DEMOCRATIC STATE PLATFORM-1930

     We, the democrats of Nebraska in state convention assembled, meet today in the midst of an administration whose misgovernment has brought this country to the verge of moral, political and material ruin. The people have become demoralized and bewildered by the policies of deception and corruption which dominate the rule of this national administration.

      The time has come when seats in the American congress are bought and sold to the highest bidder. The disgraceful spectacle has just been witnessed of the daughter of Marcus Aurelius Hanna purchasing a nomination in the Illinois primaries at a cost of $365,000.00.
     Newspapers are subsidized or muzzled, public opinion silenced, business prostrated, our homes covered with mortgages, labor impoverished, individual effort in almost all lines of business and effort discouraged or submerged and land concentrating in the hands of capitalists. Laboring men are out of employment with capital of the rich manufacturers going to Europe to be invested in plants to be (operated over there by pauper labor, while laborers of this country are denied equal protection of the laws and discriminated against in suits of injunction.
     The fruits of toil of millions are boldly stolen to build national fortunes unprecedented in the history of mankind and the possessors of these in turn despise the republic and endanger liberty.

TARIFF

     We denounce the republican national administration for the enactment of the Hawley-Smoot tariff bill, which has brought such distress upon the agricultural states. This infamous law has closed the markets of the world to our farm products and has caused the lowest price for grain and meat the farmers of Nebraska have realized for more than sixteen years.
     We condemn the national administration for its refusal to keep its Pledges to agriculture, and for its vetoes and defeat of every measure for farm relief that had the approval of the farm organizations of the United States and we pledge the democratic nominees for congress to support measures that will place agriculture on an equality with industry, finance and transportation so far as legislative aid is concerned.

FLOOD CONTROL AND CONSERVATION OF WATERS

     A policy that will both minimize the habit of flood waters and mitigate the evils of drought is available in the impounding of surface waters at point of origin and their release when the dangers of flood have abated or drought may threaten.
     The democratic party has always favored improvement of national waterways and conservation and use of water in our rivers for the benefit of industry and agriculture. The flood-water of Nebraska should be stored in our streams and reservoirs rather than run waste carrying destruction and flood losses to the lands in the lower valleys of the Missouri and Mississippi.
     We pledge our candidates for congress to the support of a national policy for the reservoir storage and control of flood waters for the benefit of all the people of Nebraska and the nation.

DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMEN

     The democrats in congress from Nebraska stand out in bold relief from the interest-controlled republican congressmen from this state, all of whom voted for the Hawley-Smoot tariff act while Edgar Howard and John H. Morehead, loyal to democratic principles, voted against it.

SENATOR HITCHCOCK

     We offer as our candidate for the United States senate, Gilbert M. Hitchcock, a man who has had experience in that body, and who made an enviable record there as a statesman; who commanded the respect of statesmen and diplomats in international affairs; a man who at no time lost sight of the principles of justice and their application to the common people and the agriculturalists of the middle west; a man as to whom there has never been a question whether he would line up with the people or the special interests in all contests waged, a man who courageously combatted the lenders of greed and avarice in their efforts to despoil the common people and who associated himself with a party so contending.
      In this contest there should be no hesitation on the part of the voter in choosing the man who has always without broken intervals been in the forefront fighting with the people and for the people, for common and equal justice.

TAX REDUCTION

     The question of tax reduction is and should be the paramount problem for discussion during the pending campaign and for solution at the November election.
     With confidence we present our nominee, Charles N. Bryan, for governor as living proof that state taxes can be reduced.
     Former Governor Charles W. Bryan has been again nominated for governor. Mr. Bryan has been selected for the specific purpose of leading a fight to reduce taxes, because he made an unparalleled record along this line when he was governor eight years ago. Although he was opposed by a legislature overwhelmingly republican in both branches, together with republican state officers entirely out of sympathy with tax reduction plans, nevertheless, he reorganized the state government by abolishing unnecessary departments, consolidating others and reduced the number of state employees under the governor by more than one-half, and through the limited budget he presented to the legislature and through savings brought about by reducing the cost of state government secured a reduction of 33 per cent in state taxes during his term, as compared with the preceding republican administration.

