CALIFORNIA. 



81 



law, and all legal means should "be taken to render it 

 impossible for aggregations of capital to become op- 

 pressive. 



7. While wo recognize the fact that the building of 

 railroads has proved one of the most potent agencies 

 in the development and progress of the country, we at 

 the same time remember that the great power which 

 authorized such roads to be built, including the sov- 

 ereign right of eminent domain, was granted to the 

 railroad companies by the people, for the people, and 

 on the sole ground that the construction and working 

 of railroads constitute a public use, and such roads 

 public highways. 



We declare that railroad companies, the same as 

 individuals, should be dealt with in fairness and with- 

 out injustice; but, by reason of their relation to the 

 people, they must be kept subordinate to the interests 

 of the people, and within governmental control. 



The people should be protected by law from any 

 abuse or unjust exactions. 



Unjust discriminations t 

 ties should be prohibited. 



Equal service upon equal terms to all persons should 

 be enforced. 



Charges for transporting persons and property should 

 be limited to what is required to pay the legitimate 

 expenses of operating such railroads, their mainte- 

 nance hi good repair, and a fair interest on their actual 

 value. Such value should bear the same relation to its 

 assessed value that the value of other property does 

 to its assessed value. 



Charges in excess of this are in violation of the 

 fundamental law of public use. which allows railroads 

 to be built; and we hereby pledge our nominees for 

 Railroad Commissioners to the enforcement of these 

 principles by such a material and substantial reduc- 

 tion ot the rates of fares and freights as will secure that 

 result the basis being cost of service with reasona- 

 ble allowance for interest and repairs as above indi- 

 cated, instead of the mercenary exaction of "all the 

 traffic will bear." 



8. That the proper public authorities should not re- 

 fuse to act in regulating freights and fares by reason of 

 lack of exact information in any particular, if such in- 

 formation could be given but is refused by the railroad 

 corporation, but in such case these authorities should 

 act as nearly correctly as possible, taking care, how- 

 ever ? that the public interest should not suffer, and 

 holding themselves in readiness to correct any error, 

 if error there should be, upon the corporation giving 

 the necessary information to enable such error to be 

 corrected. 



9. We denounce the railroad contract system as 

 a deliberate attempt to enslave the commerce and 

 trade of the whole Pacific coast, and subjugate them 

 to the control and caprice of the railroad companies. 

 It is against public policy, because it seeks to make 

 use of the national bounty to break down that health- 

 ful competition which it is the policy of the nation 

 to encourage. It is unjust and oppressive, because it 

 discriminates in favor of the strong at the expense of 

 the weak, and offers bribes to the rich which it 

 collects back from the poor. It is arbitrary and 

 tyrannical, because it arrogantly interferes with the 

 freedom of trade, and proposes to prohibit those who 

 make use of its transportation facilities from doing 

 business with any one who refuses to submit to its 

 dictation. Its existence ia a threat, and its abolition 

 a necessity. The Eepublican party pledges itself to 

 prohibit the making of such contracts by proper 

 legislation, to the extent, if necessary, of making the 

 same a public offense. 



10. We demand of Congress legislation govern- 

 ing the carrving-trade between the States or States 

 and Territories. The rates of freights and fares of 

 all railroads engaged in such trade should be justly 

 regulated and restricted, and any unjust discrimina-' 

 tion between persons or places should be absolutely 

 prohibited. 



11. That we are opposed to granting any further 



VOL. xxn. 6 A 



subsidies to companies or corporations, and are in 

 favor of the immediate revocation of all land grants 

 and subsidies forfeited by non-fulfillment of the con- 

 ditions of such grants, and the restoration of such 

 lands to the public domain, to be held exclusively 

 for actual settlers. 



12. All property should pay its just share of taxa- 

 tion. The property of corporations, like other prop- 

 erty, should be assessed at its actual cash value, and 

 the corporations and individuals alike should be com- 

 pelled to pay their just taxes without abatement, dim- 

 inution, or compromise. 



13. The Republican party has always advocated 

 liberal appropriations for the improvement of rivers 

 and harbors, and we declare it to be the duty of 

 the Federal Government to maintain the natural 

 channels of internal commerce in their highest 

 standard of usefulness, as a trust committed to it by 

 the Constitution of the United States, and as a 

 constant check upon the exorbitant exactions of arti- 

 ficial highways. 



14. We are in favor of establishing a Bureau of 

 Statistics of Labor, for the purpose of collecting 

 and publishing such statistics and other information 

 in regard to labor and wages as may be useful to the 

 laboring-classes. 



15. The Republican party is unalterably opposed 

 to Chinese immigration. It is a cause for congratula- 

 tion that this question, which has heretofore en- 

 gaged the earnest attention of both political parties, 

 has at length been settled by suspending further im- 

 migration, the treaty having been framed by Repub- 

 lican commissioners and ratified and approved by 

 a Republican Administration. We offer our thanks 

 to our Senators and Representatives in Congress for 

 the legislation procured by them on this subject. 



16. The same principles which guide the admin- 

 istration of well-ordered private affairs should prevail 

 in the selection of public officers. Honesty, efficien- 

 cy, and fidelity should be the essential qualifica- 

 tions for public position, and such rules should be 

 established to regulate appointment to the public 

 service as will insure fitness, to be ascertained by 

 practical tests, and promotion should follow faithful 

 service. The Republican party of California demands 

 a thorough, radical and complete reform in the modes 

 of appointment to subordinate executive offices, found- 

 ed upon the principle that public office is a public 

 trust, admission to which should depend upon proved 

 fitness, to be ascertained by methods open to all 

 applicants and regulated by law. 



17. Finally, we insist upon economy in the admin- 

 istration of the Government, integrity in office, and 

 honesty and efficiency in every branch of the public 

 service. 



The following planks were added : 



The Republican party demands that the public 

 schools shall receive generous support as the policy 

 of free government; that education, from the pri- 

 mary school to the State University, shall be free 

 and within the reach of the children of every citizen : 

 that in furtherance of this principle we recommend 

 to the 'Legislature the establishment of some system 

 by which the State should print and provide the 

 principal reading and other text-books used in the 

 public schools, supplying the same to pupils at actual 

 cost. 



The following is the ticket nominated : 

 Governor Morris M. Estee, of Napa ; Lieu- 

 tenant - Governor, A. R. Conkling, of Inyo ; 

 Secretary of State, F. A. Pedlar, of Yolo; 

 State Comptroller, W. A. Davies, of Tuolumne ; 

 State Treasurer, John Weill, of Sierra ; Attor- 

 ney-General, A. L. Hart, of Colusa; Surveyor- 

 General, "William Minto. of Modoc ; Superin- 

 tendent of Public Instruction, S. D. Waterman, 



