The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-05-08

I DTO1OSSCA W 46NOG VA A4CubCAA45AAs
While we were mistaken about the
platform declarations lin favor of free
coinage for thirty years" we contend
that the party has been committed to
free coinage all the time. Thirty years
carries us back to 1864. In that year
the Democratic platform has nothing
to say on the silver question. But
when we come to think about it, silver
was not demonetized until 1873, hence
there wasn't much to say. However,
the silence may be construed to mean
approval of free coinage, then existing.
In 1868 the platform said: Zone cur
rency for the government and the peo-
pie, the laborer and the oficeholder,
the pensioner and the soldier, the pro-
Queer and the bondholder."
AS free coinage was then in operation,
it is evident that the party gave silent
approval. In 1872 the Democratic
party adopted the Liberal Republi-
can" platform and again gave silent
approval to free coinage. Silver was
demonetized in 1873 and the next
National Democratic Convention was
held in 1875. The platform denounces
the Republicans for locking up the
property of an industrious people in
the paralysis of hard times" and
says: Reform is necessary to estab-
lish a sound currency, restore the pub
lie credit, and maintain the national
honor" 1t is plain that the party
knew what brought on the trouble, but
as it had been partly to blame for the
characterization, it was too cowardly
to take a positive stand. Yet we had
a North Carolina campaign" that
year and the demonstration of silver
furnished a club for the orators from
the mountains to the seashore. In
1880 the Democratic platform had this
in the third plank: Home rule, honest
money, consisting of gold and silver,
and paper, convertible into coin on
demand" Honest money" meant both
gold and silver, and free coinage for
both. The Democratic platform adopted
in 1884 had this plank: 1--WE believe
in honest money, the gold and silver
coinage of the Constitution, and a Cir
culating medium convertible into such
money without loss" THE gold and
silver coinage of the Constitution"
meant free coinage, and at the legal
rate of 16 to l.. No other construction
can be put upon it. The platform of
1888 contained no silver plank, con
sists mainly of praise for Grover Cleve-
land, but says: I'VE enew the pledge
of our fidelity and re,afirm the plat
form of 1884, hence it included the free
coinage plank of that year. The plat
form for 1892 contained the following:
I'VE denounce the Republican legis-
lation known as the Sherman act of
1890 as a cowardly makeshift, fraught
with possibilities of danger in the
future which should make all of it's
supporters, as well as it's author, anx-
ious for it's 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 discriminating 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
through 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 markets, and in payment of debt;
and we demand that all paper currency
shall be kept at par with and redeem
able in such coin"
That plank not only calls for the re-
peal of the Sherman law, but declares
for free coinage as a substitute. Read
it and see. We did not publish the
entire plank last week, only printing
the lines in the middle relating to free
coinage, and the Observer brought the
charge Of ''garbling." We thought
everybody was familiar with the plat
form, and only used enough to serve
u purpose. But the above is all of
the plank.
We stand vindicated. Every Con
vention except three have declared for
free coinage, and the three gave" silence
for consent" Our assertion was some
what inaccurate, but so near true that
little or no injustice was done. Now
will the Observer be kind enough to
reproduce the above, not so much in
justice to us as to itself, and for the
Information of its roadors2