BANK GUARANTY LAW AND BANKING SITUATION

     During Governor Bryan's term he enforced the hank guaranty law, and all other banking laws impartially. Every depositor in failed state

banks was paid promptly and in full. If again elected he will enforce the banking laws and protect the depositors as he did during his former term as governor.
     We denounce in the most severe terms the base betrayal by the present republican administration of taxpayers and depositors in failed banks. Governor Weaver and the republican party pledged the people in the campaign two years ago that if again entrusted with power they would maintain, enforce and strengthen the guaranty law. Instead of keeping this pledge Governor Weaver called a special session of the legislature at great expense to the taxpayers and repealed the law that he had promised to uphold and maintain and thereby relieved the banks of about eighteen million dollars of obligations to depositors in failed banks and destroyed the guarantee or insurance of present and future deposits of the people. The republican party did this in the face of recent decisions of the supreme court which held the bank guaranty law constitutional. The banks had taken the benefit of the law and should not shirk their liabilities. This treatment of the depositors in failed banks and betrayal of sacred promises constitutes one of the blackest pages in the history of Nebraska.
     We further condemn Governor Weaver and the republican legislature for their brazen attempt to unload eight million dollars due bank depositors upon the overburdened taxpayers of Nebraska by placing a provision on the November ballot asking the taxpayers to vote an eight million dollar debt upon themselves.
     We condemn Governor Weaver and his republican associates for failing to make provision which would be recognized as constitutional, for the payment of depositors in failed banks and for their attempted deception of the depositors by claiming to make a provision for two-tenths of one per cent annual assessment on banks for the benefit of depositors and then surreptitiously slipping into the law a provision that prevented it from taking effect until 1931.
      We publicly censure Governor Weaver for his failure to enforce the banking laws of the state and we call upon him to do his duty and collect the money due depositors under the bank guaranty law, the depositors being sorely in need of their money. This administration has refused to collect anything from the banks for the depositors who lost their money in failed banks under the hank guaranty law, although there is no restraining order or court action of any kind that prevents the governor from collecting regular assessments of one-tenth of one per cent to pay depositors for money lost in failed banks.
     We condemn Governor Weaver and his associates for nullifying and repealing the bank guaranty law, which has resulted in loss of confidence by depositors and in a withdrawal of upwards of one hundred million dollars from the banks during the past six years.
     We call upon business men, farmers, wage earners and bankers of all classes to support the candidate of the democratic party to the end that confidence may be restored and the depositors protected. This

we believe will result in returning to the banks at least seventy-five million dollars now in hiding and will stimulate business and restore the confidence of our people in our state.

CODE LAW

     The republican party has been in control of the state government for many years and that party alone is chargeable with the present unbearable tax burden. There is no hope for relief from the republican party.
     Governor Weaver and the republican party promised the people two years ago, a careful business administration, with a reduction in the cost of state government and a corresponding reduction in state taxes. Instead of keeping this promise the present administration is the most costly since our state was organized--in round numbers, $44,000.000.
     Governor Weaver and the republican party solemnly promised to repeal the expensive code law, but have signally failed to keep this promise. Since the code law was enacted about twelve years ago, the cost of state government has increased about 500 per cent and the number of state employees has increased in about the same proportion. Property owners cannot stand this rate of increase in the tax burden, in fact, already thousands have lost their homes and farms by reason of the outrageously excessive tax burden.
     The democratic party is pledged to repeal the expensive code form of state government, through the instrumentalities of which most of the excessive tax burden has been brought upon our people.
     The democratic party is opposed to any increase in state taxes. We submit the only thing for the voters to do at the coming election is to place the state. government entirely in the control of the democratic party, and hold that party responsible for bringing about a drastic reduction in the cost of government and a corresponding reduction in taxes. Every democratic candidate for state office and every democratic candidate for the legislature is in full sympathy with the tax reduction program advocated by Governor Bryan.

PRIMARY LAW

     We favor preserving and strengthening the primary law by such additions as will promote party responsibility, eliminate fraud and insure the nomination of men and women who in fact affiliate with the party making the nomination and who are qualified for the office to be filled.
     The democratic party believes in the enforcement of all laws.
     The democratic party has always favored child welfare legislation and equality for women in business, wages and jury service.
     The democratic party is pledged to an eight-hour day for labor and a living wage at American standards with a margin for old age. Provision must he made to prevent discrimination against employment of men above forty-five years of age and to consider plans of insurance

or old-age pensions for men too old to work and unable to support themselves and those dependent upon them.
     The democratic party is in favor of good roads and pledges its efforts to develop good roads with an increased provision for paved roads as an economic necessity to keep the heavy traffic up out of the mud.
We appeal to the taxpayers and home-owners of the state to support democratic candidates whose names will appear on the ballot in the November election for the purpose of giving farm relief, restoring honesty in public office, reducing taxes, establishing confidence in the state government and preventing the trusts and monopolies from further extending their stranglehold upon the people.