The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-08-22
AN ADDRESS
TO THE PEOPLE.
tHE WASHINGTON SILVER CON.
FERENCE SPEAKS:
nThe Democratic Party is the Original
Friend of Silver and 1t Must BE
Brought Back to LIS Moorings."

SldLeS:
sat u conference between number OF
Democra from the different States who a.
tended the Don-partisan convention recently
announced at Memphis, Tenn, for the pur-
pose Of promoting the cause Of free silver
coinage (Which conference was held after
the adjournment Of The convention). 4 COM
mittcc consisting Of Senators Jones, Of Ar
kansas, Turpie. Of Indiana, and Harris, OF
Tennessee, was appointed and authorized to
invite representative Democrats from tho
several States 10 meet ;hem at Washington
for consultation with a view OF securing co
operation and concert Of action among those
Democrats throughout the Union who be-
lieve in adhering to the cardinal Democratic
poliry Of actual bi-metailism and who are OPP
posed to committing the party to the pluto
cratic. Republican doctrine Of gold mono
metallsIn. The present conferencei is tho re-
sui: of the action then taken This :a pure
lya voluntary as:emblaSe. and therefore dors
not assume To speak with party authority.
and disclaims All right to bind any person by
out utterauccs; but profoundly conscious
THAI the Democratic party To- day confrOnts
crisis the r1ost nomentons in its history
and frauSht with far-rcaching peril to the
people. and the country; we are assembled as
Individual Democrats to take counsel To;
gether and for the und!sguisc.l purpose Of
in;iuSuratinS and promoting 4 thorough and
systematic organization of the Democrats
masses so that :hey may so forward as ono
man with resolUte pGcpose to r',sc;le tho
old party founded by Thomas Jefferson from
plutocratic domination.
"Therefore, with this Object IN view: this
convention Of American Democrats; com
posed Of representatives from % of the lead
iny States OF the Union, make the following
declaration on the monetary question; which
has been forced into the leading place among
the issues Of the day:
1.-The Federal constitution names silver and
gold together as the money metals 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 bv
the silver dollar unit. From the beginning
Of the government, following policy form
! ulated by Thos. Jefferson, the Democratic
| arty has hoen the party Of bi-netallsm.
! favoring the free coinage Of both silver and
! gold at the national mints, and opposed to
! farming out to banking corporations the
! governments sovereign power OF issuing
! snd controlling the money o! the people.
'.The act Of 1873 demonetjzug silver was
surreptitiously passed, without the approval
| or knowledge OF the American people, and
! from the time when the effect of this act in
! fastenin. upon this country the single gold
standard was understood, the Democratic
party has consistently and persstently urged
! that the grievous wrong be righted. Failure
to accomplish the object has resulted in the
steady appreciation OF gold and correspond
! ing fall in the price OF commodities produced
! by the people; heavy increase in the burden
| OF oil debi5, public and private; the enrich
! ment of the money-lending class; paralysis
Of industry and the impoverishment Of the
people and unexampiel distress in all gold
! standard countries. Experience has shown
that, while under the single gold standard
! there may be an occasional revival of bust
! ness activity. accompanied by enhanced
| prices Of a limited number Of commodities,
| such revival is due to artificial and Temporal
~ causes and cannot permanently alleviate
| the sufrernGs due to The falling Of prices
brought about by tie appreciation OF gold
and the inadequate supply of primary or re-
| demrtion money.
s'Iac rights of the American people. ;he
| Interests of American labor and :he prosper
! ity of American industry have a higher claim
| TO The consideration Of the peoples law
| makers th:,u the greed of foreign creditors
! or inc avaricous demands made by idle
holders of idle capital The right to rcSu-
late its own monetary system in the Interests
| OF is own people is q right which no free
! government can DdFteI, SCH Ol SuELtuucI.
| This reserved right is 4 par. Of every
bond. of every contract and of every oblisa-
ton. No creditor or claimant r1n set Up
right that can take precedence over nations
! obligations to promote the welfare Of the
masses Of lis people. This is a debt higher
and more binding than al other debts, and
! one that is not only dishone<. but reasonable
! to ignore.
''l'he land and i!S produces ere the Jas:s
| Of all development and prosperity. The
productive capacity CT 4 country must be the
! basis of is credit. in opposin: the policy
! Of contraction. which must inevitably dep"e-
! ciatc the value Of land and its products. we
are :hc supporters of property rights and
! sound credit and stand between the homes
! ::,d the States Of the people aud The red flag
! OF the ;l~ctionecr.
"The policy Of gold mono-metaliism has
! been characterized by repeated AMI dJsas-
! trous fnarcia: pa!:;tS. The farmers have
| lon2A theiS prosperity aad indcpendelce
! c1n7tsn,;: w"r:nS In"eI IS r:'Sh;ii.e .i:-'
errr. Manufacturers are Interested to op-
pose it. for they tiDd the pri">%s OF sale fall
! Irc below The cost Of production. Merchants
! should oppose it, for with falling prices
tuev arc often compelled to sell Cor less than
they paid for manufactured goods. Neither
manufacturer nor merchant can prosper un-
less the mass of consumers realize such
F; prices for their products and labor as supply
| themselves literally with the necessities and
! luyurics Of life. nor can the waSe-earne-
prospcr. for under depressed conditions
| ;hart. is less and less competitor :or his
! labor.
The Democcatic patty : the traditional
friend and champion Of pi-netalism. rs
! Strength >nd power and popularity have
been larseiy built Up on lis s:eadfast oppo-
si:iou to the demonetization o. siivec and is
record OF unwearicd effo~c to restore it to its
r;.toric place Us full money retal equal
with gold. The effort ut this late day ~
m l-c t. par excellence. the champion Of gold
iIo,o-aetr!iism. the coemy of the po'i%y it
has upheld and he defcnde" Of the crime +
h.: denounced. 3 IN e(ro+ TO dishonor is
r. o-d, its proIr!:es and is principles. The
ronlent the Democratic r9-ty is forced into
.n;s position it heaps C&oIuy On its own
past aud CROWNS It's great adversary with
! glory and honor.
"Duty to the people ;elri:=S that the par
Nv Of the people continue lhe battle for hj-
metalism until lis effo-., a"e crowned with
SUCCESS; therefore be il
.sResolved, That the Democratic party in
national convention asserob'ed shon]d de-
nand the free aud unlimited coinage OF sill
yer and gold into primary or Eelemptior
money at the ratio OF 16 TO without waI'ioe
for the action OF approval OF aAy o-he: na'
ton.
.'Resolvej, That it should declare it ire
vocable opposition to the substitution for
metallic money Of a panic-b-eedinS: corpor;-
ation-credt currency, based Oh a slnsle
metal the sCpply of which is so limited tna'
it can be corpered at any timeb ebya few pauH
ing institutions in Europe and America.
Resolved, That it sboul declare its oppo'
80. ii, n
dering to the holders cs the obligations O.
the United States the option reserved by tn.
law to the government Of redeeming suct
obligations in either silver coin or golo
con.