The Meridional. (Abbeville, La.) 1856-1906, 1896-09-05
DEMOCRATIC m.

We the Democrats OF the United States
an national convention assembled, do re-
affirm our allegiance to those great essen.
tial principles of justice and liberty upon
which our institutions are tounded ant
which the Democratic party has advoeat.
ed from Jefferson $ time to our own, free
dom of speech. freedom of th. press. free.
dom of conscience, the preservation OF
personal rights the equality of all cltlzeus
before the law. and the faithful obsery-
gance of constitutional limitations.
During all these years the Democratic
party has resisted the tendency of selfish
interests to Pie Capitalization Of govern
mental power and steadfastly maintained
the integrity OF the dual scheme of gov
established by the founders OF
this repablic of republics. Under its
guidance the great principle of local self
government has found its best expression
III the m"aintainance of the rights OF the
States and in it's assertion OF the n~ecessi-
ty of combining the general government to
the exercise of the powers granted by the
Constitution of the United States.
"Recognizing that the money system is
paramount to all others at this time, we
invite attention to the fact that the Fed
eral Constitution names SILVER and gold
together as the one metals OF the Unit
ed States, and that the first coinage law
passed by Congress under the Constltu-
tim made the silver dollar the monetary
unit and admitted gold the free coinage at
a ratio based upon the silver dollar unit.
We declare that the act of 1878, de-
monetizing silver without the knowledge
or approval of the American people, has
resulted in the appreciation of gold and
d corresponding fall i'll the prices OF com
lnodities produced by the people; q heavy
increase in the burden of taxation and
of all debts, public and private; the en-
richment Of Che money lending class at
home and abroad; p~rostration of industry
and impoyeriShment of the people,
We are nnalterably opposed to the
recommendation, which has locked fast the
prosperity of an industrial people in the
paralysis Of hard times. Gold monomct-
allism is a British policy, and its adoption
has brought other nations into financial
scrvitude to London. 1t is not only I'M
American, but anti-American, and it can
be fastened on the United States only by
the sitting Of that spirit and love OF lib"
cry which proclaimed our political indie
pendcnce in 1776. and won 1T III the war
of the Revolution.
We demand the free and unlimited
coinage Of both gold aud silver at the
present legal ratio of 16 to /, without
waiting for the aid or consent of any 9TH
or nation. We demand that the standard
silver dollar shall be a full legal tender
equally with gold. for all debts, public,
and private, and we favor such legIsla-
ton as will prevent for the future the de-
monetization of any kind of legal tender
money by private contract.
We are opposed to the policyand prac.
tice of surrendering to the holders of the
obligations of the United States the OPP
ton reserved by law TO the government
of redeeming such obligations III either
silver coin or gold COIN
We are opposed to the issuing of inter
est-bearing bonds of the United States. III
time OF peace and ondemn the trafficklng
with banking syndicates which, i'll X
change for bonds and as an enormous
profit to themselves, supply the Federal
treasury with gold to maintain the policy
of gold mOn0metal ism,
Congress alone has the power to coin
and issue money, and President jackson
declared that this power could not be del
gated to corporations or individuals. We
therefore demand that the power to issue
notes to circulate asmoney be taken from
national banks II that all paper mon
ey shall be issued directly, by the
Treasury Department.. redeemable in coin
and receivable for all debts, public and
private. II
We hold that the tariff duties should
be levied for purposes of revenue, such
dnties to be SO adjusted as to operate
equally throughout the country, and not
discriminate between class and section,
and that taxation Should be limited by
the needs Of the government, honestly
and economically administered. We de-
nounce as disturbing to business the Re
publican threat TO restore the Mckinley
law, which has twice been condemned by
the people in national elections, and
which, enacted under false plea of pro-
lection to home industry, proved a prolific
breeder of trusts and ~m0nop0lleS, enrich
ed the few at the expense OF the many,
restricted trade and deprived the produ-
GERS OF the great American staples of ac-
cess to their natural markets.
& ITufiI t1a annny- nnaCtinn 10 cnft1n1 yua
are opposed to any agitation for further
changes in our tariff laws, except such Us
are necessary to make UP the deficit in
revenue, caused by the adverse decision
by the Supeme court on the income tax.
But for this there would be no deficit in
revenue. Under the law passed by ii
Democratic Congress, in strict pursuance
of the uniform decisions of that court
having that decision sustained. constitu-
tional objection to its enactment, which
has been overruled by the ablest judges
VINO ever sat on that bench. We declare !
that it is the duty of Congress to all the
constitutional power which remains after
that decision or which may come from it's
reversal by the court as it may hereafter
be constituted, so that the burdens of
taxation may be equally and impartially
LAID to the end that wealth may bear it's
due proportlonate expenses of the govern
ment.
We hold that the most efficient way to
protect American labor is to prevent the
Importation of foreign pauper labor to
compete with it in the home market, and
that the valueof the home market to our
farmers and artisans is greatly reduced
by a vicious monetary system, which de-
presses the price of their products below
tho cost of production, and thus depriyes
them Of the means of purchasing the pro-
ducts of our home manufacturers,
The absorption of wealth by the few.
the consolidation of our leading railway
systems and the formation of trusts and
pools. require q ~stricter control by the
Federal Government Of those arteries OF
mmerce We demand the enlargement