Mexico weekly ledger., 1893-08-17
CLEVELAND AND THE PLATFORM

| A GOOD deal is being said about
President Cleveland's "having bolt
ed his party platform.
The following from the St. Louis
Post-Dispateh in reference to this
matter is pertinent and well worth
close study:
$50 far as any issue between Mr..
Cleveland and the silver Democrats
is concerned, the President has the
party platform under him, and in
opposing his policy they are break.
ing away from the platform.
Mr.. Cleveland has ever defined
his attitude as bimetallist in but
one way. He has always frankly
declared that any dollar which is
not as good everywhere as a gold
dollar, is a dishonest dollar. The
only silver dollar he has ever re.
cognized as an honest dollar is the
silver dollar that will be accepted
everywhere as the equal of the gold
dollar in intrinsic value or in the
melting pot. He has never said
anything which gave anybody the
right to regard him as favoring a
bimetallism that is not strictly
gauged and regulated by the single
gold standard. He has never pub
hcly conceded that the gold standard
can vary in value and become a
cheating device through the increase
of its purchasing power. He sees
that the depreciation of silver may
make the silver dollar a dishonest
dollar, but he has never conceded
that the appreciation of gold can
wrong any one. The doctrine of
his message that the present differ
ence between the silver dollar and
the gold dollar marks the difference
between a stable, honest unit of
payment and a variable and dis
honest one is perfectly consistent
with all he has ever said or recon-
mended on the subject. He has
never intimated an Idea that the
purchasing power of gold has in
creased in the least; that the diver
gence between the two metals may
be partly due to such increase, or
that to double the purchasing power
of gold would wrong anyone or
lnjure any interests.
This being bis well-known doctrine
the Democrats accepted him as a
good enough bimetallist for them,
and made platform to fit his views
precisely. The platform demanded
the repeal of the Sherman act, as
Cleveland goes. On the subject
of coinage it said:
We hold to the use of both gold
and silver as the standard money of
the country, and to the coinage of
both gold and silver without dis
against either metal or
charge for mintage, but the dollar
unit of coinage of both metals must
be of equal intrinsic and exchanged
BILE value or be adjusted through
agreement or by such
safe guards of legislation as shall
insure the 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.
Now this does not demand that
the parity of intrinsic value shall
be restored by taking some of the
gold out of the gold dollar. 1t de-
mands free coinage parity restored
by a new ratio adjusted by inter-
agreement among the
creditor nations, and that is all Mr..
Cleveland asks for the maintenance
of the existing gold standard.
1t follows, therefore, that if they
adhere to the platform they must
repeal the silver purchase clause
Internationally, and ask his ap-
proval of a Till looking to bimetallic
free coinage by international agree
ment. If they do not adhere strictly
to this programme, it is they, not
he, who went before the people on
a platform of deception, and with
the intention of not being bound by
it,"
W., oil rrnnI