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Preamble We, the representatives of the Prohibition
Party, assembled in National Convention at Detroit, Michigan, June 28
& 29, 1967, recognizing Almighty God as the source of all just government
and with faith in the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ, do solemnly
promise that, if our party is chosen to administer the affairs of the
nation, we will, with earnest dedication to the principles of righteousness,
seek to serve the needs and to preserve the rights, the prerogatives and
the basic freedoms, of the people of the United States of America. For
the realization of these ends we propose the following program of government. Constitutional
Government We affirm our sincere loyalty to the Constitution
of the United States, and express our deep confidence in that document
as the basic law of the land. We will resist all attempts to violate it,
whether by legislation, by means of evasion, or through judicial interpretation.
We believe in the principles of liberty and justice enunciated in the
Declaration of Independence and in the Preamble and Bill of Rights of
our Constitution. We declare ourselves in hearty support of our system
of representative government, with its plan of checks and balances, and
express our firm intent to serve the people of our nation with a constructive,
forward-looking program of good government, dedicated to the general welfare. Communism
- Totalitarianism Recognizing that Communism is aggressively
and unalterably opposed to our Constitutional government, we declare our
opposition to it both as a way of life and as a governmental system. We
believe that the program of Communism, with its intent to infiltrate and
to overthrow our present form of government, must be pitilessly exposed.
We challenge all loyal citizens to become fully aware of this menace to
civilization, to exert every effort to defeat these 'masters of deceit,'
and to help preserve our American way of life. We also declare ourselves
opposed to any other form of totalitarian philosophy or form of government.
We endorse the efforts of those agencies which have been honestly and
earnestly exposing subversive activities and groups. Governmental
Economy and Taxation We view with alarm the extravagance and wasteful
spending which have invaded government at all levels, demanding an ever-increasing
tax load upon our people. The constant increase in taxation, requiring
approximately one third of the total income of our citizens to pay the
expenses of government, is approaching the point of confiscation, leading
to economic chaos. We believe that good government does not attempt to
do for people what they can do for themselves. With proper economy, governmental
costs can be lowered, the tax load lightened, and the public debt can
be reduced. We promise to devote ourselves to such an end, even though
it involves either the re-organization or abolition of certain departments,
bureaus and vested interests. Money
& Finance A sound financial program and dependable monetary
policy are fundamental to a stable economy. Our Constitution gives to
Congress the power to 'coin money' and to 'regulate the value thereof.'
We believe that Congress, working with the executive branch of government,
should take immediate steps to establish a financial program that will
block inflationary trends, insure a sound currency, stabilize price levels
and provide for systematic retirement of the national debt. We urge that
careful consideration be given to a return to the gold standard, believing
that such a step would help stabilize our economy, would promote confidence
in our monetary system and would underwrite a continuing program of sound
finance and expanding industrial progress. Tax
Sharing 'Recognizing that local and state governments
are having real difficulty in meeting their basic financial needs, we
advocate a division of the revenue received from the federal income tax,
with appropriate amounts of the tax collected in each state being distributed
to each of the state governments before becoming the property of the federal
government.' The
Federal Budget Good government and a sound economy require
a balanced budget. The inflationary effects and the disturbing influences
of unbalanced budgets must be eliminated. We cannot, with impunity, continue
to increase the mortgage on our future and the interest load of the present.
As the level of taxation is already excessive, there must be either a
decided reduction in governmental services and federal spending or a substantial
improvement in efficiency, with consequent elimination of waste in both
personnel and materials. Actually, both areas need careful exploration
with a view not only to maintaining a balanced budget, but also to reduction
of the national debt. The
Income Tax A federal income tax was first proposed by
the Prohibition Party in 1896. However, the graduated tax and confiscatory
rates of the present day were not contemplated. We seriously question
the appropriateness of the present system and demand a thorough review
of the basic fiscal policies of our government. Foreign
Aid Many billions of dollars of our taxpayers'
money have been and are still being given to foreign countries. Unfortunately,
substantial portions have been used to support governments and programs
considerably at variance with American ideals and concepts. It is frankly
recognized that complex and baffling problems are involved in this area
of international relations, but we insist that foreign governments have
no inherent right to financial gifts at the expense of American taxpayers.
Such aid does not purchase friendship, so should usually be in the form
of repayable loans which will enable the beneficiaries to maintain their
dignity and self-respect. A
Free Economy We are strongly opposed to burdensome restraints
on our free enterprise system, to detailed regulation of our economic
life and to federal interference with individual initiative. We believe
that free enterprise is threatened in three ways: (1) by excessive governmental
regulation, (2) by growth of public or private monopoly, and (3) by unethical
practices of unscrupulous groups. It will be the policy of our administration
to encourage independent, non-monopolistic business enterprises which
serve genuine consumer needs and are operated with a sense of responsibilty
to the public. We will take necessary steps to prevent the evils both
of monopoly and of excessive regulation by government, and to protect
adequately the consuming public from irresponsible or deceptive practices
contrary to the general welfare. We propose that our government withdraw,
with reasonable promptness, from the fields of business activity and sell
to private industry, at proper investment prices, those business enterprises
now owned and operated by the federal government. Labor
and Industry In the area of labor and industrial relations
we believe that the public welfare must be given paramount consideration.
