Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1896-06-25

tonal agreement with the leading com
mercial nations of the world which we
pledge ourselves to promote, and until
such an agreement can he obtained the
exciting gold standard must be preserved
All our silver and paper currency
| now In circulation must be
| maintained at parity with gold
and we favor all measures designed to
| maintain inviolably these obligations of
the United States and all our money. eth
or coin or paper at the present standard,
the standard of the most enlightened ma
lions of the EARTH As the declaration of
1872 has been by a majority of the party
construed to justify a single gold standard
for our monetary basis and as the recent
trend Of the official power of the party
has been in that direction we can but as
sumo that the money plank of tho new
platform being much more favorable to
perpetual gold recommendation will he de-
terminedly used in behalf of that idea
The republican party has won It's power
and renown by pursuing its purposes
courageously and relentlessly. 1t is. there
fore, only In accordance with party history
to assume, IL II shall come to present auth
ority in the Unitcr States 1t will crystalline
into law and administ ration under this
tempting platform, the perpetual single
gold standard in our finances This II
long continued, will mean the absolute
ruin OF the producers OF the country and
| finally of the nation itself. The American
nation not only favors blmetalllsm from
tradition and interest, but from that wise
interest which has always been manifest
In the affairs OF a people destined for the
worlds leadership Under tho operation
OF our great demand for advancement we
have become to other nations the greatest
| debtor of the world We pay the vast
charges which every years accumulate
against us In tho clearing house OF the
hn ~ ~.
cured by the disposal of our commodities
OF the markets of the world We
are nation of producers. Our
| creditors are nations OF consumers, any
| system of International or national finance
which elevates the price of human pro-
ducts makes our burden lighter and gives
promise of that day when II shall be en-
/ tirely lifted. and our country freed flnan-
| cally, az 1t Is politically from the domi-
nation of monarchy, and foreign autoc-
racy. Any system of finance which tends
to deproointe the price OF human produc-
lions which we must sell abroad, but In
| so far adds to the burden of our debt and
conveys q threat of the perpetual servi-
| tude of the producers of our debtor ma.
ton TO the consumers of creditor nations
| TO us 1t is folly without parallel that
| this country or any political party therein
| should deliberately accept a money sys
tenn which enriches others at our cost
History. philosophy, morals. all join
with the commonest instincts of self
preservation in demanding that the Uni
ted States shall have a just and sub
| substantially unvarying standard COM
posed OF all available gold and silver and
| with 1t our country will progress to f.
| nancial Acknowledgement. But with a sin
| gle gold standard the country will go on
| to worse destruction. to continued falling
| prices, until our people would become
the hewers of wood and drawers OF water
| for the consumers In creditor nations of
| the earth. To such an unholy end we will
not lend ourselves. Dear as has been the
republican name to its adherents that
| name Is not so dear as the faith itself
| and we do not sacrifice one jot or title OF
| the mighty principles by which republi-
| canism has uplifted the world when we
| say at this parting Of the ways we cling
| to the faith let the name go where 1t will.
We hold that this convention has seced-
| ed from the truth, that the triumph of
secession would be the eventual destruc-
ton of our freedom and our civilization.
To that end the people will not knowingly
support any political party; and We choose
| to take our place In the ranks of the great
mass of citizens who realize that the hour
| has come for justice. Did II deem this
issue less important to humanity, we
would yield, since the associations OF all
our political lives have been intertwlned
party of past mighty achievements. But
the people cry aloud for relief; they are
bending beneath burden growing heav-
Ter with the passing hours; endeavor no
longer brings its just reward; fearfulness
| takes the place of courage and despair
usurps the throne of hope, and unless the
laws of the country and the policies of
political parties shall be converted into
mediums of redress, the effect of human
desperation may some time be witnessed
more than in other lands and In other
ages.
Accepting the fiat of this convention as
the present purpose of the party, we with
draw from this convention to return to
our constituents the authority with which
they invested us, believing that we have
better discharged their trust by this action
which restores to them authority unsul-
He'd, than by giving a cowardly and in
sincere endorsement to the greatest wrong
ever willfully attempted In the republican
party-once redeemer OF the people, but
now about to become their oppressor un-
less provldentially restrained by the votes
of free men