Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1896-07-10

| White of California, the Permanent Chair
man presided.
The committee on platform made their
report as given below, but a minority re-
/ port is to be made by the gold members Of
! tile committee. Three hours time is allow
ed for discussing the platform, OF which
the last half hour is assigned to Senator
Hill of n. Y. The following is the plat
form:
THE PLATFORM.
We the democrats of the United States, in
national convention assembled, do reaffirm
our allegiance to those great essential princi-
Piles of justice and liberty upon which our in
situations are founded, and which the demo-
cratic party has advocated from Jefferson's
| time to our own-freedom Of speech, freedom
i of the press, freedom of conscience, the pres
ervation of personal rights, the equality OF
all citizens before the law and the faithful
observance of constitutional limitations.
| Recognizing that the money question is para
mount to all others at this time we invite a t.
tention to the fact that the federal cons ption
| names silver and gold together as the money
metals of the United States, and that the first
coinage law passed by Congress under the
constitution made the silver dollar the unit of
value and admitted gold to free conag at the
ratio measured by the silver dollar unit.
| We declare that the act of 1873 demonetiz-
ing silver without the knowledge or approval
of the American people has resulted in the
| appreciation of gold and 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; prostration OF industry and
impoverishment of the people.
We are unalterably opposed to the single
gold standard which has locked fast the
prosperity of an industrial people in the par
alysis of hard times. Gold monometalism is
a British policy and its adoption has brought
other nations into financial servtude to Lon
don. 1t is not only un-American, but anti
American, and it can be fastened on the
United States only by the sitting of that in
domitable spirit and love of liberty which
proclaimed our political independence III 1776
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 16 to without waiting for the aid OF
consent of any other nation. We demand that
the standard silver dollar shall be full
legal tender, equally with gold, for all debts.
pnblic and private, and we favor such legis-
lation as will prevent the characterization 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 obliga-
tions of the United States the option reserved
by law to the redeeming such obligations in
either silver coin or gold coin
We are opposed to the issuing of interest
bearing bonds of the United States in time of
peace and condemn the trafficking with bank
ing syndicates which, in exchange for bonds
and at all enormous profit to themselves, sup
ply the federal treasury with gold to maintain
the policy of gold monometalism.
Congress alone has the power to coin and
issue money, and president jackson declared
that this power could not be delegated to cor
porations of individuals. We therefore de-
mand that the power to issue notes to circu
late money be taken from the national banks
and that all the paper money shall be issued
directly by the Treasury Department. We hold
that tariff dnties should be levied for purpos
es OF revenue, and that taxation should be
limited by the needs of the government hon
estly and economically administered.
We denounce as disturbing to business the re-
publican t th.Ffeeut to restore the Mckinley law,
which has been twice condemned by the peo-
pie in national elections, and which enacted
under the false plea of protection to home
industry, proved prolific breeder of trusts
and monopolies, enriched the few at the ex-
pense of the many; restricted trade and de-
prived the producers of the great American
staples of access to their natural markets.
Until the money question is settled we are
opposed to any agitation for further changes
in our tariff laws, except such as are necessa-
ry to make up the deficit in revenue caused by
the adverse decision of the supreme court on
the income tax. There would be no deficit in
the revenue but for the annulment by the
supreme court of g law passed by democratic
Congress in strict pursuance of the uniform
decisions of that CONT foI nearly one hum
dred years, that court having sustained con-
stitutional objections to its enactment which
had been overruled by the ablest judges who
had ever sat on that bench.
We declare that it is the duty of congress to
use all the constitutional power which re-
mains after that decision, OF which may come
from its reversal by the court as it may here
after be constituted, so that the burdens of
taxation may be equally and impartially laid
to the end that wealth may bear its proper
tion of the expenses of tbs government.
We hold that the most efficient way
of protecting American labor is to
prevent the Importation of foreign
pauper labor to compete with it I'M
the home market, and that the value of the
home market to our American farmers and
artisans is greatly reduced by vicious none
tary system, Which depresses the prices of
their products below the cost of production
and thus deprives them Of means Of satisfying
their needs.
We denounce the proflgate waste of the
money wrung from the people by oppressive
taxation and the lavish appropriation of re-
cent republican congresses. which have kept
taxes high while the labor that pays them is
unemployed and the products of the peoples
toll are depressed in price till they no longer
repay the cost of production. We demand a
return to that simplicity and economy which
best BELTS a democratic government and re-
duction in the number of useless officers, the
the salaries of which drain the substance OF
the people.
We denounce the arbitrary interference by
federal authorities in local affairs as viola
ton OF the constitution of the United States
and a crime against free institutions, and we