Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-06-05
Florida.


ton must DO regarded as SUI sener's. Its
proceedings were marked by peculiarities
that have not had place in other states.
One peculiarly was that the men who
controlled the convention and knew they
had O majority of Its members insisted
upon the adoption Of the two-thirds rule
for the government OF nominations.
Next. the Florida convention sympa-
thized at every point with the Alliance
men. and constructed platform made mp
almost altogether of Alliance lumber, and
yet it Is said the delegates or their pro-
fcssions are not consistent. Anyhow, the
convention did right in declaring in favor
OF liberal appropriations for southern
rivers and harbors. We do not understand
how Richmond. for example. could oppose
such appropriations and at the same time
ask Congress year after year for liberal APP
preparations to the James river.
The convention demanded the unlimited
coinage of silver. But it is added signi-
ficantly in the telegram reporting the pro-
ceedings that. though the Chicago delega-
ton is strong in its Alliance tendencies, no.
thing more is to be expected from it. 1t IS
in favor Of tree coinage with q string TO H.
II is delegation. nevertheless, which has
other delegations to stand By 1t, as 1t occu-
pies position upon both the free-coinage
and the anti-free coinage platforms.
The convention demanded the abolition
of national banks. Whenever better
system of banking is originated and bet
ter currency issued than those now IN use
in the United States, we shall be ready 10
advocate them. As at present ADVISED
we are not anxious to try experiments IN
new systems OF banking. .
The convention demanded tho repeal Oh
all laws imposing tax upon state DahKs'
When that law 10 repealed we may nave
banks at every crossing of the roads. ana
a circulation not good hundred miles
from home. These banks would be sorry
substitute for the excellent banks we now
have. II is true the national debt may pos
sibly be paid off some day, though we 90
not expect that it ever Will be; but that
fact need not disturb US. MIR. FLANAGAN
of New York. and Others have already de-
yised new banking system substantially
the same as the present one. Besides, we
would do better to keep our present oanK-
ing system and its admirable currency, ma
tional debt and all, than to substitute
therefor O fat-money currency.
The convention demanded that the
amount of the circulating medium be
speedily increased TO not less than
fifty dollars per capita. 1t does not
tell us how this result Is to be
brought about. We predict that the
man who hasn't loose dollar under the
present currency system Will have no
more money IN his pocket under any new
system that may be resorted to. 10 In
crease the amount of currency to an ave-
rage of fifty dollars would be simply 10 IN
crease the amount in the rich mans
pocket and leave the poor man as he Is.
IL the government were to give the new
issue away that fact would soon reduce
Its purchasing power to very low front.
The convention also demanded gradu-
ated income-tax. If such tax could be
made to reach all the people who ought TO
nav il. il would be the least oppressive
tax that could be levied, seeing that 1t
would be laid upon mans abundance
and not upon his scanty earnines-upon
surplus and not upon the fund out OF
which he buys his food or other necessa-
ries of life. But it seems hardly possible
TO levy an income-tax which would not
fall almost wholly upon the honest and be
eyaded bv the dishonest. Such xleyied
by Congress would probably not be very
unpopular in the South, seeing that all in
comes under five thousand dollars might
be exempted, and thus nearly the entire
tax be thrown upon Boston. New YORK,
Providence, Philadelphia, Chicago, Gin
cinnati, &C., &c. But count not upon
such revenue at present from those
cities. They hold us in their monometal-
list grasp, and refuse to let US have even
candidate for President who is not opposed
TO the free coinage of silver. Surely we
need not expect them to provide for q
graduated Income-tax.
The Florida platform is. in a word, the
Ocala platform. though we have not men,
toned all its features. 1t is not wonderful
ttat it met with favor where it did. But
its originators and advocates may soon
fnG themselves wondering whether they
ever mounted that platform or not.