The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-08-08
IT'S NO MISSOURI COMPROMISE.

The action of the Missouri Democracy
will have a good effect throughout the
whole country. 1t will show that in a
rock-ribbed Western Democratic State
there has been no abatement of interest
in the silver question, and that the
Democracy of that section is almost a
unit in advocacy of real hi metallism.
It's action gives the lie to the daily an
nouncement that "the silver movement
is dead" 1t is conclusive evidence that
in Missouri it is live enough to carry a
Democratic State Convention without a
dissenting voice. There are some gold
Democrats in Missouri, but when they
saw the avalanche of silver sentiment
coming they were wise enough to stand
aside.
The platform adopted is a dignifed
arraignment of the administration, and
shows that whatever of servility there is
in party men elsewhere the Democracy
of Missouri is too true to the underlying
principles of Democracy to uphold the
men they elected when they fail to come
up to the full measure of their duty.
The platform is succinct and unanswer-
able presentation of the true Democratic
doctrine, and we give it in fulE
1.-THE Democrats of Missouri, in State
convention assembled, make the follow
ing declaration on the monetary cues
ton, which has been forced into the
leading place among the issues of the
day: The Federal Constitution names
silver and gold together as the money
metal of the United States. The first
coinage law passed by Congress under
the Constitution made the silver dollar
the unit of value and admitted gold to
free coinage at ratio measured by the
silver dollar unit.
From the beginning of the govern
ment, following policy formulated by
Thomas Jefferson and firmly established
by Jackson, the Democratic party has
been the party of bi.metallism, favoring
the free coinage of both silver and gold
at the national minis and opposed to
farming out to banking corporations the
governments sovereign power of issuing
and controlling the money of the people.
The act of 1873 demonetizing silver was
surreptitiously passed without the ap-
proval or knowledge of the American
people, and from the time when the eff
feet of this act in fastening upon the
country the single gold standard was
understood, the Democratic party has
consistently and persistently urged that |
the grievous wrong be righted.
Failure to accomplish this object has |
resulted in the steady appreciation of
gold and corresponding fall in the
price of commodities produced by the
people, heavy increase in the burden
of all debts, public and private; the en-
richment of the money lending class: pa
ralysis of industry and impoverishment |
of the people and unexampled distress in
all gold standard countries. Experience
has shown that while under the single |
gold standard there may be an occasion |
al revival of business activity accompa-
MED by enhanced prices of limited |
number of commodities, such revival is |
due to artificial and temporary causes |
and cannot permanently alleviate the |
sufferings due to falling Of prices,
brought about by the appreciation of |
gold and an inadequate supply of prima-
ry or redemption money. Duty to the
people requires that the party of the |
people continue to battle for bi-metal-
lism until their efforts are crowned with |
success; therefore )e it,
Resolved, That we, the Democratic |
party of Missouri, in convention assem-
bled, demand the free and unlimited |
coinage of silver and gold into primary,
or redemption money, at the ratio Of 16 !
to 1, without waiting for the action or
approval of anv other nation; and,
Resolved, That we are irrevocably /
opposed to the substitution for metallic |
money or panie-breeding corporation
credit currency, based on single metal,
the supply of which is so limited that
it can be cornered at any time by few
banking institutions in Europe and Amer
lea.
Resolved, That we are opposed to
the policy and practice of ssnrrendering
to the holders of the obligations of the
United States the option reserved by the
law to the government of redeeming such
obligations in either silver coin or gold
coin.
Resolved, That we are opposed to
the issuing of interest bearing bonds of
the United States In time of peace, and |
especially we are opposed to placing the |
Treasury of the government under the |
control of any syndicate of bankers, and |
the issuance of bonds to be sold by them
at an enormous profit for the purpose of
supplying the Federal ira ury with gold
to maintain the policy of gold mono
metailism."