The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-07-30
THE DEMOCRATS AND SILVER.

We have shown by an analysis Of re-
cent votes in congress, and by extracts
from the republican press Of the east,
where a very large majority of the dem
ocratic party stands on the silver ques-
ton. We car see how republicans who
study the votes of their own party
on that question should feel like going
into the peoples party in order to re-
buke President Harrison and the repub-
lican leaders in congress, but we can
not understand why any democrat need
feel that he cannot support his
party in the present contest. Read the
silver plank in the democratic platform
carefully. Here it is:
We denouncs the republican legislation
known as the Sherman act Of 1890 a. a COW
ardly makeshift fraught with possibilities
of danger in the future. which should make
all its supporters, as we'll as its author,
anxious for a speedy repeal. We hold to
the use of both gold and silver as the stan
dard money of tie country and to the COIN
age of both gold and silver without discrim-
nation against either metal or charge for
mintage. but the dollar unit of the coinage
of both metals must be Of equal intrinsic
and exchanReable value. or adjusted
through international agreement or by such
of legislation as shall insure a
maintenance of the parity of the two metals
and the equal power of every dollar at all
times in the markets and in the payment of
debts; and we demand that paper currency
be kept at par with and r~edeemable in such
coin. We insist upon this policy as
especially necessary for the protection of
farmers and laborinR classes, the fl st and
most defenseless victims of unstable money
and fuctuating currency,
Now look at tho resolutions adopted
by the mining congress recently held in
this city. They begin by saying "We
denounce as maliciously and designedly
false the charge that the silver men of
the country are in favor of a 7O-cent
dollar or OF any dollar that is Of less in
trinsic value than any other dollar
coined and circulated in the United
In no respect does this differ from the
declaration of the democratic platform
that "The dollar unit of the coinage of
both metals must be of equal intrinsic
and ~exchangable value"
Up to this point the national demo-
cracy and the mining congress are in
entire accord. Further along in it's plat
form the mining congress puts in this
qualification:
value of the gold and silver dollar shall be
equal, we protest against the test Of value
being made while silver none is debased
and the government is engaged under ex-
listing laws in depreasing the value OF the
bullion by purcharing it in the lowest mar
kets. But We shall cheerfully welcome the
test and accept any change hat experience
shall make necessary after the full use of
silver as money has been restored for a rea-
sonabie time through the act now before
or any similar law.
Now this last utterance is based on
the assumption that somebody else pro-
poses to increase the amount Of metal
in the silver dollar, at the present de-
preciated price OF silver. SO as to make
equal in intrinsic value to the gold
dollar. That somebody certainly is not
the democratic party. All friends of
believe that with the coinage of
both gold and silver without discrimina-
ton against either metal or charge for
mlntage," for which the democratic p]at-
form declares, the price of silver would
SO as to make the present silver
dollar worth as much intrinsically as the
gold dollar. Nowhere does the demo-
cratic platform impose any condition
that the friends Of silver cannot accent
1t is Il stralght-out declaration for bi.
metalism-the coinage of gold and sill
yer on equal terms. 1t is a platform
every silver man can heartily support
Democrats should not be misled bv per
verified interpretations put upon the
democratic declaration of principles.
Read the platform and vote the ticket!