The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1895-05-15
Is What Gen. Buckner Wants and
Has No Desire to Conceal
His Views
ON THIS GREAT QUESTION.
Gone Over Body and Soul to the
Gold Bugs.
The People Are Not With Him.

agitatlng the country, was the brief
statement by which the Courier-Journal
representative presented his draft on the
Ex-Governor. 1t was Immediately
honored.
"a general reply to your question:"
said Gen. Buckner, "would be to refer
you to the ancient shibboleth of the
Democratic party, to which, with rare
exceptions, as in the greenback agitation,
it has uniformly adhered; Local self
government, sound money and free trade
the latter subject only to the necessary
wants of the Government to collect
revenue to defray its legitimate ex-
penses.
"The last enunciation of the principles
OF the party in the Chicago platform OF
1892 is but an elaboration of the policy
thus briefly summarized. 1t advocates
the individuality and the selfrelance OF
the citizen, makes him factor in his
Government and not its dependent; de-
nounces legislation which would give
bounties to one class and protection to
another at the expense Of all other citi-
zsns advocates the use of both gold and
silver as money in which one dollar shall
be worth as much as any other dollar,
and insists that paper money shall be
maintained at an equal value with coin.
This policy, advocated by the Democratic
party was overwhelmingly Endorsed by
the people at the polls Every Democrat
thus planted himself on this platform,
and / see no reason why any should
abandon it to-day.
"The financial question treated in that
platform is now the absorbing issue be-
fore the people, made so by the insist
ance OF large portion of the Democratic
party, OF the Populists and of many Re-
publicans upon the immediate free coin
age OF silver in unlimited quantities, as
full legal-tender money, at ratio Of is
to ] to gold. This position sharply an
tagonizes the enunciations of the Demo-
cratic platform on the question, is large
H'experimental, as one of its most promi-
nent advocates declares, and therefore
should not be accepted by the people
without calm and careful considera-
ton of the consequences which would re-
suit from an experiment which might
prove costly and disastrous to the coun-
try"
"What are your views on bimetalism?"
.'The use of both gold and silver is es-
sential TO conduct commerce and trade;
gold, containing much greater value in
a smaller bulk, is more fitted by its port
ability for larger payments, and silver for
the smaller transactions of tade, the
smallest transactions in the retail trade
being supplied by the use Of the copper
coin.
"As more than nine-tenths OF commerce
OF the world is conducted on a system of
credits it is desirable that this system
should be placed on broad and firm
basis. That basis is coined money, for
every holder OF note or other evidence
Of Indebtedness expects eventually its re-
demption in such money or its equiva-
lent. 1t is evident that the greater the
amount OF this money OF ultimate re-
demption, as il is called, the more con-
fidence will be inspired in the value OF
the credit on which ii is based. Itshould
be the policy therefore of Governments
to legislate on this subject in such man
ner as will maintain in circulation the
largest amounts OF both gold and silver
OF interchangeable value. But as silver
has lost its full legal tender value in
nearly every great commercial nation OF
the world the question Of its rehabilita-
tion is a serious one. The Democratic
party proposes, in its platform, to at
tempt the accomplishment OF this result
by International agreement--by the con-
certed action Of all commercial nations.
A large number, differing from this view,
propose its accomplishment by the action
of our Government alone, in the free and
unlimited coinage OF silver, at full legal
tender value, at ratio OF 10 10 with
gold, the ratio OF actual values being
about32tol There are many objections
TO this proposed innovation on the policy
enunciated in the Democratic platform.
1--WE have already tried this experi-
ment on limited scale and at heavy
cost TO the people. Under the Bland and
Sherman acts the Government, as APP
pears from the report Of the Director OF
the Mint, has purchased since 1878 450,-
-fv46 7Ol ounces Of silver at cost Of $780,
2l0262 &c. These purchases we're made
for the ayowed purposes Of raising the
price Of silver 10 its official ratio With
gold A law was also enacted virtually
pledging the Government TO maintain
the silver dollar at the full value Of the
standard gold dollar. which can only be
done by redeemIng Il iu gold. Notwith'
standing this the price oisilver, instead Of
increasing continued TO fall until to day
the silver which was bought At cost Of