The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-07-14
NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC PLAT
FORM.

States in National Convention Assem-.
bled, do re affirm our allegiance to those
great essential principles Of justice and
liberty, upon which our institutions
are founded, and which the Democratic
party has advocated from Jeff9rson'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 observ
ance Of constitutional limitations.
During all these years the Democratic
party has resisted the tendency OF sci
fish interests to the Capitalization of
governmental power, and steadfastly
maintained 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 it's best expression in
the maintenance of the rights Of the
States and in its assertion of the neces-
slty of combining the General Govern
ment to the exercise of pc Eers granted
by the Constitution of the United States.
The Constitution of the United States
guarantees to every citjz n the rights
OF civil and religious liberty. The
Democratic party has always been the
exponent of political liberty and re
Ligious freedom, and it renews it's obi
cations and re-afirms it's devotion to
these fundamental principles of the
Constitut ton.
THE MONEY PLANK.
Recognizing that the money question
is paramount to all others at this time,
we invite attention to the fact that the
Constitution named silver and gold to-
gether as the money metals of the
United States, and that the first coin
age law passed by Congress under the
Constitution made the silver dollar the
m oney unit and admitted gold to free
coinage at a ratio based upon the silver
dollar unit.
We declare that the act of 1878 &c.
monetjzing silver without the knowl
edge or approval of the American PEG,
pie has resulted in the appreciation OF
gold and a corresponding fall in the
price Of commodities produced by the
people; a 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 impov.
erishment of the people.
We are ~unalterably opposed to mono.
metallism which has locked fast the
prosperity of an Industrial people il
the paralysis of hard times. Goldm mono
metallism is a British policy, and its
adoption has brought other nations into
financial servitude to London. 1t is
not only IN. American, but anti Ameri
can, and it can be fastened on the
United States only by the sitting OF
that spirit and love of liberty which
proclaimed our political independence
in 1875 and won it in the War of the
Revolution.
We demand the free and unlimited
coinage of both silver and gold at the
present legal ratio of 16 to 1 without
waiting for the aid OF consent of any
other nation. We demand that the
standard silver dollar shall be a full
legal tender equally with gold for al
debts, public and private, and we favor
such legislation as will prevent for the
future the demonstration of any kind
Of legal tender money by private con
tract.
We are opposed to the practice Of
surrendering to the holders of the obi.
cations of the United States the option
reserved by law to the government o.
redeeming such obligations il either
silver coin or gold coin. "
INTEREST BEARING BONDS.
We r opposed to the issuing of in
terest- bearing bonds of the United
States in time of peace and condemn
traficing with banking s~yndicates
which in e1 change for bonds and al
an enormous profit to themselves, sup
ply the Federal Treasury with gold tc
maintain the p olicy of gold monomet
allism
AGAINST NATIONAL BANKS
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 individ.
uaIs. We therefore denounce the issu
ance of notes intended t o circulate as
money by National banks as in deroga'
ton of the Constitution, and we de.