The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-08-12

cspccinlly In the South and the West, who
believe. however enormously. that the gold
standard Is adverse TO their interests. The
Republicans had the silver States directly
In view in their financial platform:
The American people. from tradition and interest.
favor bimealltsm aud the Republican party demands
the nse Of both gold silver as standard money with
| such restrictions and under such provisions to be
determined by legislation as viii secure the mainten.
snce OF the parity OF values OF the two metals so that
| the purchasing and debt paying power OF the dollar,
whether OF silver gold. or paper shall be At all times
equal The interests Of the producers OF the country
Its farmers and its workingmen. demand that every
dollar paper coin issued by the Government shall
be rs good as any other We commend the wise and
patriotic steps already taken by our Government to
secure an international conference TO adopt such
measures as will insure parity OF value between
gold and silver through the world"
The Democratic platform denounced the
SHERMAN act. and favored free coinage, but
was otherwise much the same as the Re-
publican platform:
I'VE denounco the Republican legislation known as
the sntRuAS act of 1890 as cowardly makoshift.
frnught with possibilities Of danger in tho future,
which should make all of is supporters including Its
author an xious for Its speedy repeal We hold to the
use Of both gold and silver as the standard money OF
the country and to tho coinage of both gold and s.
YER without discrimination against either metal
or charge for mntAge but the dollar unit Of coin
nae Of both metals must be OF equal intrinsic
and eSchangeable value. or DO adjusted through
international agreement or By smeh snfeonurds Of
ieJisi1fion hdH nrrs ne maintenance Of the parity
Of he metals. and the equal power OF every
dollar at all times in the markets and IN payment Of
debts: and we demand that all paper currency snail be
kept at par with and redeemable in We insist
upon this policy especially necessary for tho pro-
lection of tho farmers and laborng people. the nrst
most defencoess victims of unstable money and
nuctuating currency"
Such were the financial planks Of the two
great parties. and it Is worth remembering
that wherever In the country the silver
men we're strong. each party asserted that
1t was more friendly to silver than the
other. Many things have happened since
then. The Sherman law has justified the
prediction Of the Democrats. q more or less
international silver conference or powwow
has resulted in nothing. and silver in India
has lost caste. The language OF neither
platform contains any hint as to the means
of preserving the parity OF gold and silver.
and the problem is moro difficult than ever;
but it behooves Republicans and Democrats
to listen to what the friends OF silver have
to say on tho question. In particular. our
Republican friends who are inclined to adj
miro their own virtue in regard to silver,
In spite Of the Sherman act. should read the
Republican platform; and no Democratic
should forget that the De-
mocracy is pledged to bimetallsm; and yet
platforms cannot alter facts.