The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1896-07-14
WHERE THEY STAND.
Majority Report ON Platform as Pre-
scented to the Convention

| in national convention assembled, do re-
affirm our allegiance to those great essen
! tial ,incinles of justice and liberty upon
| which our institutions are founded and
| which the Democratic party has advocated
| from JefferSon'S time TO our oWn-freeuom
| of speech freedom of the press freedom
/ of conscience, the preservation of personal
| rights, the equality of all citizens before
| the laws, and the faithful observance OF
| constitutional limitations.
| During all these years the Democratic
| party has resisted the tendalcy of selfish
interest to thn centralizat1n II government
| tai power and steadfastly maintained the
| integrity of the dual scheme of govern
ment established by the founders of this
republic of republics. Under its guidance
| and teachings the great principle of local
| self government has found its best express
| sion in the maintenance of the rights of
! state and in it's assertion of necessity of
| combining the general government TO the
exercise of powers granted by the constl-
tuition of the United States.
Recognizing that the money system is par
amount to all others at this time, we in
yite attention to the fact that the federal
constitution 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 demone-
thing silver without the knowledge or APP
proval of the American people has resulted
in the appreciation of gold and CORE
spending fall in the prices of commodities
produced by the people: a heavy Increase III
the burden of taxation and of all debts,
public and private; the enrichment of the
money-lending class at home and abroad;
prostration of industry and impoyerishment
of the people.
We are unalterably opposed to monomet-
aIlism, which has locked fast the prosperity
of an industrial people in the paralysis OF
hard times Gold recommendation is Brit
ish policy and it's adoption has brought
other nations into financial servltude TO
London. 1t is not only unamerican, put
anti-American, and it can be fastened on
the United States only by the sitting or
that spirit and love of liberty which pro-
claimed our political independence in lI'6,
and won 1t in the War of the Revolution.
We demand the free and unlimited coin
age of both gold and silver at the present
legal ratio of 16 to /, without waiting Tor
the aid or consent of any other nation
We demand that the standard silver dollar
shall be a full legal tender, equally with
gold for all debts. public and private, ano
we favor such legislation as will prevent
for the future the characterization 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 obli-
cations of the United States the option
secured by law to the government OF re-
deeming such obligations In either silver
coin or gold coin. We are opposed to the
issuing of st-bearing bonds of the
United States in time of peace, and con-
denim the trafficking with banking syndl-
Gates, which, in exchange for Donds, ana
at an enormous profit to themselves, sup
ply the federal treasury with gold to main
of n
alone has the power to coin the issue
money, and President Jackson declared that
this power could not be delegated to cor
porations or individuals We therefore de-
mand that the power to issue notes 10 cir
cuIate as money be taken from the national
banks and that all paper money shall be
issued directly by the treasury department,
redeemable in coin and receivable 1or all
debts public and private.
We hold that tariff duties should be
levied for purposes of revenue, such duties
to be so adjusted as to operate equally
throughout the country, and not diScrln-
mate between class or section, and that
taxation should be limited by the needs OF
the government, honestly ana economic
ally administered. We GcnDunce as dis
turbing to business the Republican threat
to restore the Mckinley laT, which has
been twice condemned by the people i'll ma
tional elections, and which, enacted under
the false plea of protection TO home indus
try proved a prolific breeder of trusts ana
menopolies, enriched the few at the ex-
pense Of the many, restricted trade and de-
priyed the producers of the great American
staDles Of access to their natural markets.
TTntil the money question is settled, we are
opposed to any agitation for further
changes in our tariff laws. except such az
ore necessary to meet the deficit in revenue
caused by the adverse decision of the SUI
preme court on the income tax. But for
this decision of the supreme court there
would be no deficit in the revenue under the
law passed by Democratic congress, IN
strict pursuance of the Uniform decisions
of that conrt for nearly 100 years, that
court having under that decision, sustained
constitutional objections to It's enactment,
which have been oyerruled by the aDleSt
iudges who have ever sat on that bench.
We declare that it is the duty of congress
to use all the constitutional power which
remains after that decision, or which may
come from the reversal by the court as
# NAV hereafter be constituted, so tnat
the burdens of taxation may be equally ana
impartially laid to the end that wealth may
bear its due proportional expenses OF the
government
We hold that the most efficient way or
protecting American labor is to prevent the
importation of foreign pauper labor TO
compete with it in the home market ana
that the value of the market TO Amer
lean farmers and artisans is greatly re-
duced by vicious lnoneloly .! -
depresses the prices of their products be-
low the cost Of production and thus de-
DrivnS them of the means or purchasing
the products of our home manufacturers.
s'The absorption of wealth by the few,
the consolidation of our leading railroad
systems and the formation of trusts and
pools require a stricter control by the FED
eral government of these arteries OF COM
merce We demand the enlargement or
the powers of the interstate commerce coil-
mission and such restrictions and guaran-
tees in the control of railroads as VIII
protect the people from robbery and OPP
nression We denounce the proHlgate