Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-07-02
REPUBLICAN, FALSE pRRrmNsEs.

The republican party, led by John
Sherman as the agent of the money pow
er-the holders of American obligations
and securities-in this country and Eu-
rope, demonetized silver in 1873 for the
express purpose of increasing the pur-
chasing power of gold and thereby in
creasing the value of all debts. 1t is in
disputable that there has been a steady
depreciation of prices of products and
commodities as measured by gold ever
since 1873. Debts have greatly increased
in value, that is, more and more each
successive year of the products of toll,
skill, industry, of the mine, forest, field
and factory have been required to ex-
tinguish them, and just to the extent of
this appreciation of gold an unjust trib-
ute has been extorted from all debtors
and the common masses for the exclus-
i've benefit of the money owners-the
holders in Europe and the financial
centers of this country-of the bonds,
obligations and securities of the govern
ment and the people. This robbery, for
it is robbery under the sanction of the
law, has been going on for twenty-three
years and it's burdens upon the people
constantly growing heavier and more in
tolerable.
During this period the republican par
ty has had such control of the executive
and legislative branches of the govern
ment that it could have easily at any
time, had it so desired with the aid the
democrats would have gladly given it,
passed such measures of financial relief
as the people have been clamoring for.
Its platform declarations have time and
again pledged it, and its lying preten-
sions that it was the friend of bimetal-
lism have committed it to such legisla-
ton. But what has been it's history and
record? Not a single movement has been
made by it for the alienation of the ills
and distresses that It's own handiwork
has imposed upon them. On the CONTRA
ry, everything in the direction of light
ening the burdens of the people has been
wrought out by the democratic member
ship of congress over the almost solid
opposition of the republicans in that
body The records show its executives
and its senators and representatives with
few exceptions, to have been the inveter-
ate foes of such financial legislation as
the people demanded and the needs of the
country required. The Bland-Allison
makeshifte for free coinage was all that
democracy could wrest from unwilling
republicanism in recognition of the gold
and silver coinage of the constitution,
and the last vestige of legislation favor
able to silver was repealed at-the de-
mand of an executive, more republican
than democrat, by the almost solid sup
port of republican senators and repre-
sentatives over the most intense oppo-
sition of democratic sena tors and men,
bers of congress.
And now this party of deception and
fraud, for many years held together only
by the cohesive power of public plumber.
no longer able to deceive the people by
false pretenses, and relying solely upon
the power of money to corrupt the mass
es and buy sufficient of them to elect its
candidates, boldly throws off the mask
OF hypocrisy, repudiates its oft repeated
and solemn pledges and brazenly avows
itself the ally and tool of the shylocks,
money gamblers and plutocrats, the COM
bines, trusts and monopolies, the willing
servant of the International gold con-
splracy, and arrays itself against the
wealth producers, the tax payers, the
burden bearers, the toiling millions of
the honest yeomanry of the republic for
conflict which shall determine whether
the supreme power in this country shall
be the plutocratic class or the democratic
masses.
The contest cannot come too soon. De-
mocracy at its national convention next
week will officially declare in no uncer-
tain words the will of the people already
expressed in their state conventions and
go to the country with a new declaration
of independence, to the support of which
will rally, with one impulse, the freeborn,
liberty loving manhood of this great re-
public, from the lakes to the gulf and
from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean,
The days of plutocracy and republican,
ism, as 1t now is, on this continent are
already numbered and next March will
be re-established in their stead demo-
cratic government such as its illustrious
founders and upbuilders intended should
always exist and be maintained in this
republic.