The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1893-09-29
CLEVELAND AND HIS PLEDGES.


platform Of 1892, and what they are
pleased to call President Cleyeland's
of it in the matter Of sill
YER. 1t suits the purpose of the free
coinage faction to- insist that the
platform adopted at Chicago last
year unqualificdly pledged the Demo
cratic party to the unlimited coin
age Of silver at the old ratio of 16 to
l. In fact no such pledge was con-
tained in the platform on which Pres
ident Cleveland was placed, and it is
only by fragmentary and gdrbled
quotation Of its currency plank that
the partisans of the short weight dol
lar can bolster up their charge of bad
faith against the President. They do
not quote the first sentences of that
plank at all, nor do they quote its
concluding sentences. Indeed they
do not quote any complete sentence
rbm it, They simply seize upon the
first two sentences Of the second par
agraph of the Chicago resolution on
the currency question and ignore all
that goes before them as well as all
that folows.later.
With tiresome iteration the House
and Senate have been told by the
champions of free and unlimited sill
yer coinage that the Democratic par
ty says in its national platform: I'VE
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 discriminating against
either metal or charge for mintage.' y
And this citation has been made over
and over again, as though there was a
full stop after the word ''mintage."
But there is not The platform, no
doubt, might have been drawn that
way, but it was not. There was only
comma after the word 'mintage
and the declaration of Democratic
faith and purpose continued right
along after the comma as follows
. But the dollar unit Of coinage 0
both metals must be of equal intrins
ic and exchangeable value, or be ad
justed through international agree
ment or by such safeguards of legisla
tion as shall insure the maintenance
of the parity between the two metals
. and the equal power of every dollar Il
all times in the markets and in pay
ment of debt; and we demand tina
all paper currency shall be kept a
par with and redccmable in such coir
Z This is the Democratic doctrine i
y full. and the silver orators are dish
e, genuous, not to say dishonest, whe
IS they represent two sentences take
e from the middle of the Chicago cul
is rency resolution, ignoring the pledg
It to repeal the Sherman act, which pr'
IN cedcs those two sentences, and all til
" qualifying reservations and cond
a tiOnS which follow them, and are Onl
TT divided from them by a comma, as
,s they committed the President to I'll
t. unlimited and unconditional colnal
Of of silver.
r. The President is acting squarely u
I'd to the full measure of his own pledg
X as well as of the pledges given by Il
le party at Chicago. The first declar
e. tion made by the platform on Whit
to he stood, concerning the currenc
IT, was that the Sherman act of 1890 W
ne IA "cowardly makeshift," and that /
ne its supporters should be anxious f
ry its speedy repeal. II there is lack
ny good faith and fealty to the platfOr
on anybody's part it is certainly n
ny the President who is open to that
he cusation, but rather those Demo era
he who, in full view Of that first a
he most emphatic pronouncement on t
ny Sherman act in last years platfor
an are not only not "anxious for
at speedy repeal" but are now tllibust
al ing to prevent its being repealed
ne all except on conditions, which wol
'as amount to Il Reputation of the cl
,n' ing declarations OF the currency pla
Ter which we have quoted above.
les Every opponent of the administ
TO tion knows that free coinage unt
on existing conditions, with an immel
lts mass of silver bullion in stock unco
lis cd, with silver already fallen far
tfy low the price at which that bull
ust was bought, and no certainty that
is. bottom has been reached yet,
OF with no guarantee that the inter
ave tiOnal concert can be secured In m
nus Ing new coinage ratio between \
'tu- and silver, would be equivalent
the utter reputation of the platte
tho pledge to ENSURE the maintenance
,ew the parity of the two metals and
to equal power Of every dollar ut
IN times in the markets and in paym
uo of debt.
|ers The free silver men, many Of tn
ny. without apparently being aware o
cf- and none of them being willing to
fine NIT 1t, are momo-metallists. I
end affect to range themselves under
the banner of blmctalllsm, but their
any Icy, II II could prevail. would b
we'd the business Of the country In 81
order to mon0-metallic basis. {
would be, 1t must bc driven out VI
n Is country by the flooding Of the cou
cry. with silver dollars Of inferior VI