Both management and labor must be held responsible for their economic
and their social behavior. Neither should be permitted to dominate at
the expense of the other or of the common good. Rather, the anti-trust
laws must be applied equally to all monopolies, whether of business or
labor. Whenever the public welfare is seriously endangered because of
disputes affecting quasi-public businesses and utilities we favor the
compulsory arbitration of labor-management disputes. Employee
- Employer Rights Every individual has certain basic and fundamental
rights. A person's right to join or not to join a labor union without
affecting his employment and his right to work for an employer willing
to hire him must be protected. Likewise, employees and employers must
be free to bargain and to contract as they wish. Violence or coercion,
whether on the part of management or labor, should be prohibited. States
Rights Our founding fathers recognized the importance
of both individual and states rights, and determined to preserve them
by making the Bill of Rights an integral part of our Consititution. During
recent years there has been an increasing tendency toward an undesirable
concentration of power and authority in the federal government. This tendency
has two principle (sic) causes: (1) the ever-growing power and influence
of the 'military-industrial complex,' and (2) a widespread tendency of
groups of citizens to look to the federal government for the protection
of rights and the satisfaction of needs which they feel are not adequately
cared for by state and local governments or by private enterprise. To
deal with the first of these causes, we pledge the utmost vigilance in
resisting the growth of militarism and in maintaining the consititutional
principle of civilian supremacy over the military. To deal with over centralization
we urge more vigorous action by the state and local governments for the
protection of the rights and the promotion of the welfare of their people,
greater resort to the solution of local community problems through the
voluntary action of existing or new civic and other non-governmental associations,
where this is feasible, and the increasing pursuit by private business
concerns of policies which promote the public interest. We pledge ourselves
to action that will preserve all legitimate rights and will maintain among
the several states their constitutitonal place in our system of government. Human
Rights All American citizens, regardless of race,
religion, or national origin are entitled to equality of treatment under
the provisions of our constitution and under the laws of our land. No
person or group of persons should be subjected to ostracism, humiliation,
or embarrassment because of color or national background. At the same time,
we must deplore the use of either violence or arbitrary pressure tactics,
from whatever source, as a means of seeking to resolve tensions and divergencies
of opinion among our citizens. We are opposed to those proposals which
would destroy our neighborhood school systems through a program of artificial
integration or convey special privileges to any minority group. Public
Morality Moral
and spiritual considerations must be primary factors in determining both
state and national policies. We deplore the gross neglect of such matters
by the dominant political parties, culminating in the shocking revelations
of crime and of political and economic corruption which have characterized
recent years. We charge these parties with basic responsibility for the
rapid decline in moral standards which followed repeal of the Eighteenth
Amendment. We believe that the program of nullification of law through
non-enforcement which led to repeal contributed greatly to the disintegration
of public morals, to a general deterioration of standards and to a lowering
of values among our people. We pledge ourselves to break the unholy alliance
which has made these things possible. We propose to strengthen and to
enforce laws against gambling, narcotics, and commercialized vice, to
emphasize the basic importance of spiritual and moral values to the development
and growth of an enduring nation, and to maintain the integrity of our
democracy by careful enforcement of law and loyal support of our Constitution. World
Peace We pledge ourselves to search for peaceful
solutions to international conflict by seeking to deal creatively and
constructively with the underlying causes
of international tension before they explode into hostilities, and, to
strive for world peace and order based upon the teachings and practices
of the Prince of Peace. National
Sovereignty We declare our belief in national sovereignty
and oppose surrender of this sovereignty to any international group. National
Preparedness Believing that 'eternal vigilance is the price
of liberty,' we declare for a sound program of national military preparedness.
While praying for peace we cannot place our freedom in peril by ignoring
the potential threat to our nation. However, we believe that the present
program of compulsory peacetime military training does not represent a
genuine safeguard to world peace. We rather believe it to be contrary,
in principle, to our American way of life. This system places an unneccessary
burden upon our peacetime economy, threatens us with possible military
dictatorship, and often permits and promotes the moral and spiritual deterioration
of our youth. We urge that our peacetime defense be entrusted to professionally
trained volunteers. Nuclear
Weapons Testing Radioactive fallout, resulting from testing
of nuclear weapons, endangers the health of human beings throughout the
world, and if testing is engaged in, will increase the number of seriously
defective children who will be born to future generations. The danger
may become progressively greater with any additional testing. Also, there
is the danger that continuation of the armaments race will lead to an
atomic war of annihilation. We urge that all testing of nuclear weapons
be indefinitely suspended on a multilateral basis with proper inspection
safeguards, and that our government seek with renewed vigor and persistence
an agreement among all nuclear powers for the permanent and complete cessation
of nuclear tests for military purposes. Religious
Freedom We believe in religious liberty. Freedom of
the individual to worship, to fellowship with others of similar faith,
to evangelize, to educate and to establish religious institutions, must
be preserved. When religious liberty is lost political liberty will perish
with it. We deplore ever increasing efforts to restrict freedom of religious
broadcasting and the establishment of new churches. We caution the Internal
Revenue Service against using the power to control tax exemptions to discriminate
against evangelical Christianity. We believe, also, that our government
should take a firm, positive position against religious intolerance and
persecution anywhere in the world. Marriage
and Divorce Ordained of God, the home is a sacred institution.
