THE CALIFORNIAN WORKING MEN’S PLATFORM.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5438, 31 August 1878, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE CALIFORNIAN WORKING MEN’S PLATFORM.

The following is the platform approved and adopted by the working men of California with reference to land and labor questions, &o. Whereas, the duty of making the laws of the country haa hitherto been confined to the nonproducing elements of society, who have failed to secure us in our inalienable rights, utterly ignoring the welfare of the producers, upon whose labors individual and national prosperity depends, reducing oar farmers and wages laboreis to a state of dependence, compelling them to compete with a degraded class of Mongolians imported from abroad, whose presence is demoralising as well as dangerous to our liberties ; and whereas, our legislative halls national, State, and municipal—have become infested by thieves, who do not scruple to take bribes, until our national fame has become a by-word among nations; and whereas our Courts have become corrupted, the equal rights of the people violated until the administration of justice has become a mockery and a farce ; therefore, bo it Resolved First.—That wo recognise tho Constitution of the United States of America as the great charter of onr liberties and the paramount law of the land, and the system of government thereby inaugurated by its framers as the only truly wise, free, just, and equal government that has ever existed—the last, beat, and only hope of man for self-govern-ment. Second. —The public lands are tho heritage of the people, and should he donated to actual settlers in limited quantities. Third.—Wo utterly repudiate all spirit of Communism. Fourth—No land or other subsidies should be granted to any corporations.

Fifth—Laud grabbing must be stopped. Sixth—Vested rights of property should be respected, but land monopoly must be restricted, and in future prohibited. Seventh Money, mortgages, and bonds should be taxed.

Eighth—Tiie dignity of labormust be upheld, and labor of women, when of equal value, should be equally compensated. Ninth—Tho legislator who violates the pledges given to secure his election should bo punished as a felon. Tenth—The pardoning power now vested in the National and State Executives should bo abolished.

Eleventh—Tho contract system of labor of criminals should be abolished, and criminal labor so regulated as not to conflict with free labor. _ Twelfth —All public officers should receive fixed salaries, and all fees should be accounted for as public money. Thirteenth—All labor on public works should be performed by.the day, at ruling rates, and eight hours should constitute a day’s work. Fourteenth—A system of compulsory education for children under tho age of fourteen years should be adopted. Education free iu public schools and all books paid for by the State. - Fifteenth —Lectures on the nobility ot labor should be delivered once a week in the public schools of the State by the principals thereof, upon the subject of labor and its paramount importance in the affairs ot men in every walk of life. Sixteenth —The president and Vice-Presi-dent of the United States, and United States Senators from the several States, should be elected by a direct vote of the people. Seventeenth—Malfeasance in public office should he punished as a felony. Eighteenth—All criminals should he punished by imprisonment, and punishment by money fine should be abolished. Nineteenth—AU money of the United States, made by Congress a legal lender for private debt, should be received in payment of taxes and all other public dues. Twentieth —Chinese labor is a curse to our land, degrading to our morals, a menace to our liberties, and should be restricted, and for over abolished, and the Chinese must go. Twenty-first—The employment of Chinese labor by corporations organised under the law of this State, should be prohibited by law. Twenty-second—lnterest exceeding seven per cent, per annum for the use of money should be prohibited by law. Twenty-third—Contracts by debtors for tbe payment of fees ot the attorneys of creditors should be prohibited. Twenty-fourth—No person shall be taxed for that which ho does not own. In other words, debts should be deducted from the value of a man’s property, and should be assessed against the persons to whom the debts are payable. Twenty-fifth.—The properly ot every person, to an amount not exceeding 500 dollars, should be exempt from taxation. Twenty-sixth—All farming lauds of equal producing capacity should be subject to equal taxation, without reference to improvements. Twenty-seventh—Growing crops should not be taxed.

Twenty-eighth—The property ot the blind, and the deaf and dumb, to the amount of 5000 dollars, should be exempt from taxation. ■ Twenty-ninth—There should be no special legislation by tbe State Legislature, and the Legislature should not meet oftener than once in four years. All laws, before taking effect, should be submitted to the people for ratification. Thirtieth—AU lakes exceeding one mile in area shall be declared public property. Thirty-first—That we demand the insertion of a clause in the new Constitution for ever prohibiting lobbying around the State Capitol during the sessions of the legislature.