The herald., 1896-09-01
THE GOLD DEMOCRATS
Continued from First Page,


the fundamental and essential princi-
pies of the Democratic party.
We repudiate the Chicago platform
and its sentiment, and the Populist pla t.
form adopted at ST. Louis, because both
violate and attack all these Democratic
principles.
We repudiate the nominees of the
Chicago convention. Its nominee stands
as much upon the Populist platform,
with its demand for unlimited paper
money distributed direct to the people.
and its socialistic and anti-American
demands for the extension of paternal
government, as he does upon the plat
form adopted at Chicago. He actively
sought the Populist nomination. Hav-
ing obtained it, he has never rejected it,
and he has never repudiated the declara-
tions of the Populist platform. More
than all, we deplore the outburst of Sec
tional hate which attended the adop-
tion of the Chicago platform, and detest
the attempt to divide democratic peo-
pie, all standing with equal rights and
opportunities before the law, rich and
poor, and, under the stimulus of class
prejudices thus aroused, to treat with
reckless contempt the views of the large
and earnest minority in the convention,
who sought to confine it's utterances to
declaration of Democratic principles
This platform is accepted by the pres
Dental nominee of the convention in
the spirit in which it was adopted.
Every speech he delivers is fired with
inflammatory appeals to the poor as
against the rich, in base, un- American
and anti-social effort to obtain votes by
creating and stimulating a passionate
class hatred among our people. We ap-
peal to our Democratic fellow citizens
seriously to consider this, which is the
gravest feature of the pending election
How long can our Democratic institu-
tion endure if this assault on them
succeeds?
The Chicago platform attacks the con-
sttution both in it's letter and spirit
1t threatens to overcome decisions of
the supreme court displeasng to the
party caucus, by packing the court
through an increase of the number of
judges, thus striking a deadly blow at
the vital constitutional principle of the
independence of the judiciary.
Under the guise of resenting federal
interference in local affairs, it implic-
lily condemnfis the exercise of the con-
stitutional right of the federal execu-
tive to protect the transportation of
mails and the freedom of commerce
among the several states. and to enforce
the DEGREES Of the federal courts when
resisted by force and riot.
In proposing to open the mints of the
United States to the free coinage of
silver at the ratio of 16 to 1, when the
is now in the proportion of about 80
to 1, the Chicago platform threatens the
partial repudiation of the public debt,
the validity of which the constitution
declares shall not be questioned" 1t
reaches climax of arbitrary interfer-
ence with the individual rights when it
seeks to enforce it's debased money upon
the public by forbidding contracts
which provide for payment in any med
ium more valuable than the deprecated
legal tender which it proposes to es-
tablish.
We repudiate the Chicago platform be-
cause it proposes to substitute for our
present standard of value, which is equal
to the best in the world. an unsta-
BILE and deprecated standard which has
been rejected by every civilized and
prosperous nation and which would put
us on monetry level with China, Mex
leo and other countries where labor is
notoriously underpaid. The Chicago
10 de o1 f,e
metallism and advocates legislation
which must inevitably lead to silver
monometallism; it advocates a none
tary system which would offer an un-
limited fund of speculation to the capt.
talist, but would materially reduce the
purchasing power of every dollar paid
to the wage carners and punish honest
thrift by depreciatlng the value of
every savings bank deposit and life in
surance policy 1t advocates liberal
pensions and at the same time seeks
to impair the value of every pension
paid by the government; it condemns
the only method provided for keeping
inviolate the national credit and favors
a policy which must result in partial
reputation of the public debt; it dis
approves of the issue of national bank
notes secured by the pledge of the gov
ernment bonds and suggests no substi-
tute therefor except unlimited paper
money redeemable in debased and huc-
tuating coin. 1t covertly attacks the ex-
isting civil service laws upon the pres
ervation and extension of which the
efficiency of the public service depends.
1t contemptuOusly omits all reference to
the administration of the only Demo-
crat who in this generation has held
the presidential office, whose integrity
of purpose and firm determination to
maintain the national honor has been
recognized and acknowledged by all
classes of his fellow citizens.
We heartily commend the administra-
tion of Grover Cleveland. He has been
loyal to the principles of the true De-
mocracy. His administration has been
efficient, honest and economical. He
deserves the thanks of the whole people
and has earned and will receive the
praise of grateful posterity.
We hold that it is the duty of the
government of the United States, in
the exercise of it's constitutional func-
tions in respect to coinage and currency
to follow and not force the preferences
of the people. The gold standard is
monetary fact which can not be changed
by an act of congress. In the face of