The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1896-10-22

any ueIcgaJe In That convention, or be-
fore the committee on platform, Of
fered any resolution advocating or IN
dorsing the free coinage of silver. The
third plank of the Hancock platform
reads as follows:
Home rule. honest money'-1'he
strict maintenance of the public faith,
consisting of gold, silver and paper
convertible into coin, on demand; the
strict maintenance of the public faith,
state and national, and tariff for
revenue only"
In July, 1884, the democratic party
met in Chicago and nominated Grover
Cleveland. Although the greenback
parry had four years prior thereto, in
the city of Chicago, pronounced in favor
of unlimited free coinage of silver, and
gone down in awful defeat, no declartI-
tion was inserted in that democratic
platform favoring free silver, nor did
they condemn or denounce the "crime
of '73." But the platform did declare:
"Wc believe in honest money! the
gold and silver coinage of the constitu-
ton, and a circulating medium convert
ible into such money without loss"
Remember, now, silver had been de-
nonetized II years and we had been
through one panic and the democratic
party had been unsuccessful in all ma
tional elections, and the republican
party was chiefly responsible for the
''act of 49," still the democratic party
did not make declaration for the free
coinage of silver.
In 1883 the democratic national con-
vention met i'll st. Louis and renomi-
mated Mr.. Cleveland and unanimously
indorsed his former administration.
The "act of '73" had been a law then IS
years and not one word was said in
that platform against it, or about it,
and no promise was held out to the
people for the free coinage of silver
upon any basis.
The democratic national convention
of 1892 met in Chicago and nominated
Mr.. Cleveland the third time, his oppo
sition to free silver being well known
at the time, as he had just prior to that
time written his famous letter, in which
he defined his position in a manly,
statesmanlike manner, in no uncertain
language. The seventh plank of the
platform of '02 denounced the repub-
lican party for passing the sherman
law" which law practically utilized the
silver we produce in the United States,
calling it makeshift, fraught with
many possible dangers. They did de-
clare for gold and silver as STANDARD
money" but declared that the dollar
unit OF coinage of both metals should be
Of equal intrinsnc and eXchangable
value, or "for the adjustment Of same
through international agreement" or
by such Safeguard of legislation as
would insure the parity of the two
metals" and the equal purchasing
power of each" This was 20 years
after the passage Of the "crime of ~,
and there is not one word in that plat
form dcnouncing that act, nor is there
a line in it advocating the free coinage
Of silver. 4 certain enthusiastic dele
gate introduced free coinage resolu-
ton in that convention, and it only re-
ceived II votes to 913 against it. Mr..
Cleveland running upon that platform
received the largest electoral vote ever
given to n presidential candidate. Thus
il is plainly seen that the democratic
party never has been in favor of the free
coinage of silver, until this year, when
the national convention was dominated
by Altgeld, Tillman & Co. We are con-
stantly hearing this wing of the demo
cratic party drumming into the ears of
their auditors that they are the demo-
cratic party. and that they represent
the true principles of "Jeffersonian
democracy" This cry may he so in
some respects, but certainly not so as
regards the financial question.
In 1906 one Thomas Jefferson was
president of the United States. He
found that under free coinage OF silver
gold was appreciating and silver was
depreciating; so he ordered the mints
of the United States TO cease the free
coinage of silver indefinitely, and at
the same time said: The proportion
between the values of silver and gold is
a mercantile problem altogether. Just
principles will lead us to disregard the
legal proposition; to inquire into the
market price of gold in the several
countries with which we shall prob
ably be connected in commerce, and
take an average from them" If de-
mocracy is to measure its standard by
Mr.. jefferson, surely Mr.. Cleveland rep
resents the true democracy, for ce"-
tainly jefferson was never n free sill
verit'