American negro. It gave him freedom and citi-

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zenship. It wrote into the organic law the declarations that proclaim
his civil and political rights, and it believes to-day that his note
worthy progress in intelligence, industry and good citizenship- has
earned the respect and encouragement of the nation. We demand
equal justice for all men, without regard to race or color ; we declare
once more, and without reservation, for the enforcement in letter and
spirit of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to
the Constitution, which were designed for the protection and ad
vancement of the negro, and we condemn all devices that have for
their real aim his disfranchisement for reasons of color alone as
unfair, un-American and repugnant to the supreme law of the land.
Natural Resources and Waterways
We indorse the movement inaugurated by the administration for
the conservation of natural resources; we approve all measures to
prevent the waste of timber ; we commend the work now going on
for the reclamation of arid lands, and reaffirm the Republican policy
of the free distribution of the available areas of the public domain
to the landless settler. No obligation of the future is more insistent
and none will result in greater blessings to posterity. In line with
this splendid undertaking is the further duty, equally imperative, to
enter upon a systematic improvement upon a large and comprehen
sive plan, just to all portions of the country, of the waterways, har
bors, and great lakes, whose natural adaptability to the increasing
traffic of the land is one of the greatest gifts of a benign Providence.
The Army and Navy
The Sixtieth Congress passed many commendable acts increasing
the efficiency of the Army and Navy, making the militia of the States
an integral part of the national establishment, authorizing joint
maneuvers of army and militia, fortifying new naval bases and com
pleting the construction of coaling stations, instituting a female
nurse corps for naval hospitals and ships, and adding two new battle
ships, ten torpedo boat destroyers, three steam, colliers, and eight
submarines to the strength of the Navy. Although at peace with
all the world, and secure in the consciousness that the American
people do not desire and will not provoke a war with any other
country, we nevertheless declare our unalterable devotion to a policy

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that will keep this Republic ready at all times to defend her tradi
tional doctrines, and assure her appropriate part in promoting perma
nent tranquillity among the nations.
Protection of American Citizens Abroad
' We commend the vigorous efforts made by the Administration
to protect American citizens in foreign lands, and pledge ourselves
to insist upon the just and equal protection of ail our citizens abroad.
It is the unquestioned duty of the Government to procure for all our
citizens, without distinction, the rights to travel and sojourn in
friendly countries, and we declare ourselves in favor of all proper
efforts tending to that end.
Extension of Foreign Commerce
Under the administration of the Republican Party the foreign
commerce of the United States has experienced a remarkable growth
until it has a present annual valuation of approximately three billions
of dollars, and gives employment to a vast amount of labor and
capital which would otherwise be idle. It has inaugurated, through
the recent visit of the Secretary of State to South America and
Mexico, a new era of Pan-American commerce and comity, which
is bringing us into closer touch with our twenty sister American
republics, having a common historical heritage, a Republican form
of government, and offering us a limitless field of legitimate commer
cial expansion.
Arbitration and The Hague Treaties
The conspicuous contributions of American statesmanship to the
great cause of international peace, so signally advanced in The
Hague conferences, are an occasion for just pride and gratification.
At the last session of the Senate of the United States, eleven Hague
conventions were ratified, establishing the rights of neutrals, laws
of war on land, restriction of submarine mines, limiting the. .use of
force for the collection of contractual debts, governing the opening
of hostilities, extending the application of Geneva principles, and, in
many ways lessening the evils of war and promoting the peaceful
settlement of international controversies. At the same session
twelve arbitration conventions with great nations were confirmed.

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and extradition, boundary and naturalization treaties of supreme im
portance were ratified. We indorse such achievements as the high
est duty a people can perform and proclaim the obligation of further
strengthening the bonds of friendship and good will with all nations
of the world.
Merchant Marine
We adhere to the Republican doctrine of encouragement to
American shipping and urge such legislation as will revive the mer
chant marine prestige of the country, so essential to national defense,
the enlargement of foreign trade and the industrial prosperity of our
own people.
Veterans of the Wars
Another Republican policy which must be ever maintained is that
of generous provision for those who have fought the country's
battles and for the widows and orphans of those who have fallen.
We commend the increase in the widows' pensions made by the
present Congress, and declare for a liberal administration of all pen
sion laws, to the end that the people's gratitude may grow deeper as
the memories of heroic sacrifice grow more sacred with the passing
years.Civil Service
We reaffirm our former declaration that the civil service laws,
enacted, extended and enforced by the Republican Party, shall con
tinue to be maintained and obeyed.
Public Health
We commend the efforts designed to secure greater efficiency in
National public health agencies, and favor such legislation as will
effect this purpose.
Bureau of Mines and Mining
In the interest of the great mineral industries of our country, we
earnestly favor the establishment of a Bureau of Mines and Mining.

