The Meridional. (Abbeville, La.) 1856-1906, 1896-10-03
DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM.

We the Democrats of the United States
III national convention assembled, do re-
affirm our allegiance to Those great essen
tial principles of Justice ana liberty upon
which OlT institutions are founded and
which the Democratic party has adYoeat-
ed from Jefferson's time to our own free
dom of speech, freedom of the press, NEE
dom of conscience, the preservation OF
personal rights the equality Of al citizens
before the law, and the faithful Obsery-
ance OF constitutional limitations.
During all these years the Democratic
party has resisted the tendency of selfish
interests to the Capitalization OF govern
mental power and steadfastly maintained
the integrity of the dual scheme of gov
ernment established by the founders of
this repablic of republics. Under its
guidance the great principle of local self
government has found it's best expression
in The maintenance Of the rights OF the
States and III its assertion of the necess1-
ty of combining the general government to
the exercise of the powers granted by the
Constitution of the United States.
Recognizing that the money system IS
paramount to all others at this time, we
invite attention to the fact that the Fed
efaa Constitution naines silver and gold
together rs the money metals of the Unit
ed States, and thai the first coinage law
passed by Congress under the Constitu-
ton made the silver dollar the monetary
unit and admitted gold the free coinage at
q ratio based upon the silver dollar upit.
We declare that the act of 1879, de-
monetizing silver without the knowledge
or approval of the American people, has
resulted i'll the appreciation OF gold and
a corresponding fall i'll the prices OF COM
lnodities produced by the people; u heavy
increase i'll the burden of taxation and
of all debts, pIblic and private; the en-
richment of the money lending class At
home and abroad; pTostration OF industry
and imDOyeTiShmhut of the DeODlP.
We are unalterably opposed to tie
recommendation, which has locked fast Cue
prosperity OF an industrial people in the
paralysIsof hard times. ! Gold monomet-
allism is a British policy, and its adoption
has brought other nations into finaleIai
seryitude to London. 1t is not only uI-
American, but anti-AmeTfcaIl, and it can
be fastened on the United States only by
the sitting of that spirit and love Of lib
cry which proclaimed our political indie
pendence in 1716. and won it II the war
of the Revolution.
We demand the free and unlimited
coinage of both gold and silver at the
present legal ratio of Is to j, without
waiting for the aid or consent Ut any 9TH
or nation. We demand that the standard
silver dollar shall be a full legal tender
equally with gold, for all debts, pablo,
and private, and we favor such legisla-
tion us 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-
tice of surrenderiug to the holders of the
obligations of the United States the OPP
ton reserved by law to the government
of redeeming such obligations in either
silver coin tOf gold coin.
We are opposed to the issuing of inter
est-bearing bonds of the United States IN
time or peace aid condemn the t%rafficking
with banking syndicates which, in ex-
change for bonds and as an enormous
profit to themselves, supply the Federal
treasury with gold to maintain the policy
of gold monometallism,
Congress alone has the power to coin
and issue money, and President jackson
declared that this power could not be del
gated to corporations or individuals. We
therefore demand that the power to issue
notes to circulate as money be taken from
national banks and that all paper mon
ey shall be issued directly by the
Treasury Department, redeemable in coin
and receivable for all debts, public and
private.
We hold that the tariff duties should
be levied for purposes of revenue, such
duties to be so adjusted as to operate
equally throughout the country, and not
discriminate. between class and section,
and that taxation should be limited by
the needs OF the government, honestly
and economically administered We de-
nOItnce as disturbing to business the Re
puUIlCGi buItuU 10 ISSLOIC UH6 mCIAIdICy
law, which has twice been condemned by
the people in national elections, and
which, enacted under false plea of pro-
lection to home industry, proved a prolific
breeder of truss and mOnopolies, enrich
ed the few at the expense OF the many,
restricted trade and deprived the produ-
GERS Of the great American staples OF ac-
cess 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 necessary to make up the deficit in
reyenue, caused by the adverse decision
by the supreme court on the income tax.
But for this there would be no deficit IN
revenue. Under the law passed by a
Democratic Congress, in strict pursuance
of the uniform decisions of that court
having that decision sustained, eonstitn-
tlonat objection to its enactment, which
has been 0verruled by the ablest judges
VINO ever sat on that bench. We declare
that it is the duty of Congress to all the
constitutional power which remains after
that decision or which may ON from its
reversal by the court as it may hereafter
be constituted, so that the burdens of
taxation may be equally and impartially
LAID to the end that wealth may bear its
due proportionate expenses of the govern
ment.
We hold that the most efficient way to
protect American labor is to prevent the
importation OF foreign pauper labor to
compete withit in the home market, and
that the value of tire home market to our
farmers and artisans is greatly reduced
by avicl0us monetary system, which de-
presses the price of their products below
the cost of production, and thus deprives
them OF the means of purchasing the pro-
ducts of our home manufacturers,
The absorption of wealth by the few,
the consolidation of our leading railway
/. systems and the formation Of trusts and
pools, require a ~stricter control by the
Federal Government of those arteries Of
commerce. We demand the enlargement
of the powers of the Interstate Commerce
Enmmissinn and Sr,nL rnStn:n.inrS nnd