The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-10-30
IF BRYAN IS ELECTED No. S.

If BRIAN ~ EIftfED-No' D.
The Repu blican platform declares;
"The Repu biican party Is unreservediy
for sound money. Ii caused the enact
ment OF the law providing for the re-
sumption OF specie payments in 1879, since
then every dollar has been as good as
gold.
"We are unaiterably opposed TO every
measure calculated TO debase our currency
or im,.air the credit OF our country. We
are therefore, opposed to the free coinage
OF silver, except by international agree
ment with the leading commercial ma
tions OF the world, which we pledge
ourselves to promote, and until such
agreement can be obtained the existing
gold standard must bs preserved. All
our silver and paper currency must be
maintained at parity with gold and we
favor all measures designed TO maintain
invioIably the obligations OF the Unit.d
States and all our money, whether com
or paper, at the present standsrd, the
standard of the most enlightened nations
Of the earth"
II will be observed that the platform
is In favor Of the gold standard Tor
measurc); that IL, is opposed to the free
coinage OF silver unless by international
agreement with the leading commercial
nations OF the world, which It pledges
the party to promote; and until such an
agreement can be obtained 1t declares
the gold standard must be preserved.
As no sane man for Q moment supposes
thst tho leading commercial nations OF
the world, such as England, France, Ger
many, etc., are going to abandon the
gold standard in order to promote free
silver coinage, hut, on the contrary, that
the whole object OF an international
agreement is, while preserving the gold
standard, which those nations refuse TO
give up. to provide such safeguards as
will admit OF silver being again coined
as money and circulating with gold, with
out driving the gold ont, 1t is evident
ttat THE DECLARATION OF THE REPUB-
LIcAN PLATFORM IN FAVOR OF THE
GOLD STANDARD UNTIL AN INrERyA-
TIoNAL AGREEMENT Is REACHED, Is NOT
DECLARATION THAT WHEN THAT
AGREEMENT is REACHED THE GOLD
STANDARD SHALL BE ABANDONED, BUT,
ON THL1toNTRARY, THAT 1T SHALL STILL
BE CONTINUED FOREVER. Moreover, as
an international agreement would pre-
vent silver from driving gold out OF cir
culation, and would psrmit both TO cir
culate together, to open the mints to sill
yer coinage then would give us practical
bimetsliisn, and not a silver monometal-
Iism, which il sn Mr.. BRyAN's project
amounts to.
The Republican platform, therefore,
declares in favor OF the gold stanoard,
and of free silver coinage IS soon as we
can have practical bimetailism, and not
silver monomatailism merely.
Now, throughout this campaign. Mr..
BRYAN has rallied at the Republican plat
form ana laughed 1t to sc orn for the al
legged inconsistency In advocating the
eola standard and also bimetallism. In
his speech in the Chicago convention
he said, "why, II they tell US the gold
standard is q good thing, we point te
their platform ana tell them that theil
platform pledges the party TO get rid q
the gold standard aud substitute bi
metallism." "If the gold standard
is good thing, why try to get
rid OF 1t? :. And il the gold standard
iss bad thing, why should We wait til
some other nations are willing to help vi
let IL go?" In his speech. In Ismmany
Hall, he said, "The Repu blieau party dos'
not say that the geld standard 10 n gooc
thing. The Republican party expressl,
declares bImetailism Ia better than th,
gold standard, because when the Republi
can platform pledges the Republican
party to substitute the double standar,
/, for the gold standard, IL makes vsllC
| declaration thst the other standard 4
desirable, in preference to the single gol'
standard" And in almost nil bis othe
speeches he has rung the changes upol
this theme.
We have seen that the Republican plat
form does not propose to get rid OF tn
gold standard at al, but on the con,rar.
to continue II forever: that 1t docs no