Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1894-03-08
THE DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM.

AS the Atlanta Journal we'll says,
those Democratic newspapers whose
main Object seems to be to attack
and misrepresent the administration
of President Cleveland, have mt 3h
to say about the Democratic plat
form. They presume that they give
this instrument its trI& nterpreta-
ton and that all who do not agree
with them have abandoned the
pledges of the party,
1t is upon the currency gu stion
that these as. ATLANTIS Of the admins
tration are most rampant and reck.
less.
They argue that the Democratic
party is committed to the free and
unlimited coinage f silver, and that
if free coinage bill should come
up in Congress to-day no Democrat
could vote against it without getting
off the Democratic platform. What
does the platform say on this SUBJ
jet?
We quote its declaration as to the
currency:
owe denounce the Republican
legislation known as the Sherman
act Of 1890 as cowardly makeshift,
fraught with possibIl ties of danger
in the future, which should make
all of its supporters, as well as its
author, anxious for its speedy repeal
We hold to the use of both gold and
silver as the standard money o. the
country, and to the coinage of both
gold and silver without discrimi-
nation against either metal or charge
for mintage, but the dollar unit IF
coinage of both metals must be Of
equal intrinsic 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 CT every dollar at all
times in the markets and in pay
ment of debts; and we demand
that all paper currency shall be
kept at par with and redeemaole
in such coin. We insist upon this
policy as specially necessary for the
protection of the farmers and labor~
ing classes, the first and most de.
fenseless victims of unstable money
and fuotuating currency"
Here we have a distinct declara-
tion in favor ef s'the use of both gold
and silver without discrimination
against t~either metal" but immer
diately thereafter come the condi-
tlons without which it is impossible
to consider the question fairly or
intelligentiy. The platform res
quires that the s:sdollar unit Of coin
age Ct beth metals must be of equal
Intrinsic or exchangeable value" If
it be found improbable to make
and maintain this sort of arity an
other plan is provided in the LAM
guage ''or be adjusted through in
terpational agreement. There have
been three international monetary
conferences in recent years, and they
have all failed to accomplish any
thing. 1t will therefore be seen
I. that this method of maintaipg the
parity of god and silver cannot be
relied upon implicitly. The Demo-
cratic platform therefore goes fur
ther and provides for such "safe~
guards 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 mars
kets and in the. payment of debts.
Now how has the parity of the
gold and silver dollar beer MAIN
tained?
Obvieusly'it would have been inns
= possible to accomplish this result by
= putting dollars worth of bullion
!. into every dollar coined, because the
value of silver bullion has varied
greatly. So far it has been foune
Impossible to reach any information
salagreement which would maintain
the parity Of the two metals. These