Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-10-04

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markets and short consumption, and our
laborers go out with guns to drive away
their fellow toilers from the little p1ttance
of wages they need and must have to buy
their bread.
The Hanna party and the Palmers of
Indianapolis memory glare at them with
firm Indignation and threaten them with
blue tickets, and denounce as traitors 10
the peace of the country the democratic
party, for insisting upon the right OF the
states to protect or punish them accord
ing to their deserts. These alleged demo-
Gratis and great expounders, in the
glamour of golden glories that surround
them, forget what is democracy If they
will turn their thoughts back to June 1869
and recall the greatest and most notable
triumph of democracy in this country,
next to their victory over the Force bill
and election laws, and their greatest
triumph over the gold lords in the recent
convention at Chicago, they will find
this great announcement made by Abram
s. Hewitt, then a democrat from New
York in the house of representatives, on
the 10th of June, 1869: "Mr. Speaker l
will read the section as it now stands:
From and after the passage of this act
it shall not be lawful to employ any part
of the army of the United States as a
posse comitatus or otherwise for the pur-
pose of executing the laws, except in
such cases and under such circumstances
as such employment of said force may be
t&pIGSSiy dulHOllZGtl ny lflt CouSlllullOii,
or by act of congress, etc. Thus said
Mr.. HEWITT have we this day secured to
the people of this country the same great
protection against standing army,
which cost struggle of 200 years for the
commons of England to secure the
British people. I move the previous ques-
ton" 1t was sustained by vote of 154
to So, the bill passed and was approved by
the president.
Mr. Edmunds said In the debate on that
II H. : i- I, .i,
lar statute to pass to say that the army
of the United States shall not be used for
the purpose of executing the laws-that
is. of course, the laws of the United
States-under any circumstances unless
expressly authorized by an act of con-
gress or the constitution"
He seems still to adhere to that opinion.
1t was then "a singular statute" when
the spirit Of a true democracy begun, in
the midst of the wreck of our liberties. to
reanimate the souls of the people. This
law now in force, was supported by this
declaration in the Chicago platform of
the great democracy
I'VE denounce arbitrary interference
by federal authorities in local affairs as a
violation of the constitution of the United
States, and crime against free institu-
TONS"
This law and this declaration of the
democracy stand together as a wall of
defense against the power of the COM
mander-in- chief of the army and the
navy to invade the states with either
force, Is a posse commitatus. The de-
mocracy still insist that the military pow
err in this government to the civil power
the+opinion of the attorney general to the
contrary Notwithstanding.
All parties and all people, except the
Indianapolis deserters, admit that the
condition of the country is deplorable and
is daily growing worse.
The Mckinley Republicans demand
heavier taxation in tariff duties, which,
under the Mckinley law of 1892, gave us
higher prices for goods, lower prices for
wages and fewer productions and de-
felt of $4,000, 900 i'm the revenues. They
demand this, without the consent of
Great Britain, because they know she
will never consent.
They will accept the free coinage of sill
yer when Great Britain will consent be-
cause they know she will never consent.
The Indianapolis faction suggest moth
ing; because they are satisfied to keep the
mill running while 1t grinds out more
bonds for the syndicates.
The true democracy-the people-de-
mand that the issue of bonds shall cease
and that this shall be made possible by
the return. to our constitutional specie
basis, under which our currency circula-
ton Is payable, according to our contract,
in gold or silver coin at the option of the
government.
The Republicans and their several con-
tingent of deserters, who desptse their
flag and remember their scornful abuse,
but became their allies because they in
tend to ruin what they cannot rule, stop
the country on a dead center and refuse
relief to the people until the greed for
more bonds has been satiated and until
the bounty-fed manufa eturers have put
the necessities Of the people for food and
raiment under contribution to increase
their wealth.
This is a tremendous combination to
war against, but the benevolence of a
kind providence will not be defeated If
the people deserve that blessing by being
true to themselves.
We are fighting for a principle that has
its foundation in the divine economy; its
reveal ton and sanction in the revealed
will of the Creator; its support in every
advance of civilization; its recognition in
all the history of enlightened govern j..
ments it's solemn adoption in our consti-
tuition as a foundation stone in that cita-
del of liberty, and the witness Of its ex-
cellent works in eighty-one years of our
national growth and prosperity.
For the grounds OF my faith in the union
of gold and silver as money metals, I rest
upon the wisdom and benevolence of the
Great tor when they were ordained for that
single service in which they have any use
fulness. Silver and gold alike are only
useful as measures to define the value of
all property, all debts, duties, damages
right of compensation, and to fix the
means and method of payment. Together,
they price everything that is bought and
sold and of all monied obligations. The
value of all these, when compensated in
money. is equal to all the gold and silver
in the world
Therefore, they are precious, because
they price all other values and they are
SO, estimated, and always have been. by
all the people of the world who have used
money.
In bestowing these metals upon man.
kind for this sole. useful purpose, the
parity of production is secured by the
equal cost hazard and difficulty in rails
ing them from the deep, hidden veins
where they are found, always impure and
must be parted from other metals and
purified by great skill and expensive la
Dor Their relative parity of value, as 1t
is ascertained by weight, is secured by
the time and labor that is required for
the average production of each metal. If
a days work, on the average of many
ages will produce twenty grains of pure
gold and the same time and labor is re-
uuired to produce 81 grains of pure sill
yer, that fact fixes their relative value,
,,yttt he nit ~ ion,