Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-08-30

you might hurt the business of the coun-
try mean my friends on Wall street."
He stopped. He lost his bomb and now
won't vote the ticket because he has no
more bombs
But Mr.. Chairman, the party leaders
for the past three years have wandered
from the teachings of Jefferson, Madi-
son, Monroe and Jackson; they have, by
legislation, made combines and monopo-
lies possible; they have created panics as
an "object lesson;" they have permitted
bond syndicates to feed and fatten on
the peoples substance; they have en-
couraged class legislation; they had per-
mitted corporate power to take possess
sion and dictate the party nominees; they
had turned their faces from the humble
dwellings of the poor and become en-
amOred with the castles of the rich; they
have sold $262, 900 600 of interest bearing
bonds to perpetuate the national bank
ing interest, and all that we may be
placed on the
British Gold Standard.
This, sir. Is what ignoring the plain con-
stitutional provision, that it is the duty
of congress to coin money and regulate
the value thereof and of foreign COIN,
has brought us to. If it takes dynamite
such as was given these self-constituted
leaders at Chicago to get us out of this
deplorable condition, a few small sized
bombs, such as were thrown into the
platform, judiciously placed was in or
der
BY unfriendly and unconstitutional
financial legislation we have crushed the
farmer and the laborer, the debtor and
the small merchant, and it will only take
a few years more to crush also those
more fortunate financially. But at Chi
cago the people took charge of the par
tvs interest and enunciated a platform
which is the only ''unequivocal declara-
ton of democratic principles" that we
have had for more than quarter or
century. Nevertheless, there are those
"holier than thou" claiming to be demo-
Gratis who are so pure in their political
affiliations and associations even that
they can't live in the same democratic
family with Tillman, Altgeld and Bryan,
but feel perfectly at home with Reed,
Sherman and Lodge of force bill fame.
They claim that it is communistic to de-
clare for freedom of speech, freedom of
press and freedom of conscience. They
assert that the platform is charged with
anarchy when it demands the preserva-
ton of personal rights, the equality of all
citizens before the law and the faithful
observance OF the constitutional limita-
lions. They regard it as undemocratic
for the party to resist the tendency of
selfish interests to the Capitalization of
government power and a maintenance of
the dual scheme of government. They
raise their hands i'll holy horror at the
principle Of local government and
maintenance of the rights of the states
and to combining the general government
to the limit of power given by the con-
stitution. They have no patience with
that so-called populistic doctrine which
guarantees to every citizen the rights of
civil and religious liberty. They con-
denim the platform, and these are the
salient features of the instrument But
the objection, real objection, to the plat
form by the leaders of this movement
Are to Three, and Only Three,
= Tee,
and separate classes of trusts, combines
and monopolies united to make war on
these three democratic demands for fed
eral legislation. They have Joined in one
common brotherhood, pledged to the de-
feat of the principles in the platform and
party nominees. They will only make
war upon the free coinage plank of silver,
for they by this means hope TO gain ac-
cessions to their ranks from all classes
of business people and laborers by decep-
ton, falsehood and a general scare,
which they hope to create by shouting for
sound money, so cent dollars and national
honor and honesty. They content them
selves with general assertions and indef-
mite criticisms as to its tendencies, but
dare not make their real objections be-
fore the people to the three planks about
which they are so sensitive. They are
a follows;
l. The national banks are especially in
terested in that plank of the platform
which declares that congress alone has
the power to coin and issue money" and
condemns the grant of power to them by
congress to issue notes to circulate as
money among the people. The power to
issue money is a function of sovereignty
and under the constitution cannot and
should not be delegated to any corpora
ton, placing it in their power to contract
or expand the currency of the country at
will President Jackson opposed the
grant of such power by congress, and
said this power cannot be delegated to
corporate or individuals. Was jack
son a democrat? We know what the
banks want, for they have offered their
plan for relief in the shape of a bill en-
bodying the Baltimore plan," concocted
by the bankers in national convention as
sembled in 1894. This provided that the
banks should be allowed to issue in notes
to circulate as money rs per cent of their
paid up, unimpaired capital stock, with a
deposit from all of the banks of per cent
as a redemption or safety fund; and,
in case a bank failed and the redemption
fund was not sufficient to redeem it's out
standing notes in the hands of the people,
then the government was to redeem
them The bill further provided that
United States bonds held to secure pres
emit circulation, should be surrendered to
the banks. The Farmers alliance desir-
ed to deposit their non-perishable farm
products and borrow money from the
government. The banks desired to issue
money on their stock. Their scheme is
quite as bad as the
Pumpkin Currency Scheme of the Alliance.
If this is not their real objection to the
platform, let the banks rise and explain.
q The railroads and corporations inter-
ested in railroads and interstate COM
merce object to that plank which says,
I'VE are in favor of the arbitration of
differences between employers engaged
in interstate commerce and their en-
ployes, and recommend such legislation
as is necessary to carry out this pr.nc-
pie. The absorption of wealth by the
few, the consolidation of our leading
railroad systems and the formation of
trusts and pools require a stricter con-
troll by the federal government of those
arteries of commerce. We demand the
enlargement of the powers of the inter-
state commerce commission, and such
restrictions and guarantees in the con-
troll of railroads as will protect the peo-
pie from robbery and oppression"
The platform recommends that con-
gress pass a law for the arbitration of
differences between the roads and their
employees, just what every labor organ
ization engaged in railroading pettionsd
the Fifty-fourth congress to do. The