The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-06-19
THE PLATFORM
BY THE FREE SILVER CON-
VEMTlON AT MEMPHIS.

1t Demands the Free Coinage of Silver at
IL Ratio of sixteen to One. and that it be
Made 4 Legal Tender.
MEMPHIS. June 13.-The following
is the platform adopted by the Free
Silver Convention at its session today:
Silver and gold have in allages con-
stituted the money of the world, were
the money of the fathers Of the repub-
lie, the money of history and of the
Constitution. The universal expert
ence of mankind has demonstrated
that the joint use of both silver and
gold coin as money constitute the most
stablestandard of value and that thefull
amount of both metals is necessary as
medium of exchange
The demonstration of either of these
historic metals means an appreciation
in the value of money, fall in the
prices of commodities, a diminution
of profits of legitimate business. a
continuing increase in the burden of
debts, a withdrawal of money from the
channels of trade and industry where
it no longer yields safe and sure re-
turn and its idle accumulation in the
banks and the great money centres of
the country.
There is no health or soundness in
a financial system under which a
boarded dollar is productive of increase
to its possessor, while an invested dol
lar Yields constantly diminishing re-
turn. and under which fortunes are
made by the accretions of idle capital
or destroyed by a persistent fall IN the
price of commodities and a persistent
dwindling in the margin Of profits in
almost every branch of useful industry.
Such system is premium on sloth
and penalty upon industry, and such
system is that which the criminal
legislation of 1873 has imposed upon
this country.
1.-THE bimetallic standard of silver
and gold has behind it the experience
ofages and has been tested and APPROX
ed by the enlightened and deliberate
Judgment of mankind. The gold stan
dard is departure from the establish
ed policy of the civilized world with
nothing to commend it but twenty
two years of depression and disaster to
the people and extraordinary accumu-
lation of wealth in the hands of a few.
There are some facts bearing upon the
question, recognized and admitted by
all candid men whether advocates of
bimetallism or of the single gold STAN
dard. Among these is the fact that
the very year that marked the change
from the bimetallic to single gold stan
dard is the very year that marked the
change from condition of rising
prices, large profits, general content
ment and great prosperity to condl-
ton of falling prices, dimishlng prot
its, in security of investment, unem-
ployed labor and a heavy depression in
all branches of trade and industry. 1t
is not a matter Of dispute even among
the honest advocates of the gold stand
ard, that general prospersty came to
an end with the destruction of the bI-
metallic system and that hard times,
falling prices, idle workingmen and
widespread depression came in with
the gold standard and prevails today
wherever the gold standard has been
adopted.
Every internationalmonetary con-
| ference that has been called, every de-
mand in this country and IN Europe
for international agreemant to re.es-
tablish the bimetallic standard, is a
confession that the demonetization Of
silver was a blunder, if not crime,
that its consequences have been discs
trous, that the conditions it has
wroug ght are full of menace and of
peril. The logic of facts establishes
beyond intelligent argument that the
destruction of silver as a primary
money by conspiracy ofselfish inter
ests is the cause Of the widespread de-
preston and suffering that began with
the gold standard. There can be no
restoration of prosperity, no perr2a-
nent relief from the prevailing condl-
tons, until the cause has been rene
died by complete restoration OF sil.
yer to its proper place as money equal
with gold. We believe in money of
stable values, we believe least of all
in an approaching standard. 1t IS
only through the practical operation
of bimetallism that a stable standard
of value can be secured. A standard
constituted of money constantly IN
creasing in value is not sound, single
nor stable standard. but constantly
changing standard. The effect OF gold
monometallism is to have one stand
ard for the creditor and another for
the debtor and there can be no more
dishonest monetary system than that
which gives short measure to the bor-
rover and long measure to the lender.
Under the policy prevailing prior
to 1878, there can be no violent change
in the relative value of the two metals,
for a rise in value of one metal is coun-
teracted by a decreased demand and a
fall in value by a higher demand: IN
der the operation of this beneficlent
law, stable relation was maintained
between them in spite of the most eN-
treme production. From the first pc.
riod OF our history up to 1873, the right
of the debtor to choose whether he
should pay his debts in silver or gold
coin was always recognized. The pol
lev has been to transfer this right to
the creditor, thus tending to constant
" increase the value ofthe dearer met
a1and destroy the parity between them.
Believing that it is absolutely necessa-
ry to reverse this iniquitous and ruin
f,1,S r,r1icC we therefore
Resolve, That we favor the imme-
diate restoration of silver to its former
place, as a full legal tender, standard
money equal with gold, and the :ree
and unlimited coinage of both silver
and gold at the ratio of 16 to and
upon terms of exact equality. That
while we should welcome the co-opera-
ton of other nations we believe that
the United States should not wait
upon the pleasure of foreign govern
,1o,+r ~, fho consent Of foreipn cred