The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1896-07-17
The Platform.

25 to 10 and adopted finally by the con-
vention.
We, the Democrats of the United
States. in national convention assembled,
do reafirm our allegiance II those
great ess, ntial principles of justice anu
liberty upon which our iustIiutinsis are
founded, aud which the De no -r-stI p n
ty has advocated from Jefferson ;
time to our own-fr, e lom 81 - n
fre-dom of the press, fIeedOm
of conscience, the preservation OF per
sonal ri ghts. the equality of all citizens
before the law and the faithful observ-
ance of constitutional limit tuons
During all these wears the Democratic
party has resented the tendency of ser
fish interests to the cent aiiz Itlon OF gov
erumental power, and steadfasily main
tanned the integrity of the dual scheme
of government established hy the found
ers of the republic OF republics Under
IFS guidance and teachings the great
principle of local self government has
found Its best expression in the mainte-
nance of the rights of the states and In
its assertion of the necessity of conhnlng
the general government to the exercise
of the powers granted by the constitution
of the United States
MONEY QUESTION.
Recognizing that the money question
is. paramount TO all others at this time,
we invite attention to the fact that the
federal constitution names silver and
gold together as the money of the Uni
ted States, and that the first coinage law
passed by congress under the constitu-
ton made the silver dollar the monetary
Il Il tn o
at ratio based upon the silver dollar
unit.
We declare that the act of 1873, de
monet;zing silver without the knowledge
or approval of the American people, has
resulted In the appreciation of gold and
corresponding fall in the price of COM
modities produced by the people; a
heavy increase in the burden of taxa
ton and of all debts, public and private
the enrichment of the money lending
class at home and abroad; the prostra-
ton of industry and impoverishment of
the people.
We are unalterably opposed to mono
metallism which has locked fast the
prosperity of an industrial people In the
paralysis of hard times Gold mono
metalhsm is a British policy, and its
adoption has brought other nations into
financial servitude to London. 1t is not
only un-American, but antiAmerican,
and it can be fastened on the United
States only by the sitting of that spirit
of love of liberty which proclaimed our
political independence in 1776 and won
it in the war of the revolution.
FREE SILVER COINAGE DEMANDED.
We demand the free and unlimited
coinage of both gold and silver at the
present legal ratio of sixteen to one.
without waiting for the aid or consent
of any other nation. We demand that
the standard silver dollar shall be tull le-
gal tender equally with gold for all debts,
| public and private, and we favor such
legislation as will prevent for the future
the demonetization of any kind of legal
tender 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 law to the gov
ernment of redeeming such obligations
in either silver coin or gold coin.
We are opposed to the issuing of in
terest bearing bonds of the United States
in time of peace, and condemn the
trafficking with banking syndicates
which, IN exchange for bonds and at an
| enormous profit TO themselves, supply
the federal treasury with gold to main
tain the policy of gold monometallism
Congress alone has the power to coir
and issue money and President Jackson
declared tnat this power could not b,
| delegated to corporations or individuals
We therefore demand that the power tC
issue notes to circulate as money be ia
ken from the national banks, and tina
all paper money shall be issued directly
by the treasury department, be redeem
ed In coin and receivable for all debt
public and private.
We hold that tariff duties should b,
levied for purposes of revenue, such du
duties to be so adjusted as to operat,
equally throughout the country and no
discriminate between class or section
and that should be limited by the needs
of the government honestly and econo
micaily administered.
! MCKINLEY LAW DENOUNCED.
We denonnce as disturbing to busi
ness the Republican threat to restore tn,
Mckinley law which has twice been con
demned by the people in national elec
uons, and which enacted under the falls,
plea OF protection to home Industry
proved prolific breeder of trusts anC
monopolies, enriched the few at the ex
pense of the many, restricted trade ant
deprived the producers of the grea
American staples of access to their nat
ural markets
Until the money question is settled
we are opposed to any agitation fo
| further chanueS onr
| cept such as are necessary to meet th,
deficit in revenue caused by the advers.
decision of the supreme court on the in
come tax. But for this decision by the
supreme court, there would he no def
| cit In the revenue under th e law passed
| by Democratic congress in strict pur-
| suance of the uniform decisions of tha
court for nearly 100 years, that court
having in that decision sustained con.
| stitutional objections to its enactment
which had previously been overruled by
the ablest judges who have ever sat on
that bench. We declare that it is the
| duty of congress to use all the constitu.
uonal power which remains after thai
decision, or which may come from Its
reversal by the court as it may hereafter
! be constituted, so that the burdens OF
taxation may be equally and imparti
| ally laid, to the end that wealth NAV
bear Its due proportion of the expenses
| of the government.
FOREIGN PAUPER LABOR
We hold that the most efficien. way
of protecting American labor is to pre-
vent the importation of foreign pauper
labor to compete with it in the home