The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-12-07

The Chicago platform will tell that
sentation. Here is the silver plank on
which the party stood IN the campaign:
Sec. T. We denounce the Republic
can legislation known as the Sherman
act of 1890 as a cowardly makeshift.
fraught with possibilities of danger in
the future which should make all its
supporters, as well as its author, anX-
ious for its speedy repeal. 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 discrimination against either
metal or charge for mintage, but the
dollar unit of coinage of both metals
must be of equal intrinsic and ex-
changeable value or be adjusted by
international agreement or by such
safeguards 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 market,
and in the payment of debts; and we
demand that all paper currency shall
be kept at par with and redeemable IN
such coin. We insist upon this policy
as especially necessary for the protec7
ton of the farmers and laboring classes,
the first and most defenseless victims
of unstable money and a fluctuating
currency
Now. there is no promise in that of
restoring silver to its old place" nor
Of doing so without an international
agreement" On the contrary, it is en-
phatically affirmed, that 1.-The dollar
unit Of both metals must be of equal
;,,+,.i,,cic aud axoba ,,e hIa xyal,,o or
be adjusted by international agree
ment' or other safeguards. If the
Democratic party had gone into the
field with the silver banner of unlim-
tied coinage at 16 to l, it could not have
been victorious. What may be done in
future is another question. In 1892 it
would have suffered complete defeat
with such a standard There were in
dividual Democrats who favored such
their party to it. They did propose the
repeal of the Sherman mal1eshift, and
to do their best to advance the cause
of silver as money. But no such prom
Use as that stated by the Tribune was
made to the country.
The Democratic party was pledged
to the repeal Of the Sherman subter-
fuge. The President called the special
session to fulfil that pledge He said
nothing and did nothing against the
platform on which he was elected. He
has not done anything of the kind in
his latest message. Silver legislation
is not prohibited It is promised and
expected. A little delay is recommended
to see what the effects of the repeal act
will be. That is good sense. Instan-
taneous results are looked for only by
uniformed people. Whether the set
tlement of the question can come with
mains to be seen. Whatever it may
be, it should be, as the President sug-
gests, permanent and not a makeshift
The repeal of the Sherman blunder is
not regarded by the administration or
by the party as d settlement of the sill
yer question.
Now as to the alleged demand of
the Executive" and the effects of the
repeal act. That no demand or de-
sire to Kill any industry has been in
timated by the President or by the
Democratic party, there should be no
need to affirm. The Tribune's asser-
ton is foolish on its face. Not soil
tary sentence or single act can be cited
to substantiate anything of the kind.
We have shown beyond REPUTATION
that the status of silver as money has
not been changed in any respect by
the recent act of Congress. To dodge
that irrefutable fact, the Tribune
jumps from decentralization to ode
struction of an industry" and back
again, as occasion requires for it's pur-
pose, which is to misrepresent the
whole question. Take that question
which way it will, what it says is
untrue.
If the contention is that the Demo-
cratic party has killed silver as
money! the answer is that is impos-
sible, because. if there has been any
killing" about it. that was done by
the Republicans twenty years ago.
Whatever demonstration has been eff
fected by legislation was accomplished
in 1873 and again in 1890, and both
we're Republican measures. Silver is
just as much the money of the United
States today as it was before the Sher
man makeshift was repealed. Every
dollar is legal tender and worth its
face in circulation. To say then that
the repeal act demonetized silver or
killed silver as money, is to assert a |
positive and self-evident falsehood
If the argument is that the repeal
act demanded or effected the destruc-
ton of the silver industry, that is just
as untrue as the other The silver
industry, so far as it was ruined, or
destroyed, or injured in any way was
depressed under the full operation of
the Sherman act, devised by Republi-
cans, intended by Republicans to pre-
vent free coinage, passed entirely by
Republicans and defended to the lastI
by Republicans. While it was in full
force silver went down to its lowest
figure in the market The repeal has
not apparently affected the market