Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1896-09-25
THE PLATFORM.
STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES ON
WHICH THE PEOPLE WILL WIN.

Fungus Growth, II Again the
Party of the Peopic-A Plain AID
Explicit Statement of It's PrinCi.
pies.
We, the Democrats of the United States
| in national convention assembled. do re-
affirm our allegiance to those great es-
sential principles of justice and liberty
upon which our institutions are founded,
and which the Democratic party has
advocated from Jefferson'S time TO our
own; Freedom of speech, freedom of the
press, freedom of conscience, the preser-
Walton OF personal rights, the equality of
all citizens before the law, and the faith
full observance of constitutional limita-
tons. During all these years the Demo
cratic party has resisted the tendency of
selfish interests to the Capitalization of
governmental power and steadtastly
maintained the integrity of the dual
by the founders of this repub.
lie of republics. Under its guild
ance and teachings the great princi-
pie of local self-government has found its
best expressions i'll the maintenance of
the rights of the States and its assertion
of the necessity of combining the general
government to the exercise of the powers
granted by the constitution of the United
States.
Recognizing that the money question is
paramount to all Others at this time. we
| invite attention to the fact that the Fed
eral 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 con-
| Stitution made the silver dollar the
| monetary unit and admitted gold to free
| coinage at ratio based upon the silver
dollar unit. We declare that the act of
1873 demOnetizing silver without the
knowledge or approval of the American
people has resulted i'll the appreciation of
gold and 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, prostra-
| ton OF industry and impoverishment Of
the people. We are unalterably opposed
to mono-metallism, which has locked
| fast the prosperity of an Industrious peo-
pie in the paralysis of hard times. Gold
mOno-metallism is British policy, and
its adoption has brought other nations
into financial servitude to London. 1t IS
not only un-American, but anti-Ameri-
can. and it can be fastened upon the
| United States only by the sitting OF that
spirit and love of liberty which pro-
claimed our political independence in
| ZIG and won it i'll the war of the revolu-
| ton.
We demand the free and unlimited
present legal ratio of If to l. without
| waiting for the aid or consent of any
other nation. We demand that the
standard silver dollar shall he full
legal tender, equally with gold, for all
debts, public and private, and we favor
demonetizati0n of any kind of legal
tender money by private contract.
We are opposed to the policy and prac-
tice of surrendering to the holders of OBJ
llga.lons Oh Inc ohiteu states the OPTION
leserteu Wy Jaw 70 .ne government vi re-
oeen'ins SUCH opilea'ioils iii sli'er'
We are opposed to the issuing of in
terest- bearing bonds of the United States
in times of peace, and condemn the traf-
ticking with banking syndicates which in
exchange tor bonds at an enormous profit
to themselves supply the Federal treas
ury with gold to maintain the policy of
gold mono-metalllSm.
and issue money. and President .Iackson
declared that this power could not he
delegated to corporations or individuals
We therefore denounce the issue of notes
| as money by national banks as in deroga-
ton of the constitution, and we demand
that all paper which is made legal tender
for public and private debts or which is
receivable for dues to the United States
shall be issued by the government of the
United States aud be redeemable in coin.
We hold that tariff dut,es sbould he
levied for the purpOse of revenue sucb
duties TO be readiusted so as to Operate
| enuaIIv throuvhnnt the country and not
discriminate between class or section. and
that taxatinn should hc limited nv tho
| naeds of: the Government domestic
and ECONOMICALLY administered Wa
denounce as Disturbing to business
the Republican threat to restore tn.
Mckinley law, which has been twice
/ hxy hn
elections, and which, enacted under
the false plea of protection to home
| industry, proved prolific breeder of
trusts and monopolies, enriching the few
at the expense of the many, restricted
| trade and deprived the producers of the
great American staples OF access to their
natural markets. Until the money queS-
ton is settled We are opposed tOany agita-
| ton for further changes in our tariff laws.
except such as are necessary to make up
the deficit in revenue caused by the ad
verse decision OF the supreme court on
| the income tax.
| Rut f,r this decision nv the snnre,pe
oonrt there would he no deficit IN the
revenue under the law passed nv a Dem
ocratic Congress-, i'm strict pursuance of
The inform decisions of that court for
nearly 100 wears. that court having under
that decision sustained constitutional oh.
jections to its enactment which had been
overruled by the ablest judges who have
ever sat on that bench. We declare that
it 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 here
after be constituted, SO that the BURDENS
of taxation may equally and impartially
be levied, 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 complete with it in the home market,
and that the value or the home market
to our American farmers and artisans is
greatly reduced by vicious monetary
system which depresses the prices OF
their products below the cost OF produc-
ton and thus deprives them OF the means
of purchasing the products ofour home
manufactures.
The absorption OF wealth by the few,
the consolidation OF our leading railway
systems ana the formation OF trusts and
pools require a stricter control ny the
Federal government OIL those arteries OF
commerce. we demand the enlarge
ment OF tne powers Oh the interstate com
d S,ra ,,taas T., tho "nn.rnI i.s ra;Irno.IS