The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-06-25
SOUND MONEY PLATFORM.
The One They Adopted in Their Conven
ton Yesterday.

Hon. j. Peter Smith, Chairman of the
Democratic Convention:
Your committee on platform and resolu-
tons beg leave to submit the following
resolutions as their report
| First-The Democrats of Texas in state
convention assembled, renew our pledges
of devotion to the undying principles of
the party as taught by Jefferson and
Jackson, and splendidly eXemplifed by
Grover Cleveland.
Second-Having heretofore formally
repudiated the methods and actions of Il
fraudulently constituted so called Demo-
cratic executive committee. we hereby re-
affirm such denunciatiOn and announce
our purpose not to vote or in any manner
give political countenance to any candi-
date for political Office who either approves
such action or who proposes in any man
ner to profit thereby. The action of this
sO-called committee was deliberately con-
ceived and executed for the purpose of eff
fecting complete disfranchisement of
brother Democrats, and it has resulted in
the destruction of Democratic methods
and procedure, concentrated by party use,
| for more than half century, and the
reservation of which are essential to the
purity of party action and the stability
of party descendancy. This destructive
action has necessitated the reorganization
of the Democratic party in Texas, and we
announce that our separation from those
who would destroy the party for the sake
of gaining a temporary advantage for
| their peculiar financial heresy is final and
irreconciliable until they return to the
advocacy OF true Democratic principles.
| Third-Holding it to be as impossible
for man to measure value by more than
one standard. rs it is to so measure any
other quantity, and being firmly convinced
that a change in the standard for the
measure of value at this time would re-
| suit in financial panic to which the his
| tory of the world furnishes no paraller.
and believing that every government owes
| it to its own honor and to its citizens that
| it shall so order its laws as to require all
debts to be paid in money as nearly as
| possible equal in value to the money in
| circulation at the time of the creation of
the debt, we declare that it is the duty
of the United States to maintain the pres
| ent single gold standard as the measure
of value, to the end that justice shall be
! done to all men, and the honor of the ma
ton preserved. We believe in the use of
silver as current money, and the coinage
and circulation of such amount thereof
as can be kept at parity with gold, but
we oppose the free and unlimited coinage
of silver by this government alone as a
measure borrowed from Populism and
| fraught if successful, with dishonOr and
disgrace to the nation and destruction to
the people.
Fourth-We favor tariff for revenue
only, sufficient in amount to support the
government economically administered
| We demand a return to frugal and simple
government, the abolition of all useless of
| fees, the rigid curtailment of all eX-
penses. and the return of government to
| its ordinary functions of protection to life,
liberty and property. We oppose all
sumptuary legislation, no matter under
what disguise, and demand that the citi'
zen be left free to pursue his own happi-
ness without unnecessary interference by
| governments.
Fifth-We believe that the issue of the
greenbacks by Republican congress I'M
der the impervious exigencies of a great
civil war, and which were then declared
| to be temporary eXpedient, and their
rentention in circulation by subsequent
congressional action has contributed to
miseducate and to debauch the public
mind upon questions of finance,
more than all other causes combined. 1t
| has miseducated our people as to the
proper financial functions of the govern
ment, and has tended to the propagation
of fiatistic ideas now so current in the
land. 1t has misled many of our people
into the belief that the government can
create values with its stamp, and their
constant redemption and reissuance has
more than once nearly bankrupted our
treasury and enabled the money-changers
to rob the people. We demand the i'm
mediate retirement of this government
from the banking business, and that the
| law authorizing the resistance OF the
treasury note shall be repealed and
such promises he retired and cancelled.
We favor the establishment of a safe
system of banking under rigid govern
mental supervision in order that the peo--
pie of this country may have ut all
times a sound, safe and elastic currency.
amply sufficient for the transaction OF
| their business.
] SiXth-We congratulate the country
that thus far the credit and the honor of
| the nation has been maintained by the
patriotic and untiring efforts of Presi-
dent Cleveland and his secretary of the
treasury John G. Carlisle, in the unequal
battle which they have so long waged
against the combined strength of cor
morants of Wall and Lombard streets
and the bullionaries of the silver noun
tains, aided and abetted by two con-
crosses so grossly incompetent as not to
know the right or so unpatriotic and dis
honest as to prefer their own political
and financial ACKNOWLEDGEMENT to the good
of their country, and we call upon all
good citizens. irrespective of rarty
affiliations, to add to our own their I'M
qualified and hearty endorsement of
these two pure and unselfish patriots.
Seventh-Resolved That we elect four
delegates from the state at large, and
| four alternates, and that each congress
sional district elect two delegates and
two alternates to attend the national
Democratic convention to be held in Chi
cago on July Z, 1896: that we contide to
the patriotism and fidelity of said dele
gates or alternates so attending the full
discretion to act in such manner as in
their Judgment will best promote The in
tegrity and honor of the Democratic
party of the state and nation. and we in
struct them to act as far as possible in
concert with all true Democrats there
met together for the advancement Of the
principles and policies hereinbefore de-
| clared.
| Eighth-Resolved, That we nominate
| fifteen Democratic electors, one from