Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-07-11


necessary two-thirds majority in the
convention.
The committee on platform did not
get its report ready to submit to the
convention on Wednesday; but gave
it out to the papers on Wednesday
night as follows
THE PLATFORM.
We, the Democrats of the United
States, in national convention assem-.
bled, do reaffiirm our allegiance. to
those great essential principles of JUS
tice and liberty upon which our insti-
tutions are founded, and which the
Democratic party has advocated from
since Jefferson's time to our own !:
freedom of speech, freedom of the
press, freedom of conscience, the pre-
servation of personal rights, the
equality of all citizens before the law,
and the faithful observance of consti-
tutional limitations.
During all these years the Democrat
ic party has resisted the tendency of
selfish interests to the Capitalization
of government power, and steadfastly
maintains the integrity of the dual
scheme of government established by
the founders of this republic of repub-
lies. Under its guidance and teachings
the great principle Of local self-govern'
ment has found its best expression in
the maintenance of the rights of the
states and in its assertion of the neces-
sity of confning the general govern
ment to the exercise of the powers
granted by the constitution of the
United States.
The constitution of the United
States guarantees to every citizen the
rights Of civil and religious liberty.
The Democratic party has always been
the exponent of political liberty and
religious freedom, and it renews its
obligations and reaffirms it's devotion
to these fundamental principles of the
constitution.
Recognizing that the money ques-
tion is paramount to all others at this
time, we invite attention to the fact
that the Federal constitution names
silver and gold together as the money
metals of the United States, and that
the first coinage law passed by con.
gress under the constitution made the
silver dollar the monetary unit and
admitted gold to free coinage at q
ratio based. upon the silver dollar
unit. -
We declare that the act Of 1873, de-
monetizing silver without the knowl-
edge or approval of the American peo-
pie, has resulted in the appreciation of
gold and a corresponding fall in the
prices of commodities produced by the
people; heavy increase in the burden
of taxation and of all debts, public and
private the enrichment of the money
lending class at home and abroad the
prostration of industry and the impoy.
erishment of the people.
We are unalterably opposed to mon
ometallism, which has locked fast the
prosperity of an industrial people in
the paralysis of hard times. Gold
monometallism is British policy and
its adoption has brought other nations
into financial servitude to London. 1t
is not only un-American but anti
American, and it can be fastened on
the United States only by sitting that
spirit and love of liberty, which pro-
claimed our political independence in
1776 and won the war of the Revolu-
ton. !
We demand the free and unlimited
coinage of both silver and gold at the
present legal ratio of Is to l without
waiting for the aid or consent of any
other nation. We demand that the
standard silver dollar shall'be full
legal tender, equally with gold, for all
debts, public and private, and we favor
such legislation as will prevent for
the future the demonetization of any
kind of legal tender money by private
contract.
We are opposed to the policy and
practice of surrendering to the holders
of the obligations of the United States
the option reserved by law to tie
government of redeeming such obliga-
tions in either silver or gold coin.
We are opposed to the issuing of in.
terest bearing bonds of the United
States in time of peace, and condemn
the trafficing with banking syndicates
which, in exchange for bonds and at
an enormous profit to themselves, sup
ply the Federal treasury with gold to
maintain the policy of gold mono-met-
allism.
Congress alone has the power to coin
and issue money and President Jack
son declared that their power could not
be delegated to corporations or individ-
uals. We therefore denounce the is
suance of notes. intended to circulate
as money by the national banks as
in derogation of the constitution, and
we demand that all paper which is
made legal tender for public and
private debts or which is receivable
for dues to the United States shall be
issued by the government of the Uni
ted States and shall be redeemable in
coin."
We hold that tariff duties should be
levied for the purpose ofrevenue, such
duties to be so adjusted as to operate
equally throughout the country and