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Preamble We,
the representatives of the Prohibition Party, assembled in National Convention
at Wichita, Kansas, June 24 and 25, 1971, 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
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 the Marxist program 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 the 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 reorganization or abolition of certain departments, bureaus,
and vested interests. 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 govermental 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. Money
and Finance A
sound fiscal 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, stablize price levels, and provide for systematic
retirement of the national debt. We urge that careful consideration be
given to a constructive program of monetary policy involving a favorable
balance of payments in international exchange, 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. 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 question the exemption from taxation of certain types
of bonds issued by government bodies. We seriously doubt the wisdom of
the present system of taxation and demand a thorough review of the basic
fiscal policies of our government. Revenue
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 governnments before
becoming the property of the federal government. Inflation For
a period of years our people have been confronted with the problem of
increasing prices and lowered purchasing power. There is both a need and
a desire for appropriate stability in this area. We propose that immediate
steps be developed to stablize wages and prices, to secure more efficient
production, and to maintain a proper relationship between the rates of
growth and of our monetary supply and of the gross national product. Environmental
Awareness An
awareness of the various problems related to the area of ecology is essential.
We believe that all men have a right to a wholesome envionment. Accordingly,
government must establish standards and enforce a program which will insure
a satisfactory stewardship of land, water and air throughout the nation.
In particular, we insist on the right of everyone to a pure water supply
and to an unpolluted atmosphere. We urge increased emphasis on tertiary
treatment of sewage, on the development of fission-type reactors and,
as soon as technologically feasible, atomic fusion as a substitute for
fossil fuels in electric power generation, and on the substitution of
relatively non-polluting sources of power in motor vehicles. Foreign
Affairs It
has been charged that our government lacks a consistent, positive foreign
policy. This is an area which involve both complex and baffling problems.
There are no easy solutions. We pledge ourselves to search for peaceful
solutions to the problems of international relations and to deal with
conflicts among nations by seeking to react creatively and constructively
to the underlying causes of international tension and frustration before
they explode into hostilities, and to strive for world peace and order
based upon the teachings of the Prince of Peace. We insist that no foreign government has an
inherent right to financial aid at the expense of American taxpayers.
In fact such aid does not usually purchase friendship. Often it seems
to generate exactly the opposite. In order to maintain our national solvency
and to susten our ability to meet genuine need, great caution is essential.
Most aid should be in the form of repayable loans which will enable the
beneficiaries to maintain their dignity and self respect. Direct aid should
be limited to disaster relief and to under-developed countries of good
will. It must be honestly used for internal development and must be denied
to corrupt governments and to aggressive nations. 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-mopolistic business enterprises which serve
genuine consumer needs and are operated with a sense of responsibility
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 antitrust laws must be applied equally
to all monopolies, whether or business or of labor. Whenever the public
welfare is seriously endangered because of disputes affecting quasi-public
businesses and utilities we favor the compulsory arbitration of labor-managment
disputes, particularly in the area of public transportation. We would,
in contrast to preceding administrations, enforce stringently the laws
forbidding strikes by federal governmment employees. Employer-Employee
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, either on the part of management or
of 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 Constitution. During recent years there has been
an increasing tendency toward an undesirable concentration of power and
authority in the federal government. To deal with overcentralization 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
constitutional place in our system of government. Human
Rights All
American citizens, regardless of race, sex, religion, or national origin
are entitled to equality of treatment under the provisions of our constitutions
(sic) and under the laws of our land. No person or group of persons should
be subjected to ostracism, humiliation, or embarassment because of color
or national background. We deplore the use of violent, anarchistic, or
arbitrary pressure tacics, from whatever source, as a means of seeking
to resolve tensions and divergences 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 the 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 for our Constitution. It is our judgement that the emphasis in certain
quarters upon civil disobedience represents a most unfortunate and a most
distressing development of our era. 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 potential threats to our
nation. However, we belive that the present program
of compulsory peacetime military training does not represent a genuine
safeguard to world peace. We, rather, believe it is to be (sic) contrary,
in principle, to our American way of life. This system places an unnecessary
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. National
Sovereignty We
declare our belief in national sovereignty and oppose surrender of this
sovereignty to any international group. Civil
Service The
Prohibition Party first sponsored our civil service systen. On the other
hand, the dominant political parties are positively commited to the 'spoils'
system and, when in office, have prostituted governmental 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 administration. Veteran preference
in civil service must be limited as to time, and favoritism toward certain
institutions in government appointments must be curbed. Time
Standardization We
take exception to the twice yearly changes of our time. We believe that
these changes add to our lives unnecessary confusion and avoidable frustration
and are costly and unjust to those who need standardized time. We advocate
the stabilization of our timekeeping by establishing Daylight Savings
Time year round. The
News Media We
believe in the importance of freedom of the press and of other news media.
There must be no supression of this freedom when properly exercized. On
the other hand, we deplore the role of the media in sensationalizing a
growing moral permissiveness. We believe that this creates the impression
that the media are acting as approving and applauding onlookers. We deplore
the decline of investigative reporting, and demand that the media once
again become responsible informants of the public. Welfare The
present welfare programs of our state and national governments are a disgraceful
shambles. As presently administered in many areas the chief outcome is
to create a dependent economic and social sub-stratum. All too many welfare
officials and employees seem determined to help increase the number on
our welfare rolls at a rate many times that of our general population
increase. The Prohibition Party, which has always pioneered
in social reform, insists that the handicapped, the aged, the chronically
ill and those families without a breadwinner or one who is capable of
working should be helped. The tragedy is that many who are truly deserving
today are receiving insufficient aid. A large proportion of our welfare
dollars is being siphoned off by those who are capable of working. If the mushrooming welfare costs are not reduced
and those undeserving of assistance are not removed from the welfare rolls,
a taxpayers' revolt may one day kill the entire welfare program. The Prohibition
Party believes that a complete overhaul of our welfare system is needed. We specifically reject the concept of a guaranteed
annual income. Such a concept will accelerate rather than retard the growth
of the number of people on welfare rolls and will tend to destroy initiative
among those whose earnings would be only slightly above such a guaranteed
minimum income. Religious
Liberty 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 employed groups. We question the
recent trend toward a welfare emphasis. We condemn the maladministration
of its provisions for political ends; we pledge ourselves to correct these
evils, particularly, the denial of benefits to persons who have earned
them and who are qualified for them, but who choose to continue in productive
service. 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 bipartisan political monopoly, keeping minor parties
off the ballot. We demand passage of laws which protect independent voters
and which guarantee to minority groups access to the ballot and 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
q 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 nonprofit 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. We are opposed, however, to tax exemption on income received
by religious organizations engaged in competition with commercial business
enterprises, except for specific religious services, such as church publishing
houses. Education It
is altogether appropriate that our federal government should be interested
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 whch violate the rights of individuals.
We pledge enforcement of existing laws regulating these health concerns,
the enactment of additional needed legislation, and cooperation with state
efforts to deal with the problems. 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 8,000,000 alcoholics and 8,000,000 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, through 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 (sic) beverage alcohol industry. 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. |