Arizona silver belt., 1893-08-26
SILVER IN TIE PLATFORMS.

OrK sun, tnat the language uheu by both the Republican and Democratic platforms in 1892, in regard to silver was undoubtedly dii appeal to the sil yer men; and subsequently, any prop esitioh ihat they may make ih good faith and may support tehper- atelS, ought to be heard with patience and attention. The conditions have. changed since 1892, and the hope, long tenuous, of any international agtee- ment in regard to silver, seeids now forlori indeed; but what Dttnocrats and Republicans believed in 1892 must rot be forgotten in estimating the pos sition of the silver men in 1903; atd by tho silver men we mean not so much those who are the advocates of the silver-producing States ss tic large number especially in the south and the West, who belie1b,, however erroneously, that the guld standard is adverse td their interests. The Re publicans had the silver States directly in view in their financial platform;
 ''The American people. from tradi ton and interest favor bimetallism, and the Republican party demands the use of both gold and silver as stain dard money, with such restrictions and under such provisions to be de- termined by Legislation, as will secure the mainteua',ce of the parity ofvaldes of the two metals, so that the pur- chasing and debt-paying power of the dollar, whether of silver, gold, or pa per, shall be at all times equal. Tho interests of the producers of tho couh= try, it's farmers and its workinginen, demand that every dollar, paper or coin, issued by the Government shah be as good as any other. We commend che wise and patriotic steps already taken by our Government to secure an international conference te 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 Republican platforml
 "We denounce the Republican, legis- lation known as the sherman act of 1890 as a cowardlS rnaksshift, fraught with possibilities of danger in the fu- ture, which should make all of it's sup porters, including it's author, anxious for it's 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 ahd 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- ohangeable value, or be adjusted through international agreement or by such safeguards of legislation as shall insure the maintenance of the parity of the two metals, and the equal pow CT of every dollar at all times in the markets and in payment of debts and we demand that all paper currency shall be kept at par with and redeem able in coin. We insist upon this pol icy as especially necessary for the pro tection of the farmers and laboring people, the first and most defenceless victims of unstable money and iiuct- uating currency"
 Such were the financial blanks of the Two great parties, and it is worth re- membering that wherever in the coun- try the silver men were strong, each party asserted that it was more friend ly to silver than the other. Many things have happened since then. The Sherman law has justified the predic- tion of the Democrats, more or less international silver conference or pow WOW has resulted in nothing, and sil- yer in India has lost caste. The lans guage of neither platform contains any hint as to the means of preserving the parity of gold and silver and the prob lem is ffsore difficult than ever; but it behooves Republicans and Democrats to listen to what the friends of silver have to say on the question.