The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-07-08


| Senator Tillman.
The plank condemning the refunding
of the Pacific railroad debts was ac-
cepted without debate, as was also the
paragraph in regard to pensions, which
takes the position, among other things
| against the dropping of names of pen
SiOnerS except under perfectly juStifi-
able circumstances.
The Pacific railroad plank is as fol-
lows: mo discrimination should be in
dulged in by the government of the
United States in favor of its debtors
we approve of the refusal of the Fifty
third congress to pass a Pacific rail-
road funding bill, and denounce the eff
forts of the present Republican con-
gress to enact a similar measure"
The gold delegates took very little
part in the discussion of the platform
section by section, and did not vote up
on the sections, reserving their right to
concentrate their opposition to the
platform as a whole.
The action on the money stringen
| plank was afterward recommended
and adopted.
A paragraph declaring sympathy with
the efforts of the territories to attain
statehood aroused some debate, Mr..
Jones of Mexico contending for the in
sertion in lieu of the plank reported
by the subcommittee of the platform
declaration in 1892, which takes ex-
plicit ground in favor of the admission
of the territories of New Mexico and
Arizona, and other territories, as they
may be able to show their capability
of conducting the affairs of a state
He declared that if the Democratic
convention would take this position, it
would make the territories Democratic
when they became states.
The amendment suggested by the
gentleman from New Mexico was
adopted.
The Cuban paragraph aroused con-
siderable debate and numerous amend
ments were offered.
The report on the platform as
whole was adopted 80 to IA by the reso-
lutiOnS committee.
Following is the text of the platform
| as adopted, with the exception of the
changes before suggested:
THE PLATFORM.
We, the Democrats of the United
States in national convention assem-
| bIed, do reaffirm our allegiance to these
great essential principles of justice and
liberty upon which our institutions are
founded and which the Democratic
| party has advocated from Jefferson's
| time to our OWn-freedOm of speech,
freedom of the press, freedom of con-
science the preservation of personal
! rights, the equality of all citizens be-
| fore the law and the faithful obser-
| vance of constitutional limitations.
| Recognizing that the money system
| 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 congress under
! the constitution made ii silver dollar
the unit Oh Nalu6 ana 8OIIllleQ &OlQ TO
! free coinage at a ratio measured by the
silver dollar unit.
| We declare that the act of 1873 dem
| Onetizing silver without the knowledge
| or approval of the American people has
| resulted in the appreciation of gold and
| a corresponding fall in the prices of
| commodities produced by the people;
1 a heavy increase in the burden of tax
/ alton and of all debts public and pri-
v2te; the enrichment of the money
| lending class at home and abroad, pros
tration of industry and impOverishment
| of the people
| DEMAND FREE SILVER
| We are unalterably opposed to the
| single gold standard which has locked
| fast the prosperity of an Industrial peo-
pie III the paralysis of hard times Gold
mOnO-metalliSm is a. British policy and
| it's adoption has brought other nations
! into financial servitude to London. 1t is
not only un-American but anti-Ameri-
! can and can be fastened on the United
| States only by the sitting of the in
domitable spirit and love of liberty
| which proclaimed our political inde-
| pendence in 1776 and won it in the war
! of the revolution.
| We demand the free and unlimited
| coinage of both gold and silver at the
! presnet legal ratio of 16 to l, without
| waiting for the aid or consent of any
/ other nation. We demand that the
| standard silver dollar shall be full le-
| gal tender equally with gold, for all
! debts, public or private and we favor
| such legislation as will prevent 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 the gov
| eminent of 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 traf-
| ficing with banking syndicates which,
/ in exchange for bonds at an enormous
profit to themselves supply the federal
/ treasury with gold to maintain the pol
! icy Of gold recommendation
| AGAINST BANK NOTES.
| Congress alone has the power to coin
| and issue money, and President Jack
| son declared that this power could not
! be delegated to corporations or indi-
I VidualS We, therefore. demand that
! the power to issue notes to circulate as
| money be taken from the national
| banks and that all paper money shall
| be issued directly by the treasury de-
| paTtment-
EXCLUDE PAUPER LABOR.
We hold that the tariff duties should
| be levied for the purposes of revenue
| and that taxation should be limited by
| the needs of government honestly eco
| nOmically administered. We denOunce
| as disturbing to bushes the Republican
| threat to restore the Mckinley law
| which has been twice condemned by
| the people in national elections and
| which enacted under the false plea of
| protection to home industry, proved q
| prolific breeder of trusts and monopo-
lies, enriched the few at the expense of
| the many, restricted trade and de-
| prived the producers of the great
American staples of access to their
natural markets
TARIFF AND INCOME TAX.
Until the money question is settled
| we are opposed to any agitation for fur
ther changes in our tariff laws, except
such as are necessary to make up the
| deficit in revenue caused by the ad-
| verse decision of the supreme court on
the income tax. There would be no
deficit in the revenue but for the anul-