Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1896-07-15
Third Day, Thursday, 9th.
THE PLATFORM ADOPTED.

THE PLATFORM AID OPTED.
Senator Jones of Arkansas, for tn
majority of the Committee on resol u
tions, reported the following
We, the Democrats of the Unitet
States, in National Convention assem-
bled, do reafirm our allegiance t,
those great essential principles of jus
tice and liberty upon which our insti
buttons are founded, and which th,
Democratic party has advocated from
Jefferson's time to our own-freedon
of speech, freedom of the press, free
! dom of conscience. the preservation O.
personal rights, the equality of al
citizens before the law. and the faith
| full observance of constitutional limita
tions. During all these years the
Democratic party has resisted the
tendency of selfish interests to the
Capitalization of governmental power
and steadfastly maintained the integ
rity of the dual scheme of govern
ment established by the founders OF
this Republic of Republics.
Under its guidance and teachings
the great principle OF local self govern
ment has found it's best expression in
the maintenance of rights of the States
and in its assertion of the necessity OF
combining the General Government to
the exercise of the powers granted by
the Constitution of the United States.
The Constitution of the United States
guarantees to every citizen the right of
civil and religious liberty. The Demo
cratic party has always been the
exponent of political liberty and
religious freedom, and it renews its
obligations and reaffirms it's devotion
to the fundamental principles of the
Constitution.
Recognizing that the money ques-
ton is paramount to all others at this
time, we invite attention to the fact
that the Federal Constitution names
silver and gold together as the money
metals of the United States, and that
the first coinage law passed by Con.
gress under the Constitution made the
silver dollar the monetary unit and
admitted gold to free coinage at ratio
based upon the silver dollar unit.
We declare that the act of 1873
demonetizing silver without the knOwl
edge or approval OF the American PEG
pie, has resulted in the appreciation
prices OF commodities produced by the
people; heavy increase in the burden
of taxation and of all debts, public
and private; the enrichment of the
lending class at home and
abroad; the prostration of industry
and impoverishment of the people.
We are unalterably opposed to a
which has locked fast
the prosperity of an industrial people
in the paralysis of hard times. Gold
is British policy and
it's adoption has brought other nations
into financial servitude to London. It
is not only un-American but anti
and it can be fastened on
the United States only by the sitting
OF that spirit and love of liberty which
our political independence
in 1875, and won it in the War of the
We demand the free and unlimited
coinage of both gold and silver at the
present legal ratio of 16 to 1 without
waiting for the aid or consent of any
other nation. We demand that the
standard silver dollar shall be full
egal tender, equally with gold, for all
1ebts public and private, and We favor
'uch legislation as will prevent for the |
uture the decentralization of any kind |
IT legal tender money by private con-
ract.
We are opposed to the policy and
practice of surrendering to the holders
# the obligations of the United States
he option reserved by the Gov
rnment of redeeming such obligations
n either silver coin or gold COIN
We are opposed to the issuing OF
interest bearing bonds of the United
tia ties in time of peace and condemn
he trafficing with banking syndicates
which, in exchange for bonds and at
n enormous profit to themselves, sup
ly the Federal Treasury with gold to
aaintain the policy Of gold monomet.