The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-05-06
THE PLATFORM REPUDIATED.

One of the favorite question the
cold men ask, and one which they
think is a clincher, is: why are you
not willing for the Chicago Convention
to re-adopt the money plank of 1892
pnon which we all stood?" The an
swer is. we are not opposed to the
declaration of the Democratic plat
form Of 1892, and we are not unwilling
to stand upon 1T again in 1896 II the
false Interpretation put upon that
platform is repudiated by the Con
vention. The. trouble is not so much
with the platform, but with it's con-
struction, though we wish now that 1t
had been so plain that no misinterpre-
tation of it for selfish ends had been
possible. We are willing 10 stand
upon it as construed by the Charlotte
Observer and Hon. 'ohnst' Henderson
in 1892, and not otherwise.
The plank ia the PLATFORM, u"der
the subtitle silver" reads as fol-
lows:
1--WE denounce the Republican
legislation Known as the Sherman
act of 1890 AS A COWARpL1
MAKESHIFT, fraught with posi-
bilities of danger in the future,
which should make all its sup
Dorters. as we'll as its author,
anxious for its speedy repeal. We
hold to the use of both gold and
silver as the STANDARD MONEY
of the country, and To the coinage
of both GOLD AND SILVER with
out discriminating against either
metal and without charge for
mintage. but the dollar unit of
coinage of both metals must be
of equal intrinsic and exchanged
BILE value to be adjusted through
international agreement, or by
such safeguards of legislation as
shall insure the maintenance of
the parity of the two metals and
the equal power of every dollar
at all times in the markets and in
payment of debt; and we demand
that all paper currency shall be
kept at par with and redeemable
in such coin. We insist upon this
policy as especially necessary for
the protection of the farmers and
laboring classes, the first and most
defenseless victims of unstable
money and a huctuating cur
rency."
The Democratic leaders in North Car
DINA, including Senators Ransom and
Vance, Electors Glenn and Aycock
and the nine, district electors, went aid
over North Carolina and won a victory
by telling the people that this declara'
ton meant the free coinage of silver
The Charlotte Observer, with every
other Democratic paper in the State
took the same ground. Later on in
the campaign, to-wit, September goth
when the President wrote his letter Oh
acceptance, all these speakers and edi.
tors COMPOUNDED their Populist oppo-
nents by quoting the Presidents own
words that he favored silver Mr.
Cleveland wrote:
Every dollar put into the
hands of the people should be of
the same intrinsic value or pur-
chasing power. With this condi-
ton absolutely guaranteed, both
GOLD AND SILVER can be safely
utilized ON EQUAL TERMS in the
adjustment of our currency"
1t will be admitted by the silver men
that these declarations did not neces-
sarily pledge the party to the free
coinage of silver at the ratio Of is to
but that the people were promised
free coinage without discriminating
is so plain that nobody questioned il
prior to the fall of 1893. The only
difference of construction was as tc
the ratio, most maintaining that 10 to
/ would fulfill the conditions, and
others arguing that more silver would
have to be put into dollar. But not
solitary Democrat in the
United States so far as we heard
even limited that it meant the gold
standard, and no fair Interpretation
of it can twist it into the policy which
the administration has pursued.
Every declaration in the silver
plank Of the platform, with the soil
tary exception of the repeal Of the
Sherman law, has been repndiated by
the men elected on it, and the repeal
OF the Sherman law was secured by
practcing deception. In a recent letter
Hon. A. NJ. Waddell tells how Senator
Voorhees, and other honorable silver
men voted to repeal this law upon the
specific promise that the Sherman law
ought to be repealed that the decks
might be cleared for silver legisla-
ton" Senator Gordon issued an adj
dress to his constituents giving his
reason for voting to repeal the Sher-
man law that he was anxious to have
a clear and easy road for silver coin
age. Senator Ransom made declara-
tions that silver legislation would fol-
low. These men were deceived into
casting a vote that was one step more