Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1896-07-11
Plssks i. the Platforms.
REPuRLIcAN PLANK.

1.-THE Republican party is unresery-
edly for sound money. II caused the
enactment of the law providing for the
resumption of specie payments in 1879;
since then every dollar has been asg good
as gold. We are unalterably opposed to
every measure calculated to debase our
currency or impair the credit of our
country. We are, therefore, opposed
TO the free coinage Of silver, except by
international agreement with the lead
ing commercial nations of the world,
which we pledge ourselves TO promote,
and, until such an agreement can be
obtained, the existing gold standard
must be preserved. All our silver and
paper currency must be maintained at
parity with gold, and we favor all
measures designed to maintain inviola-
bly, the obligations Of the United
States and all our money, either coin
or paper. at the present standard, the
standard of the most enlightened ma
tions of the earth
DEMOCRATIC PLANK.
Recognizing that the money question
is paramount TO all others at this time,
we invite attention to the fact tina. the
Federal Constitution names silver and
gold together as the money metals oil
the United States, and that the first
coinage law passed by Congress under
the Constitution made the silver dollar
the unit OF value and admitted gold &c
free coinage at ratio measured By the
silver-dollar unit
We declare that the act of 1873, de.
monetizing silver without the knowl
edge or approval of the American peo-
pie, has resulted in the appreciation o.
gold and corresponding fall in the
prices of commodities produced by the
people; heavy increase in the burden
of taxation, and Of all debts, public
and private; the enrichment of the
money-lending class at home anC
abroad: paralysis of industry and i'm
poverishment OF the people.
We are unalterably opposed to tn,
single gold standard, which has locket
fast the prosperity Of an industriou
people in the paralysis of hard times
Gold monometalism is British polio,
founded upon British greed for gai
and power, and its general adoptio
has brought other nations into finar
cial serYitude TO London. 1t is not onl
un-American but anti-American, an
1t can be fastened upon the Unite
States only by the shilling of that in
domitable spirit and love of libert
which proclaimed our political indie
pendence in 17T6 and won it in the wa
of the Revolution.
We demand the immediate restora
tion of the free and unlimited coinag
OF gold and silver at the present lega
ratio of 16 to |, without waiting for tn
aid or consent Of any other natior
We demand that the standard silve
dollar shall be full legal tender
equally with gold, for all debts, publ
and private, and we favor such legis
lation as will prevent the demonetizs
tion OF any kind of legal tender none
by private contract.
We are opposed TO the policy an
practice of surrendering to the holder
of the obligations OF the United State
the option reserved by law to the Go,
eminent Of redeeming such obligation
in either silver coin or gold coin.
We are opposed to the issuing of ii
terest-bearing bonds OF the Unite
States in the times of peace, and cor
denim the trafficking with banking syn
dictates which, in exchange for bond
at an enormous profit to themselves
supply the Federal treasury with gol
to maintain the policy of gold mono
metalism.
Congress alone has the power to col
and issue money, and President JacE
son declared that this power could n,
be delegated to corporations or ind
viduals. We therefore demand tn,
the power to issue notes be taken fro
the banks, and that all paper none
shall be issued directly by the Urea
ury Department.