Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-08-04
PLATFORM OF SILVER PARTY.

Tho national silver party OF America. IN
conVeElon assembled, hereby adopts the
tolIowing declaration OF principles:
First-.lAc paramount ISSUE at this time
in the LSi:,cd States is indisputably the
money question. II is between the British
gold standard. gold bonds aud bank cur
rency on the enc side, and the bimetailc
standard, no bonds, soYcrEIcnt currency
ad an American pClicy on the other.
On this issue We declare ourselves 70 De
in favor OF 4 CiGtinctyely American man.
ciai system. We are uualterdbly opposej
to the single gold standard, and demana
the immediate return 10 the constitutional
standard of gold and silver by the restora..
ton by this government, independently OF
any foreign power OF the unrestricted
coinage o: both gold and silver, into stand
ard money at the ratio Of IL to l. ana upon
the terms OF exact equality as they exist.
ed PRIOR 10 49, the silver coin 10 DC OF
full legal tender, equally with go.d. LOT a.:
debts ana dues. pubic and private, anu we
demand such legislation as VIII prevent lor
the future the destruction OF the legal ten
der quality Of aGy kind OF money oy PHI
waite contract
We hold that the power to regulate and
control a paper currency is inseparable
from the power to coin money. and hence.
that all currency intended TO circulate as
money should be issued and It's volume con-
trolled by. the general government only.
and should be legal tender.
We are una.teraD.y opposed TO the issue
by the. United States OF interest bearing
bonds in time of peace, and we denouncs
as a bunder worse than a crime the pres
ent treasury policy concurred In by re-
publican house OF plunginS the country
into debt by hundred OF millions In the
VAN attempt to maintain the god stand
ard by borrowing gold, and We demand the
payment Of all coin obligations OF the Unit
&c States, as provided by existing laws, in
either god or silver coin, at the option OF
the government. and not at the option or
the creditor.
The decentralization of silver in 1878 enor-
y,onY pA gold
HANGING its purchasing power ana lowering
all prices measured by that standard, and
since that unjust and indefens!ble act. the
price of American products have fallen
upon an average nearly 80 per cent. carry
ing down with them proportionateiy the
money value of al other forms of prop
Such fall Of prices destroyed the profits
of legitimate industry, injuring the pro-
Queer for the benefit of the non-produceT,
increasing the burden of the debtor. swe..-
ing the gains Of the creditor, paralyz.ng
the productive energies Of the American
people. RELOCATING 10 idleness vast numbers
of willing workers. sending the shadows OF
despair into the home of the honest toiIer,
filing the land with tramps and paupers
and building up colossal fortunes at the
money centers.
In the effort to maintain the gold stand
ard the country has within the last two
years in a time of profound peace and
plenty, been loaded down with 100000 600
of additional interest bearing debts under
cate of native and foreign bankers to real
ize a net profit of millions on a single deal.
1t stands confessed that the gold stand
ard can only be uphe.d by so depicting our
paper currency as TO force the prices OF
our products below the European and
even below the Asiatic 10 enable us to sell
foreign markets, thus aggravating the
very evils of which our people so bitterly
complain degrading American labor and
striking at the foundations Of our c!viliza-
ton itself.
sstentiy claim that the real cause of our
distress is over-production; that we have
| produced so much that it made US poor
| which implies that the true remedy is &c
! close the factory, abandon the farm and
| throw a multitude of people out OF en-
| ployment. a doctrine that leaves us un'
nerved and disheartened and absolutely
without hope for the future.
We affirm 1t TO be unquestioned thai
| there can be no such economic paradox as
| overproduction, and at the same time tens
] of thousands OF our fellow citizens remain
! ing half clothed and half fed, and who are
! p!teously clarnoring for the common neces
| stiles of life.
| over and above al other questions OF
/ policy we are favor OF restoring to the PEG
! pie of the Un.:ed States the time-honoret
| money of the contitution-gold and silvel
not one but both-the money of Wash
| ington and Hamilton and Jefferson anC
| Monroe and Lincoln and Jackson, TO thu
end that the American people may rece.v,
| honest pay for an honest product; tina
ING AlhS iS'h ,.-.sa-psay us JL1l oOiA
gas.ons IN se49 M sAa nS6r u
---------Jer cent in purol engguylnmlnnsss-
| and no depreciation in debt-paying pawer
/ and to the end further that silver stand
| ard countries may be deprived of the un
| just advantage they now enjoy in the diff
| erence N exchange beteween gold and sill
| yer, and advantage which tariff legisla
| ton cannot overcome
| We, therefore, confidently appeal TO tn
! people of the United States TO hold il
allegiance all other questions, however i'm
| portant and even monmentous they MAJ
| appear; 10 sunder if need be, all forme
| party ties and affiliations and unite in on
| supreme effort to free themselves anC
| their children from the domination of IN,
| money power-a power more destructive
] than any which has ever ben fastene,
| upon the civilized men of any race or il
| any age. And upon the contamination O
! our desires and efforts We evoke the aid O.
| all patriotic American citizens and tn,
| gracious favor of Divine Providence.
| In as much as the patriotic majority o
| the Chicago convention embodied in tn
| financial plank of it's platform the prin
| cip.es enunciated in the platform of tn
| American b.metall!c party, promulgated a
| Washington. d. c., January %. 1856 anC
herein reiterated, which is not only tn
| paramount, but the only real issue In tn
| pending campaign Therefore, recogniz.n,
| that hteir nominees embody these patri
ot.c principles, we recommend that tn.
| convention nominate William j. Bryan o
| Nebraska for president and Arthur Sewal
| If .daine for vice president.