Its sanctity must be protected and preserved. We favor the enactment
of uniform marriage and divorce laws in the various states as an aid to
building strong and enduring homes throughout our nation. Social
Security We endorse the general principle of an actuarially
sound social security insurance program which includes all employee groups.
We question the soundness of the existing program, and the recent trend
toward a welfare emphasis. We deplore the widespread current abuse of
the privileges involved; we condemn the maladministration of its provisions
for political ends; we pledge ourseles to correct these evils. Ballot
Law Reform True democracy requires that the needs and
interests of minority groups be given fair, honest and appropriate consideration.
Instead, in many of our states, ballot laws have been enacted which are
designed to make a two party system into a bi-partisan political monopoly,
keeping minor parties off the ballot. We demand the repeal of all laws
which deny to independent voters and all loyal minority groups the fundamental
right of free political expression. Church
and State We affirm our continuing loyalty to the constitutional
principle of separation of Church and State. We will expose, and resist
vigorously, any attempt from whatever source to weaken or subvert this
fundamental principle. We declare our belief that the Bible is not a sectarian
book, but is a volume of universal appeal and application which is woven
into our history, our laws, and our culture. We deplore any interpretation
which would limit its use in any area of our national life. In the area
of government, we endorse encouragement of non-profit educational and
religious institutions on a tax-exempt basis, but we declare strong opposition
to all efforts, direct or indirect, to secure appropriations of public
money for private religious or sectarian purposes. Education It is altogether appropriate that our federal
government should be intrested in and concerned about matters pertaining
to all areas of educational growth and development. However, under the
Tenth Amendment, public education is clearly to be under the control of
the states. We are opposed to direct federal aid to education, believing
that each state should both support and control its own educational program. Agriculture The production and distribution of agricultural
products is of vital importance to the economy of any people. We believe
that those engaged in agricultural pursuits, like other American citizens,
should be free from authoritarian control and coercion. Hence we declare
ourselves opposed to regimentation of farms and farmers and urge a sensible
and orderly return to a free market program. Public
Health The health of our people is a matter of fundamental
importance. We are deeply concerned with this matter in its many aspects.
We are disturbed by the increasing use of narcotic and psychedelic drugs.
Recognizing that the use of tobacco products constitutes a health hazard,
we are opposed to promotional advertizing of such products and to subsidization
of tobacco growing. We insist that caution must be taken in dealing with
mental health cases, lest there be unjust and prejudiced incarcerations.
We deplore those programs of mass medication which violate the rights
of individuals. We insist on the right of everyone to a pure water supply
and to an unpolluted atmosphere, and hold that each of our states must
insure these. We pledge enforcement of existing laws regulating these
health concerns, the enactment of additional needed legislation and co-operation
with state efforts to deal with the problems. Service,
not Spoils The Prohibition Party first sponsored our civil
service system. On the other
hand, the dominant political parties are positively committed to the 'spoils'
system and, when in office, have prostituted govermental power to serve
their own selfish party interests instead of the whole people. This has
led to excessive expenditures, higher taxes and, in some situations, to
an unfortunate alliance of crime with politics. We pledge ourselves to
an honest, efficient and economical adminstration. The
Alcohol Problem Beverage alcohol must today be recognized as
the chief cause of poverty, broken homes, juvenile delinquency, vice,
crime, political corruption, wasted manpower and highway accidents. By
the most conservative estimates, more than 6,000,000 alcoholics and 6,000,000
problem drinkers are currently victims of alcohol. No greater mistake
has ever been made by the American people and their government than the
Repeal of Prohibition. Contrary to the promises made by the advocates
of repeal, bootlegging has increased to the point where the liquor industry
itself claims that one-third of all alcohol consumed today in America
is illicit; drinking among our young people has reached epidemic proportions;
liquor taxes pay only a small fraction of the traffic's cost to the taxpayers
and the 'open saloon' which was to be 'banished forever' is back in a
newer form and more numerous than ever. The liquor traffic is linked with
and supports a nationwide network of gambling, vice and crime. It also
dominates both major political parties and, thru them, much of the governmental
and political life of our nation. As long as the two dominant parties
are largely controlled by the liquor traffic, just so long will they be
unable to make moral principles prevail. The Prohibition Party alone offers
a program to deal with this greatest of social ills. We pledge ourselves
to a program of publicity, education, legislation and administration,
leading to the elimination of beverage alcohol industry. (sic) We will repeal
all laws which legalize the liquor traffic and enact and rigorously enforce
new laws which prohibit the manufacture, distribution and sale of alcoholic
beverages. We urge all Americans who favor sobriety and righteousness
to join with us in electing an administration pledged to the above program. |