Santa Fe daily New Mexican., 1896-07-13
Complete and Carefully Revised Text
of the Democratic Platform
Adopted at Chicago.
FREE SILVER COINAGE MADE PARAMOUNT
A Tariff for Revenue, Ajusted to Avoid
Discrimination Against Producers
ofRaw Materials, ,Favored-In-
come Tax Pronounced Just
Statehood Plank.

WnICn our 1ubUIUutlOuB dT6 IOuUuGu Hit
which the Democratic party has advocat
ed since Jefferson's time to our own
freedom of speech, freedom of the press
freedom of conscience, preservation O.
personal rights, equality of all citizens
before the law, and the faithful observ
ance of constitutional limitations. TIL.
constitution of the United States guar
antees to every citizen the rights of civi
and religious liberty. The Democratic
party has always been the exponent O.
political liberty and religious freedom
and it renews it's obligations and reaf
firms it's devotion to these Fundamental
principles of the constitution.
During all these years the Democratic
party has resisted the tendency of selfist
interests to Capitalization of govern
mental power, and has steadfastly main
tanned the integrity of the dual scheme o
government as established by the found
ers of this republic of republics. Under
its guidance and teachings the great
principle of local self government has
found best expression in the mainte'
nance of the rights of the states and in its
assertion of the necessity of confining the
general government to the exercise of
the powers granted by the constitu-
tion of the United States.
FREE COINAGE.
Recognizing that money question is
paramount to all others at this time, we
invite attention to the fact that the fed
eral 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 consti-
tuition made the silver dollar the none
tary unit and admitted gold to free coin.
age at ratio based upon the silver unit.
We declare that the act of 1873, de-
monetizing 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 COM
modities 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 in
dustry and impoverishment of the peo-
pie. We are unalterably opposed to
monometallism, which has locked fast
the prosperity of an industrial people in
the paralysis of hard times. Gold mono
metallism is British policy, and its
adoption has brought other nations into
financial servitude to London. Itis not
only un-American, but anti.American,
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 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 l without
waiting for the aid or consent of any
other nation. We demand that the stand
ard silver dollar shall be full legal tender
equally with gold for all debts, pub
lie and private, and we favor suoh legisla-
tion as will prevent for the future the
demonstration of any kind of legal
tender money by private contract.
BOND DEALS.
We are opposed to the policy and prac-
tice of surrendering to the holders Of the
obligations of the United States the op-
tion, reserved by law to the government,
of redeeming such obligations in either
silver coin or gold coin.
We are opposed to the issuing of inter-
est bearing bones of the United States In
time of peace, and condemn trafficing
with banking syndicates which, in ex-
change for bonds at an enormous profit
to themselves, supply the federal treas
ury with gold to maintain the policy of
gold monometallism.
NATIONAL BANKS.
Congress alone has the power to coin
and issue money, and President Jackson
declared that this power could not be
delegated to corporations or individuals.
We, therefore, denounce the issuance of
notes as money for national banks as in
derogation of the constitution, and we
demand that all paper which is made
legal tender for public and private debts,
or which ia receivable for dues to the
United States, shall be issued by the gov
ernment of the United States and shall be
redeemable in coin.
THE TAR1FF.
We favo. a tariff for revenue sufficient
to defray the necessary expenses of the
government, economically administered,
and so adjusted as not to discriminate
against industries of any section, and
especially the raw materials of the south
and west, including their wool, hides,
sheep, cattle and other live stock interests.
We denounce as disturbing to business,
the Republican threat to restore the Nc
Kinley law which has been twice con-
demned by the people in national cleo
tions, and which, enacted under the false
plea of protection to home industry,
proved a prolific breeder of trusts and
monopolies, enriched the few at the
expense of the many, restricted trade and
deprived the producers of the great
American staples of access to their
natural markets. Until the money ques.
tion is settled, we are opposed to any
agitation for further changes in our tariff
laws except such as are necessary to
meet tho deficit in the revenue caused by
the adverse decision of the supreme court
on the income tax law.
INCOME TAX.
But for this decision by the supreme
court there would be no deficit in the
revenue under the law passed by DEM o.
cratic congress, in strict pursuance Of the
uniform decisions Of that court for near
ly 100 years, and that court having
in that decision sustained constitu-
tional ELECTIONS to it's enactment which
had been overruled by the ablest judges
who have 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 or which may
come from its reversal by the court, as it
may hereafter be constituted, 80 that the
burdens of taxation may be equally and
impartially aided, to the end that
wealth may bear its due proportion of
the expenses OF the government.
ARBITRATION.
We are in favor Of arbitration of diff
ferences between employers engaged in
Interstate commerce and their employees,
and recommend such legislation as ie
necessary to carry out this principle.
REsTR1oTING IMMIGRATION.
We hold that the most efficient way oi
protesting American labor is TO prevent