Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-04-17
THE MONEY PLANK.

Now as to the financial plank of the
democrats of Alabama.
That Captain Johnston's victory, as
credtable as 1t was to that gentleman,
had a deeper Significance than indorse-
ment of his personal worth and that 1T
went even beyond rewarding party ser
vices all who have given serious thought
to the remarkable and memorable contest
must eoncede.
A most violently aggressive fight was
led against him by Congressman Clarke,
mainly because Captain Johnston had
some time ago expressed a difference of
opinion with the administration on it's
financial policy. The watchword of the
anti-Johnston campaigners was sound
money" In other words, championship
and vindication of the administrations
present policy which has carried this
country so far away from bimetallism,
the avowed doctrine of the democratic
party of Ala bama and of the nation, that
the United States Is now gold standard
country Mr.. Clarke had behind him
many powerful influences, which it is
needless here to name, except that
among them none was more potent and
not only of the democratic party in Ala
bama, but from elsewhere. To say moth
ing of the money expended to lure the
democracy Into new and unfamiliar
paths, the state was flooded with litera-
ture whose intent was to dissipate the
silver craze. There can be no doubt
about the fact that the people understood
the issue. Mr. Clarke made it as clear
and clean and bold as man could make
it. He now realizes that, candid and
courageous as he was, he was under
taking entirely too much when he sought
to persuade the democracy of Alabama
not only that the party was in error
whenever it favored free coinage and
that Senators Morgan and Pugh and the
majority of her representatives in con-
gress were wrong on the question, but
that Messrs. Cleveland and Carlisle in
their conduct of the financial affairs of
the administration were wiser than the
last national democratic convention-to
which both owed their high honors-
when 1t declared: I'VE HOLD TO THE
USE OF BOTH GOLD AND SILVER
AS THE STANDARD MONEY OF THE
COUNTRY, AND TO THE COINAGE
OF BOTH GOLD AND SILVER WITH
OUT DISCRIMINATION AGAINST
EITHER METAL OR CHARGE FOR
VINTAGE" That means free silver
coinage as we'll as free gold coinage. The
rest of the national platforms money
plank, while it was suggestive of the
methods of getting bimetallism, never
limited of Endorsement of the single gold
standard, which Mr., Cleveland and Mr..
Carlisle have approved and fostered by
every possible word and act
The same year the democratic party
of ALBANIA adopted a free silver plank
which was prepared by Captain John
ston, who was a member of the sub
committee on resolutions 1t was this:
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF
ALABAMA EXPRESSES IT'S CON
DOMINATION OF THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY FOR THEIR ADMINISTRA-
TION OF THE FINANCES OF THE
COUNTRY, UNDER WHICH THE DE-
MAND OF THE PEOPLE FOR A SUI
FICIENT CIRCULATING MEDIUM
HAS BEEN IGNORED, AND SILVER
HAS BEEN DRIVEN FROM IT'S TIME
HONORED AND RIGHTFUL PLACE
AND USES UNDER THE CONSTITU-
TON OF THE UNITED STATES,
WHERE 1T WAS MAINTAINED so
LONG AS OUR PARTY HAD CON-
troll OF THE NATIONAL LEGISLA-
TON"
With such declarations the great vic
tory of 1892 was won by the democratic
party. With subsequent failure to keep
the faith, to stand on these declarations
in deed as in word. have come defeat and
disaster. Already too much has been
sacrificed for the sake of loyalty to a
democratic administration Congress
went as far as it could to please the pres
ident. Its compliance with his plans for
relief has been in no instance successful.
The government has gone on borrowing
money, prices have been falling and i'm
mense losses and incalculable distress
have ensued from nothing more nor less
than bad financial policy-one of entire
subservience to the dictation of the gold
contractionists.
Now, the democratic party of Alabama