The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-08-18

ana JuStlce. me pldllotlIl proposes ,O degrade the coin of the United States by means of the free, unlimited and in- dependent coinage of silver by our gov ernment and by the exercise of the power of the nation to compel the ac- ceptance of depreciated coins at their nominal value, thereby working an injustice to creditors, defrauding the laborer of large part of his earnings and savings, robbing pensicned sol diers of part of their pensions contract ing the currency by the expulsion of gold coin from circulation, inturing, if not destroying, domestic trade and for eign commerce.
 While protesting to advocate a poll cy of bimetallism it censures the pres ent administration for maintaining the parity of gold and silver. It proposes to reduce this country to condition of silver monometallism with it's vascil- lating and unreliable standard of val ues and tends to bring the farmer, the wage-earner and the salaried man to the wretched condition of the same classes in countries in which the silver standard prevails and where the re- wards of agriculture and labor are low CT than anywhere else in the world.
 With what seems to be a deliberate attempt to mislead the people it asserts that by the coinage act of 1873 the United States abandoned the use of silver as money and that gold was ap- preclated and commodities have fallen in price solely by reason of this legis- lation. It suppresses the fact that a potent reason for the decline in the price of silver has been the discovery of new and cheaply worked mines re- sulting in an enormous increase in it's production. Instead of recognizing these facts it appeals to the peoples prejudice. It demands the free coin age of silver 1t the arbitrary and tictt- tious ratio of 16 to 1, although the ratio established in the worlds market is about 32 to 1, and although neither ex- perience nor reason warrants the be- lief that the commercial ratio between the metals can be reduced by the ac- ton of this government to any ratio ap- proximating that proposed. It threat ems in certain contingencies to increase to an unlimited extent the volume of legal tenders issued by the federal gov-
 
 ernment, the ultimate effect of which would be to force the withdrawal of all coin from circulation and to compel public and private business to be trans acted in depreciated paper currency, constantly fluctuation in value and to invite the ruin and confusion that have always followed the adoption of such a policy
 
 It's declarations invite and have al- most produced a financial panic and many of it's proponents announce that to accomplish their purposes they are prepared to involve their country in a disaster comparable to nothing in it's history, save the calamity of civil war It assails the independence of the ju- dietary by a covert threat to reorganize the courts whenever their decisions contravene the decrees of the party caucus. It seeks to allure office seek CTS and spoilsmen to it's support by att tacking the existing ioivil service laws, which good an of all parties have la bored so long to establish.
 The Chicago convention having thus departed from it's recognized faith and promulgated doctrines new and strange to the democracy all democrats are ab- solved from obligation to support it's program
 More than this, as the doctrines an- nounced are destructive of national honor and private obligation and tend to create sectional and class distinc- tions and engender discord and strife among the people, all good citizens cf the republic are bound to reoudiate them and exert every lawful means to insure the defeat of the candidates that represent these false doctrines.
 Democrats are told that they must accept the platform enunciated and the ticket nominated at Chicago because submission to the will of the majority is a fundamental principle of democ- racy. It is true when majority of the people have expressed their will at q legal election the will of such major- ity must be respected and obeyed. This Is essential to the peace and existence of the nation. But it is a monstrous perversion of this doctrine to apply it to a political party which exists only by virtue of a common, voluntary as- sent to it's principles. When a demo- cratic convention departs from the principles of the party no democrat re- mains under any moral obligation, to support its action, nor is there a tradi- ton of the party that requires him so to do. On the contrary, it Is evidence of moral weakness for any freeman to vote to enforce policies which in his opinion are inimical to the welfare oe the people or to the integrity of the nation.
 The duty of the hour is to stand steadfast in the defense of our ancient faith. In this crisis there is at stake more than the possibility of temporary vistory. The honor and perpetuity of the democratic party are at stake. A political organization that is untrue to itself, its principles, it's history and traditions is disgraced and dishonor- ed. The existence of our great histor- ical party, that has withstood the as- saults of every foe is threaten by reason of the recreancy of many of it's members. That this party, as we have known it may not die let the faithful of years rally round it's historical ban ner. reform it's broken lines and with abiding faith in the final triumph of it's principles restore the democratic party to it's former meaning and proud distinction.
 To this end we request all democrat ts who are opposed to the platform adopt ed and the candidates nominated at Chicago to organize in their respective states and to send representatives to the convention of the national demo-