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Cuba, Porto Rico, Philippines and Panama
The American Government, in Republican hands, has freed Cuba,
giving peace and protection to Porto Rico and the Philippines under
our flag, and begun the construction of the Panama Canal. The
present conditions in Cuba vindicate the wisdom of maintaining be
tween that Republic and this imperishable bonds of mutual interest,
and the hope is now expressed that the Cuban people will soon again
be ready to assume complete sovereignty over their land.
In Porto Rico the Government of the United States is meeting
loyal and patriotic support; order and prosperity prevail, and the
well being of the people is in every respect promoted and conserved.
We believe that the native inhabitants of Porto Rico should be
at once collectively made citizens of the United States, and that all
others properly qualified under existing laws residing in said island
should have the privilege of becoming naturalized.
In the Philippines insurrection has been suppressed, law estab
lished and life and property made secure. Education and practical
experience are there advancing the capacity of the people for gov
ernment, and the policies of McKinley and Roosevelt are leading the
inhabitants step by step to an ever-increasing measure of home rule.
Time has justified the selection of the Panama route for the great
Isthmian Canal, and the events have shown the wisdom of securing
authority over the zone through which it is to be built. The work is
now progressing with a rapidity far beyond expectation, and already
the realization of the hopes of centuries has come within the vision
of the near future.
New Mexico and Arizona
We favor the immediate admission of the Territories of New
Mexico and Arizona as separate States in the Union.
Centenary of the Birth of Lincoln
February 12, 1909, will be the one hundredth anniversary of the
birth of Abraham Lincoln, an immortal spirit whose fame has bright
ened with the receding years, and whose name stands among the
first of those given to the world by the great Republic. We recom
mend that this centennial anniversary be celebrated throughout the
confines of the nation by all the people thereof, and especially by the

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public schools, as an exercise to stir the patriotism of the youth of
the land. Democratic Incapacity for Government
We call the attention of the American people to the fact that
none of the great measures here advocated by the Republican Party
could be enacted, and none of the steps forward here proposed could
be taken, under a Democratic administration or under one in which
party responsibility is divided. The continuance of present policies,
therefore, absolutely requires the continuance in power of that party
which believes in them and which possesses the capacity to put them
into operation.
Fundamental Differences Between Democracy and
Republicanism
Beyond all platform declarations there are fundamental dif
ferences between the Republican Party and its chief opponent which
makes the one worthy and the other unworthy of public trust.
In history the difference between Democracy and Republicanism
is that the one stood for debased currency, the other for honest cur
rency; the one for free silver, the other for sound money; the one
for free trade, the other for protection ; the one for the contraction
of American influence, the other for its expansion ; the one has been
forced to abandon every position taken on the great issues before the
people, the other has held and vindicated all.
In experience, the difference between Democracy and Repub
licanism is that one means adversity, while the other means prosper
ity ; one means low wages, the other means high ; one means doubt
and debt, the other means confidence and thrift.
In principle, the difference between Democracy and Republican
ism is that one stands for vacillation and timidity in government, the
other for strength and purpose ; one promises, the other performs ;
one finds fault, the other finds work.
The present tendencies of the two parties are even more marked
by inherent differences. The trend of Democracy is toward social
ism, while the Republican Party stands for a wise and regulated in
dividualism. Socialism would destroy wealth. Republicanism would

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prevent its abuse. Socialism would give to each an equal right to
take; Republicanism would give to each an equal right to earn.
Socialism would offer an equality of possession which would soon
leave no one anything to possess ; Republicanism would give equality
of opportunity which would assure to each his share of a constantly
increasing sum of possessions. In line with this tendency the Demo
cratic party of to-day believes in government ownership, while the
Republican Party believes in Government regulation. Ultimately
Democracy would have the nation own the people, while Republi
canism would have the people own the nation.
Upon this platform of principles and purposes, reaffirming our
adherence to every Republican doctrine proclaimed since the birth of
the party, we go before the country asking the support not only of
those who have acted with us heretofore, but of all our fellow citi
zens who, regardless of past political differences, unite in the desire
to maintain the policies, perpetuate the blessings and make secure the
achievements of a greater America.