Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1896-07-16
THE CHICAGO PLATFORM.
Declares for Free Coinage of Silver at
the Present Ratio OF 16 to l.

We, the democrats of the United States
in convention assembled, reaffirm our al
legiance to those great essential principles
of justice and liberty upon which our in
stitutions are founded. and which the
democratic party has advocated from JEFF
ferson's time to our own-freedom of
speech, freedom of the press. freedom of
conscience, the preservation of personal
rights, the equality of all citizens before
the law, and the faithful observance of
constitutional limitations
During all these years the democratic
party has resisted the tendency of selfish
interests to the Capitalization of govern
mental power and steadfastly maintained
the integrity of the dual scheme of govern
ment as established by the founders of
this republic of republics. Under its guild
ance and teachings, the great principle of
local self-government has found its best
expression in the maintenance of the rights
of states. and its assertion of the necessity
or continlng the general government to the
exercise or the powers granted by the con-
stituton OF the United States. Recngnlz-
ing that the money question is paramount
to all others at this time, we invite atten-
ton to the fact that the federal con-
stitution named 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 ad-
mitted gold to free coinage at ratio based
upon the silver-dOllar unit
We declare that the act of 1873 demone-
uzing silver without the knowledge or an
proval of the American people, has result
ed in the appreciation of gold and cor
responding fall in the price of commodities
produced by the people, a heavy increase
IN the burden of taxation, and of all debts
a. thn ,.;g.t.,
moheN'lending classes at home and abroad
prostration of industry and impoverish
ment of the people.
We are unalterably opposed to mono-
metalism, which has locked fast the pros-
perIty of an industrial people in the
paralysis of hard times. Gold monometal-
ism IS British policy. and its adoption
mas brought other nations into financial
serNl'ude 10 London 1t is not only un.
American, but anti-Amer.can. and can be
fastened on the United States only by the
sinking of that spirit and love Of liberty
Whlch proclaimed our political indepen-
lehce IN lII6, and won 1t in the war of the
Revolution. ~ '''e
we demand the free and unlimited COIN
age or both gold and silver at the present
legal ratio of lG to l, without waiting for
the ala or consent Of any other nation. we
ueuahd mat the standard silver dollar
/ - - ASHal NenueF equally with
soId Tor all debts, public and private. and
we iavor such legislation as will prevent
lor the future the characterization of any
KIND OF legal-tender money by private CON
tract. eO'-
We are opposed to the policy and practice
OF surrenderng to the holders OF the OH.
NEauons OF the United States the ontlon
reserved by law to the government OF ra.
deem'ns such obligations In silver or in
sod coin. We are opposed to the issuing of
in'erest-oeartng bonds OF the United states
IN tlme OF peace, and condemn the traf-
neN.hE win banking syndlcates, which. in
exchange for bonds at an enorno,,s Ir,,s. a..
TO themselves, supply the federal treasury