Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-07-09
IT IS BROAD, IT is STRONG
Democratic Party's Platform
This Year of Grace. IS
THE RESTORATION 0gsSlLvER
The Restriction of the Issue Z : ,onds in Time
of Peacf.1T
81
NO MORE GOVERNMENT BY INJUNCTION
Tho Present Tariff to Be Let Alone-Return
to Simplicity and Economy Demand
ed-Justice for Deserving Un-
ion Soldiers.
The RESTORATION O1sSlLvER
NO MORE GOVERNMENT BY INJu uNcTIoN

Chicago, July 8.-The following is the
platform as finally agreed upon by the
committee on resolutions, to be submitted
to the convention when the report Is
called for:
We, the democrats of the United States,
in national convention assembled, do re-
affirm our allegiance to the essential prin-
ciples of justice and liberty upon which
our institutions are founded, and which
the democratic party has advocated from
Jeffersons time to our own-freedom of
speech, freedom of the press, freedom of
conscience, the preservation of personal
rights, the equality of all citizens before
the law and the faithful observance of
constitutional limitati
During all these years the democratic
party has resisted the tendency of selfish
interests to the Capitalization of govern
ment power and steadfastly maintained
the integrity of the dual scheme of gov
ernment established by the founders of
this republic of republics. Under its
guidance and teachings the great princi-
pie of local self-government has found it's
best expression in the maintenance of
rights of the states, and in its assertion
of the necessity of combining the general
government W Tile eAtTClbe Ol tue pOWtIS
granted by the constitution of the United
States.
The Financial Plank.
Recognizing that the money question
Is paramount to all others at this time,
We invite attention to the fact that the
federal constitution names silver and
gold together as the money metals of the
United States, and that the first coinage
law passed by congress under the conHti-
tuition made the silver dollar the none
tary unit and admitted gold to free COIN
age at ratio based upon the silver dol
lar unit. -sa,.ssss sl..ss
We declare that the act of 1878 demon
etizing silver without the knowledge or
the approval of the American people has
resulted in the appreciation of gold and
a corresponding fall In the prices of COM
modities produced by the people; a heavy
increase in the burden Of taxation apd OF
all debts, public and private; the enrich
ment of the money lending class at home
and abroad; the prostration of industry
and impoverishment of the people.
We are unalterabiy opposed to mono
metallism, which has locked fast the
prosperity of an industrial people In the
paralysis of hard times. Gold mono
metallism Is a British policy, and its
adoption has brought other nations into
financial servitude to London. 1t Is not
only un-American, but anti-Amerfcan.
and 1t can be fastened on the United
and love of liberty which proclaimed our
political independence in 1776 and won II
in the war of the revolution.
We demand the free and unlimited coin
age of both gold and silver at the present
legal ratio of 16 to 1, without waiting for
the aid or consent of any other nation.
We demand that the standard silver dol
lar shall be full legal tender, equally
with gold, for all debts public and pri-
vate, and we favor such legislation as
will prevent for the future the demoneti-
zation of any kind of legal tender money
by private contract.
We are opposed to the policy and prac-
tice of surrenderng to the holders OF the
obligations of the United States the OPP
tion reserved by law I'd the government
of redeeming such obligations In either
silver coin or gold coin.
Restriction of Bond Issues.
We are opposed to the issuing of in
terest-bearing bonds Of the United
States in time of peace, and condemn the
trafficking with banking syHdicates
which, in exchange for bonds at an enor-
nous profit to themselves, supply the
federal treasury with gold to maintain
the policy Of gold monometallism.
Congress alone has the power to coin
and issue money, and President Jackson
declared that this power could not be
delegated to corporations or individuals.
We therefore demand that the power to
issue notes, to circulate as money. be
taken from the national banks. and that
all paper money shall be issued directly
by the treasury department, be redeem
able In coin and receivable for deDts, pup
lie and private.
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 section.
and that taxation should be limited by
the needs of the government, honestly
and economically administered. We de-
Eounce as disturbing to business the re-
publican threat to restore the Mckinney
law. which has twice been condemned by
the people in national elections, and
which, enacted under the false plea Of
protection to home Industries, proved a
prolific breeder of trusts and monopolies,
enriched the few at the expense of the
producers of the great American staples
of access to their natural markets.
No Tinkering With the Present Tariff
Until the money question is settled
we are opposed to any agitation for fur
ther changes In our tarin laws except
such as are necessary to meet the deficit
in revenue caused by the adverse decis-
ion of the supreme court on the income
tax But for this decision by the SUI
preme court there would be no deficit In
the revenue under the law passed by a
democratic congress In strict pursuance
of uniform decisions Of that court for
nearly 100 years, that court having in
that decision sustained constitutional OBJ
jections to it's enactment which had pre-
viously been overruled by the ablest
judges that ever sat on that bench. We
declare that 1t 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 as 1t may hereafter be consti-
tuted. so that the burdens of taxation
may be equally and impartially laid to
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