Mexico weekly ledger., 1896-07-09

best expression in the maintenance OF
the rights of the States and in its as
sertion OF the necessity of ~coniding
the general Government to the exer-
else of the powers granted by the Con-
stitution of the United States.
THE CURRENCY.
Recognizing that the money system
is paramount to all others at this time,
we invite attention to the fact that the
Federal Constitution names silver and
gold as the money metals of the
United States, and that the first coin
age law passed by Congress under the
Constitution made the silver dollar the
monetary unit and admitted gold to
free coinage at a ratio based upon the
silver dollar unit.
We declare that the act of 1873 de-
monetizing silver without the knowl-
edge OF approval of the American
people, has resulted in the apprecia-
tion of gold and a corresponding fall
in the prices of commodities produced
by the people; a heavy increase In the
burden of taxation and of all debts,
public and private; the enrichment Of
the money lending class at home and
abroad, prostration Of industry and
impoverishment of the people.
Weareu nalterably opposedto mono
metallism, which has locked fast the
prosperity of an Industrial people in
the paralysis of hard times. Gold
monometallism is q British policy, and
its adoption has brought other nations
into financial servitude to Londons 1t
is not un-American, but anti-Ameri-
can, and 1t be fastened on the
United States only by the sitting OF
that spirit and love Of liberty which
proclaimed our political independence
in 1776 and won it IN the war OF the
Revolution.
We demand the free and unlimited
coinage OF both gold and silver at the
present legal ratio of is to 1, without
waiting for the aid or content of any
other nation. We demand that the
standard silverdollar shall be full legal
tender, equally with gold, for all debts,
public or private, and we favor such
legislation as will prevent for the flu
ture the demonstration of any kind
of legal tender money by private con-
tract. We are opposed to the policy
and practice of surrendering 10 the
holders OF the obligations of the Unit
ed States the option reserved by law
to the Government of redeeming such
obligations in either silver coin or gold
coin. We are opposed to the issuing
of interest bearing bonds of the Unit
ed States in time of peace and con-
denim tho ~traficking with banking
syndicates, which, in exchange for
bonds at an enormous profit to them
selves, supply the Federal Treasury
with gold to maintain the policy of
gold monOmetallism.
| Con~raso oInpo hoe Tho pnuyor ~ ooip
and issue money, and President jack
son declared that this power could not
be delegaged to corporations or indi-
viduals. We, therefore, demand that
the power to issue notes to circulate
as money be taken from the national
banks, and that ali paper money shall
be issued directly by the Treasury De-
partment, be redeemable in coin and
be receivable for all debts, public and
private.
THE TARIFF.
We hold that tariff duties should be
levied for purposes of revenue, such
duties to be so adjusted as to operate
equally throughout the country and
not discriminate between class or Sec
ton, and that taxation should be linn
tied by the needs of the Government
honestly and economically admins
tered. We denounce as disturbing to
business the Republican threat to re-
store the Mckinley law, which has
twice been condemned by the people
in national elections, and which,
enacted under the false plea of pro-
lection t home industry, proved a
| prolific breeder of trusts and the
monopolies, enriched the few at the
expense of the many, restricted trade
and deprived the producers of the
great American staples of c to
their natural markets.
Until the money question Is settled,
we are opposed to any agitation for
further changes in our tariff laws, ex-
cept such as are necessary to supply
the deficit in revenue caused by the
adverse decision of the Supreme Court
on income TAX. But for this decision
by the Supreme Court there would be
no deficit in the revenue under the
law passed by q Democratic Congress,
in strict pursuance of the uniform de-
cisions Of that court for nearly 100
years, that court having under that
decision sustained constitutional OBJ
jections to its enactment which had
been overruled by the ablest Judges
who have ever a on that bench. We
declare that il Is the duty of Congress
to use all the constitutional power
which remains after that decision, or
which may come from its reversal by
the court ms it may hereafter be con-
stituted, 30 that the burdens of taxa
ton may equally and impartially lead
to the end that wealth may bear its
due proportion of the expenses of the
Government.
We hold that the most efficient way
of protecting American labor is to
prevent the importation of foreign
pauper labor to compete with it in
the home market, and that the value
of the home market to nj American
farmers and p%artisans is greatly re-
duced by Q, vicious monetary system
which d~epresses the prices of their
products below the cost OF production,
and thus deprives them of the means
of purchasing the products of our
home manufactures.
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 de-
mand the enlargement of the powers
of the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion and such restrictions and guar
antees in the control of railroads as
will protect the people from robbery
and oppression. We denounce the
profllgate waste of money wrung
from the people by oppressive taxa
ton and the lavish appropriations of
recent Republican Congresses, which
have kept taxes high while the labor
that pays them is unemployed and
the products of the peoples toll are
depressed In price till they no longer
raDav the cost of nrodupt;op VUo