The Daily Texarkanian., 1896-08-18
THE PLATFORM
Adopted by the National Democratic
Convention, at Chicago, July, 1896

we. the democrats OF Jue UHlleu
States. i'm national convention assembled,
do reatlirm our allegiance to those great
! essential principles of justice and liberty
| upon which our institutions are founded,
| and which the Democratic party has ad-
vOcated from JefTerSOn'S time to our own
freedom Of speech freedom OF press,
freedom of conscience, the preservation
| of personal rights. the PQua ity OF all cltl-
/ zens before the law, and the faithful OBJ
/ iseryatiOn Of constitutional limitations.
| During all these years the Democratic
party has resisted the tendencies of selfish
| interests to the centriiZatiOn OF govern
mental power. and SteadIaStly maintain
| ed the integrity of the dual scheme of
| of government established by the found
| ers of this republic Of republics. Under
| its guidance and teachings the great prin-
Icfple of local Self-gOyernment has found
/ its best expression in the maintenance OF
| the rights Of the States and its assertion
IOf the necessity of cOntining the general
government to the exercise of. the powers
| granted by the constitution Of the United
! States.
Recognizing that the money question is
paramount 10 all others at this time, we
! invite attention to the fact that the Fed
eral constitution names silver and gold
| together as the money metals OF the Unit
| ed States, and that the tr,t coinage law
passed by Congress under the constitution
made the silver dollar the unit of value
and admitted gold to free coinage at a
ratio measured by the free silver dollar
unit.
We declare that the act Of 1873 demOne
tiZing silver without the knowledge or
kaDprOyal of the American people has re-
suited in the appreciation Of gold and a
corresponding fall in the prices Of com
modities produced by the people; heavy
| increase i'm the burden Of taxation and OF
all debts, public and private; the enrich
ment of the money-lcnding class at
| home and abroad; prostration of industry
and impOyerishmCnt Of the people.
| We are unalterabiy opposed to mono
/ metallism. which has locked fast the
prosperity of an industrious people in the
| paralv,iS of hard times. GOld mOnOmet-
alliSm is a British policy, and its adOp-
! tion has brought other nations into iinan-
cial scryitude to London. 1t is not only
up-American, but anti American, and it
can he fastened on the United States only
by the sitting Of that indOmitable spirit
and love of liberty which proclaimed our
political independence in ITO and won it
| in the war of the revolution.
We demand the free and unlimited
coinage Of both gold and silver at the
present legal ratio of l6 to |, without
waiting for the consent or aid OF any 9th
er nation We demand that the standard
! silver dollar shall be full legal tender,
Ieouallv with gold. for all debts, public
and private. and we favor such legiSla-
tion as will prevent for the future the de-
: moneti2ation of any Kind of legal tender
money by private contract.
We are opposed to the policy and prac-
tice Of surrcndering to the holders OF the
obligations Of the United States the opin-
| ion reserved by law to the Government OF
rcdeemng such obligations in either sill
yer coin or gold coin.
Weare opposed to the issuing Of inter
! est. bearing bonds Of the United States in
! timcof peace and condemn the tralicng
| withdrawing syndicateS exchange
! for bonds and at an enormous profit TO
| themselves, supply the Federal Treasury
| with gold to maintain the policy Of gold
ImOnOm talIism
Congress alone has the power to coin
| and ISSUE mon Y, and President jackson
| declared that this power could not be del
cgaipd to corporations or individual we
| therefore demand th1t the power to issue
notes TO circulate as money be taken from
! the national banks and that all paper
money Shall be issued directly by the
! Treasury Department be rcdoomable IN
coin and received for all debts, public and
| private
We hold that tariff duties should be ley
led for purposes Of revenue, such duties
| to be so adjusted as TO operate equally
throughout the country and not discrimi-
Inate between class or section, and that
! taxation should be limited by the needs OF
| the Government honestly and economic
Ially administered. We dcnouucc as dis
| tufbIng To business the Republican threat
to restore the Mckinley law which has
been twice condemned by tie people in