The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-07-28
PLATFORM OF THE s1LvER1TEs.


Address to the People Adopted by the
National Silver Convention--The Plat
form as Reported From the Committee.
ST. LOUIS, Mo, July % The com
mittee on resolutions of the Silver Con
vention completed it's work this after
noon by adopting the platform and ad-
dress to the people which had been
prepared by the sub committee. The
platform and address are as follows:
The National Silver party of Amer
lea, in convention assembled, hereby
adops the following declaration of prin-
ciples:
First. The paramount issue at this
time in the United States is indisputa-
bly, the money question. 1t is between
the British gold standard, gold bonds
and bank currency, on the n side,
and the bi metallic standard, no bonds,
government currency (and an Ameri-
can policy on the other.
On this issue we declare ourselves
to be in favor of a distinctively Ameri
can financial system, We are unalter-
ably opposed to the single gold stan
daTd, ard demand the immediate re,
turn to the C Institutional standard Of
gold and silver, by the restoration by
this government, Independently of any
foreign power, of the unrestricted coin
age OF both gold and silver into a stan
dard money at the ratio Of 16 to 1, and
upon exact equality as they existed
prior to 1878; the silver coin to be Of
full legal tender, equally with gold, for
all debts aud dues, public and private,
and we demand such legislation as will
prevent for the future the destruction
Of the legal tender quality Of any kind
of money by private contract.
We hold that the power to control
and regulate a paper currency is in
separable from the power to coin
money and, hence, that all currency
intended to circulate as money should
be issued and its volume controlled, by
the General Government only, and
should be a legal tender.
1--WE are uualterably opposed to the
issue by the United States of interest
bearing bonds in time Of peace, and We
denOunce as a blunder worse than a
crime, the present Treasury policy,
concurred in by a Republican House,
Of plUnging the country into debt by
hundreds Of millions in the vain at
tempt to maintain the gold standard by
borrowing gold; and we demand the
payment of all coin obligat ons of the
United States as provided by existing
laws, in either gold or silver coin, at
the option of the government, and
not at the option of the creditor.
THE characterization of silver in 1873
enormously increased the demand for
gold, enhar cling its purchasing power,
and lowering all prices measured by
that standard; and since that unjust
and indefenslbEe act, the prices of
American products have fallen upon
an average nearly so per cent, carry
ing down with them proportionally the
money value of all other forms of prop
erty.
Such fall Of prices has destroyed
the legitimate industry, injurlng the
producer for the benefit of the non-pro-
Queer, increasing the burden Of the
debtor, swelling the gains of the cred
itor, paralyzing the productive ener
gies of the American people, relegat
ing to idleness vast numbers of willing
workers, sending the shadows of de
spair into the home of the honest toIer,
filling the land with tramps and pau
pers and building up colossal fortunes
at the money centres.
In the eff )rt to maintain the gold
standard the country has within the
last two years, in a time of profound
peace and plenty, been loaded down
with 1862, 900, 600 Of additional interest
bearing debt under such circumstances
as to allow a syndicate of native and
foreign bankers to realize a net profit
of millions on a single deal.
1T stands confessed that the gold
standard can only be upheld by so de-
plotting our paper currency es to force
the prices of our products below the
European and even below the Asia5ic
level, to enable us to s3ll in foreign
markets, thus aggravating the very
evils of which our people SO bitterly
complain, degrading American labor
and striking at the foundations Of our
civilization itself.
"The advocates of the gold standard
parsistently claim that the cause of our