UNITED STATES. 



the millionaire on one side and the tramp on the 

 other. 



To give all men an interest in the land of their 

 country ; to enable all to share in the benefits of so- 

 cial growth and improvement ; to prevent the shut- 

 ting out of labor from employment by the monopoli- 

 zation of natural opportunities ; to do away with the 

 one-sided competition which cuts down wages to 

 starvation rates ; to restore life to business and pre- 

 vent periodical depressions ; to do away with that 

 monstrous Injustice which deprives producers of the 

 fruits of their toil while idlers grow rich ; to prevent 

 the conflicts which are arraying class against class, 

 and which are fraught with menacing dangers to so- 

 ciety we propose so to change the existing system of 

 taxation that no one shall be taxed on the wealth he 

 produces, nor anv one suffered to appropriate wealth 

 he does not produce by taking to himself the increas- 

 ing^ values which the growth of society adds to land. 



What we propose is not the disturbing of any man 

 in his holding or title ; but, by taxation of land ac- 

 cording to its value and not according to its area, to 

 devote to common use and benefit those values which 

 arise not from the exertion of the individual, but from 

 the growth of society, and to abolish all taxes on in- 

 dustry and its products. This increased taxation of 

 land-Values must, while relieving the working farmer 

 and small homestead owner of the undue burdens 

 now imposed upon them, make it unprofitable to hold 

 land for speculation, and thus throw open abundant 

 opportunities for the employment of labor and the 

 building up of homes. 



We would do away with the present unjust and 

 wasteful system of finance, which piles up hundreds 

 of million's of dollars in treasury vaults while we are 

 paying interest on an enormous debt ; and we would 

 establish in its stead a monetary system in which a 

 legal-tender circulating medium should be used by the 

 Government without the intervention of banks. 



We wish to abolish the present unjust and wasteful 

 system of ownership of railroads and telegraphs by 

 p'rivate corporations a svstem which, while failing to 

 supply adequately public needs, impoverishes the 

 farmer, oppresses the manufacturer, hampers the mer- 

 chant, impedes travel and communication, and_ builds 

 up enormous fortunes and corrupting monopolies that 

 are becoming more powerful than the Government 

 itself. For this system we would substitute Govern- 

 ment ownership "and control for the benefit of the 

 whole people instead of private profit. 



While declaring the foregoing to be the fundamental 

 principles and aims of the United Labor Party, and 

 while conscious that no reform can give effectual and 

 permanent relief to labor that does not involve the 

 legal recognition of equal rights to natural opportuni- 

 nities, we, nevertheless, as measures of relief from 

 some of the evil efiects of ignoring those ri2hts, favor 

 such legislation as may tend to reduce the hours of 

 labor, to prevent the employment of children of ten- 

 der years, to avoid the competition of convict labor 

 with honest industry, to secure the sanitary inspec- 

 tion of tenements, factories, and mines, and to put an 

 end to the conspiracy laws. 



We desire also to so simplify the procedure of our 

 courts, and diminish the expense of legal proceedings, 

 that the poor mav therein be placed on an equality 

 with the rich, and the long delays which now result 

 in scandalous miscarriages of justice may be pre- 

 vented. 



Since the ballot is the only means by which in our 

 republic the redress of political and social grievances 

 is to be sought, we especially and emphatically de- 

 clare for the adoption of what is known as the Aus- 

 tralian svstem of voting, in order that the effectual 

 secrecy of the ballot, and the relief of candidates for 

 public office from the heavv expenses now imposed 

 upon them, may prevent bribery and intimidation, do 

 away with practical discriminations in favor of the 

 rich and unscrupulous, and lessen the pernicious in- 

 fluence of money in politics. 



We denounce the Democratic and Republican par- 

 ties as hopelessly and shamelessly corrupt, ana by 

 reason of their affiliation with monopolies, equally 

 unworthy of the sutfrages of those who do not live 

 upon public plunder; we therefore require of those 

 who would act with us that they sever all connection 

 with both. 



Unsuccessful attempts were made at this 

 time to unite these two labor parties in the 

 support of a single ticket, and on August 2 a 

 conference of their leaders was held at Chicago 

 for the purpose ; but as the Union Labor rep- 

 resentatives demanded the entire withdrawal 

 of the United Labor ticket, no agreement was 

 reached. The canvass of the latter party was, 

 however, not pushed with enthusiasm, and ex- 

 cept in Ne\v York and Illinois it polled only a 

 scattering vote. 



American Party Convention. The National Con- 

 vention of the American party was held at 

 Washington, D. C., on August 14 and 15, dele- 

 gates to the number of 126 being present. 

 More than half of these were from the State of 

 New York, and their disposition to rule the 

 convention in their own interest early led to a 

 withdrawal of about 25 members from other 

 Stales, and a consequent division in the party 

 councils. James L. Curtis, of New York, was 

 nominated for President, receiving 45 to 15 

 for Abram S. Hewitt. The nominee for Vice- 

 President was James R. Greer, of Tennessee, 

 who later declined the honor. The resolutions 

 adopted include the following: 



Resolred, That all law-abiding citizens of the United 

 States of America, whether native or foreign born, are 

 politicallv equals (except as provided by tfie Constitu- 

 tion), and ail are entitled to and should receive the 

 full protection of the laws. 



Resolved, That the Constitution of the United States 

 should be so amended as to prohibit the Federal and 

 State Governments from conferring upon any person 

 the right to vote unless such person be a citizen of the 

 United States. 



Revolted, That we are in favor of fostering and en- 

 couraging American industries of every class and 

 kind, and declare that the assumed issne '"Protec- 

 tion" rs. "Free Trade" is a fraud and a snare. The 

 best " protection " is that which protects the labor 

 and life blood of the republic ft om the degrading com- 

 petition with and contaminations by imported toreien- 

 ers : and the most dangerous ' free trade " is that in 

 paupers, criminals, communists, and anarchists, in 

 which the balance has always been against the United 

 States. 



Whereat, One of the greatest evils of unrestricted 

 foreign immigration is the reduction of the wages of 

 the American workingman and workintrwoman to the 

 level of the underfed and underpaid labor of foreign 

 countries ; therefore, 



Besolted, That we demand that no immigrant shall 

 be admitted into the United States without a passport 

 obtained from the American Consul at the port from 

 which he sails ; that no passport shall be issued to 

 any pauper, criminal, or insane person, or to anv per- 

 son who, in the judgment of the consul, is not likely 

 to become a desirable citizen of the United States; 

 and that for each immigrant passport there shall be 

 collected by the consul issuing the same the sum of 

 one hundred dollars (1100), to be by bun paid into 

 the Treasury of the United States. 



;W,"That the present naturalization laws of 

 the United States should be unconditionally repealed. 



fiesolred, That the soil of America should belong to 

 Americans ; that no alien non- resident should be per- 



