The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1896-09-02
DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM.


ance to the essential 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 con-
science, the preservation OF personal
rights. the equality OF all citizens before
the law. and the faithful observance OF
tile constitutional limitations. During
all these years the Democratic party has
resisted the tendency of selfish interests
to the Capitalization of government
power, and steadfastly maintained the
integrity of the dual scheme of govern
ment established by the fouulers OF this
republic Of republics. Under its guild
ance and teachings the great principle
Of local self government has found Its
best expression III the maintenance OF
rights of the states and its assertion OF
the necessity Of confning the general
government to the exercise Of the pow
ers granted by the constitution OF the
United States. The constitution OF the
United States guarantees to every citi-
zen the rights of civil and religious lib
erty. The Democratic party has always
been the exponent Of political liberty
and religious freedom, and it renews its
obligations and reafiirms its devotion to
these fundamental principles OF the con'
stitution.
MONEY QUESTION - Recognizing
that the money question is paramount
to all others at this time, we invite at
tention to the fact that the federal CON.
stitution names silver and gold together
as the money metals of the United States,
and that the first coinage law passed by
congress under The constitution 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, de-
monetizing silver without the knowledge
or the approval of the American people,
has resulted in the appreciation Of 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-lendiug class
at home and abroad; the prostration of
industry and impoverishment of the
people.
AGAINST GOLD STANDARD-We
are unalterably opposed to monomet-
allism, which has locked fast the pros.
perity 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 Loudol. It Is
not only un- American but anti Ameri-
can, and it eau he fastened on the
United States only by the sitting of
that spirit and love Of liberty which
proclaimed our political independence
in 1915 and won it in the war OF the rev.
olution
FREE COINAGE DEMANDED-We
demand the free and unlimited coinage
of both silver and gold at the present
legal ratio of Is to /, without waiting
for the aid or consent of any other ma
ton. We demand that the standard
silver dollar shall be full legal tender,
equally with gold, for all debts, public
and private, aud we favor such litiga-
ton as will prevent for the future the
demonstration of any kind of legal ten
der money by private contract.
We are opposed to the policy and
practice of surrendering to the holders
Of the obligations of the United States
the option reserved by the law TO the
government of redeeming su"h obiiga.
tions in either silver coin or gold coin.
AGAINST BOND ISSUES--We are
opposed to the issuing of interest bear
ing bonds of the United States in time
of peace and condemn the trafickiug
with banking syndicates which, in ex-
change for bonds and at all enormous
profit to themselves, supply the federal
treasury with gold to maintain the pol
icy of gold monometallism.
Congress alone has the power to coin
aud issue money, and President Jackson
declared that this power could not be
delegated to corporations or individuals.
We, therefore, denounce the issuance
of notes intended to circulate as money
by national banks as in derogation of
the constitution; and we demand that
nil paper which is made a legal tender
for public and private debts, or which
is receivable for dues to the United
States shall be issued by the govern
ment of the United States and shall be
redeemable in coin.
A REVENUE TARIFF We hold
that tariff duties should be levied for
purposes of revenue, such duties to be so
adjusted as to operate equally through
out the country and not discriminate be-
tween class or section. and that taxation
should be limited by the needs of the
government, honestly and economically
administered. We denounce as disturb
ing to business the Republican threat to
restore the Mckinley 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 prolific breeder OF
trusts and monopolies, enriched 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 question is settled,
we are opposed to any agitation for fur
ther changes in our tariff laws, except
such as are necessary to meet the deficit
in revenue caused by the adverse de-
cision of the supreme court or the in
come tax. But for this decision by the
supreme court, there would he no deficit
in the revenus under the law paesed by
Democratic congress i'll strict pursu-
ance of uniform decisions Of that court
for nearly 100 years, that court having
in that decision sustained constitutional
objections to its enactment which had
previously been overruled by the ablest
Judges who have ever sat Oh that bench.
We declare that it is the duty of con-