, 1896-10-02
C0RTHELL ON DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM.

Just 1t this time, when the heat of HI political campaign is at the boil
ing point and every man has a financial argument ito hrl at his neighbor,
he views Of NelHs E Corthen, late chairman of the democratic state commit
tee, may b offs om service in guiding the befogged voter into the haven o
truth. Without aquIvocation o evasion, Mr.. Corthen has expressed his IN
qualified opinion of the rank heresies of the democratic platform, and those
views have been given honestly, for no mn in the state has been de
voted to democracy than he. We quote at ONE length his views upon the
question, as follows:
Putting aside some of the declarations of the county platform, which. i
confess cannot understand, here can be n mistake in the real meaning of
ed coinage offs silver and gold inop primary and redemption money at the ratio
of 16 to without waiting for the action or approval of any other goern-
This declaration meaus that the United States shall, Immediately, make
the most radical change in its money system ever attempted by any govern
1t means that W e shall undertake alone, without charge, and for h sole
benefit of the bullion owner to manufacture into coins all the silver mater
tl which may be brought form n part of the world.
1t means that we shall force every citizen of this country, by law, to ac-
cet silver at double its real value Elm payment of all debts and in exchange
for his property " labor.
1t means that W shall abandon all hope of establishing bmetalism and
substitute, at nee, a silver standard for the gold standard.
It means that the government shall, by law, join the trusts and monopo-
lies in the conspiracy to raise prices at the expense of the workman and the
consumer and for the benefit Of those who own and controlt the property and
commodities of the country.
y is, to adopt a favorite figure o. the silver standard men,. like a at
tempt to increase the circulation of the blood by opening the arteries and in
jecing milk il waterin into them. These fluids may be thus forced into cir
cuaion but they will simply dlspace a equal quantity of the life blood
whose function they cannot perform.
If were to propose the free and unlimited coinage OF silver and gold at
the ratio of GA to !, should be justly regarded IS IN uncompomising gold
nDnometanis; because its real value is Is 80 to l; and everybody knows
that a law which processes to give equal value to 80 cents worth of gold and
a dollars worth Of silver would result in driving the mor valuable article out
IF use and substituting the less valuable IN in its place. Yet the M po-
rosal is n % mor absurd 0. impossible of trution than the other Gold at to
GA is no more overvalued than silver at 1G to :. Each is 100 pei cen omt of the
way from its present intrinsic value Either ratio would result in immediate
monometalism.
SO it has become a question If ratios; and, under the proposed ratio of
&c to l a question of standards silver Or gold-not both, but one.
I have advocated the democratic policy of bmetalism, fully conscious
of the difficulties in the of its accomplishment, if not its actual impos-
si'lhy. But, under tms resolution, it is made clearly an distinctly a
question of enforced choice; between the single silver standard. with the ue
of but n metal, upon the hand; and the existing gold standard, with
the actual Use of both metals and the possibility of an ultimate double stand
ard, upon the other hand.
Between the single silver standard and the existing gold standard there
can not be any possible hesitation in making a choice. m a civilized per-
son, living in a civilized country and in a progressive age. I al in favor of
the civilized and modern money standard asa against tn standard of uncivn-
lied and unproelcssive countries
These ire democratic principles a understand them.