The Daily Texarkanian., 1896-08-19
THE PLATFORM
Adopted by the National Democratic
Convention, at Chicago July, 1896.

| We. the Democrats of the United
States. I'm national convention assembled,
/ do rpadirm our allegiance to those great
Essential principles of justice and liberty
|uDOn which our institutions are founded,
|and which the Democratic party has ad-
v0cated from Jefferson. s time TO our own
| freedom of speech, freedom OF press.
| freedom of conscience. the preservation
/ of personal rights. the Pqua iJy OF all cItl-
/ zens before the law. and the faithful OBJ
servatiOn of constitutional limitations.
! During all these years the Democratic
|Dartv has resisted the tendencies Of selfish
/ interests to the centriliZatiOn OF govern
mental power. and stead 'aStly maintain
ed the integrity of the dual scheme Of
/ of government established by the found
ers of this republic of republics. Under
/ it's guidance and teach ngs the great prin-
/ ciDc of local selt-gOvernment has found
/ it's best expression in the maintenance Of
| the rights of the States and its assertion
/ of the necessity of cOnhning the general
government to the exercise Of the powers
granted bv the constitution OF the United
/ States.
Recognizing that the money question is
DaramOuDt to all others at this time, we
invite attention to the fact thar the Fed
prgI constitution names silver and gold
together as the money metals OF the Unit
ed States, and that the fir & coinage law
passed by Congress under the constitution
|made the silver dollar the unit OF value
land admitted gold to free coinage at a
|IatiO measured by the free silver dollar
unit
/ pdpcIare that the act Of 1873 demOne
tiZing silver without the knowledge or
approval of the American people has re-
l44T+.I f4 +a8 1r,rpuafq fiDD tf gold and a
CORES sDOnding fall i'm the prices of COM
|mOdites produced by the people; heavy
| increase I'm the burden Of taxation and OF
|aII debts. public and private: the enrich
/ ment of the mOney-Iending class at
1 home and abroad: prOstratlOn OF industry
/ and imDOverishmenJ 0f the people.
/ We are unaltrrably opposed to mono
mptaIism. which has locked fast the
prosperity of an Industrious people in the
/ UaraIy is of hard times. HOld mOnOmet-
aIIism is a British policy, and its adOp-
| ti0n has brought other nations into imam
|cial serviude to London. 1t is not only
/ |uu-American. but anti American, and it
|can @ fastened on the United States only
by the stifing Of that indomitable spirit
and love Of liberty which proclaimed our
/ political Independence in lI6, and won II
/ In the war Of the revolution.
coinage of both god and silver at the
present legal ratio of l6 TO l. without
waiting for the consent or aid of any 9TH
| er 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 legisIa-
| tion as will prevent for the future the de-
mOnetizatiOn Of any kind Of legal tender
money by private contract
We are opposed to the policy and praC-
| ticp of surrpndering TO the holders OF the
|ObfgatiOns of the United States the Opin-
/ ion reserved bv law to the Government OF
redeemng uch obligations i'm either sill
| yer coin or god coin.
Wearp opposed to the issuing Of inter
pst-bnarng bonds Of the United States in
| timeOi peace and condemn the tra1cing
Withhanking syudicates WhichineXchangf
| for bonds and aJ an enormous profit TO
themselves, supply the Federal Treasury
with gold Jo maintain tine policy OF gold
mOnOm taDism,
Congress alone has the power TO coir
and issue mon y. and President jackson
declared that this power could not be del
|pgaIpd tO corporations on individual We
| therefore demand THAT the power to issue
notes tO circulate as money le taken IRON
the naJ0nI banks and that all pen
money Shall be issued directly by The
| Treasury Department be rcdeemablc In
coin and received for all debts, public and
| private.
We hold chat tariff duties should be lev
| led for purposes of revenue, such dutle,
To be so adjusted as TO operate equally
| throughout the country ana not dlScrlml
Inate between class or section and that
taxation should be limited by the needs Of
the Government honestly and economic
|alIy administered We denOunce as dis
mrbug to business the Republican threat
to restore the Mckinley law, which has
been twice condemned by the people in