The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-09-04
NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM
Declaration and Principles Adopted at
 Indianapolis Yesterday.


 the honor and welfare of the American people in order that democrats through out the Union may unite their patriotic efforts to avert disaster from their country and ruin from their party. The democratic party is pledged to equal and exact justice to all men of every creed and condition; to the largest freedom of the individual conscience consistent with good government; to the preservation of the federal govern ment In it's constitutional vigor and to the support of the states in all their just rights; to economy in the public expenditures; to the maintenance of the public faith and sound money; and it is opposed to paternalism and all class legislation.
 The declarations of the Chicago con- yention attack individual freedom, the right of private contract, the independ- ence of the judiciary and the authority of the president to enforce federal laws. They advocate reckless attempt to in crease the price of silver by legisla- tion to the debasement of our money standard and threaten unlimited issues of paper money by the government They abandon for republican allies the democratic cause Of tariff reform to court the favor of protectionists to their fiscal heresy.
 Tn view of these and other grave de- partures from democratic principles we cannot support the candidates of that convention, nor be bound by its acts. The democratic party has survived many defeats, but could not survive victory won in behalf of the doctrine and policy proclaimed in it's name at Chicago. The conditions, however, which make possible such utterances from a national convention are the di- rect result of class Legislation by the republican party. It still proclaims, as it has for years, the power and duty of government to raise and maintain prices by law, and it proposes no rem edy for existing evils except oppressive and unjust taxation.
 The national democracy here conven- ed therefore renews its declaration of faith in democratic principles, especial ly as applicable to the conditions of the times. Taxation, tariff, excise or di- rect, Is rightfully imposed only for pub- lie purposes, and not for private gain. Its amount is justly measured by pub lie expenditures, which should be linn ited by scrupulous economy. The sum derived by the treasury from tariff and excise levies is affected by the state of trade and volume of consumption. The amount required by the treasury is de- ter1nined by the appropriations made by congress The demand of the re- publican party for an increase in tariff taxation has it's pretext in the deficien- cy of revenue, which has it's causes in the stagnation of trade and reduced consumption, due entirely to the loss of confidence that has followed the pop lllistic threat of free coinage and de- preciation of our money, and the re- publican practice of extravagant ap- propriations beyond the needs of good government. We arraign and condemn the populfstic conventions of Chicago and St. Louis for their cooperation with the republican party in creating these conditions, which are pleaded in justification of a heavy increase of the burdens of the people by a further re- sort to protection.
 We therefore denounce protection and it's ally, free coinage of silver. as schemes for the personal profit of few at the expense of the masses, and op- pose the two parties which stand for these schemes as hostile to the people of the republic whose food and shelter, comfort and prosperity are attacked by higher taxes and depreciated money In fine, we rsaf1irm the historic demo cratic doctrine of tariff for revenue only.
 We demand that henceforth modern and lihcral policies toward American shipping shall take the place of our inn itation of the restricted statutes of the eighteenth century, which have been abandoned by every maritime power but the United States, and which, to the nations humiliation, have driven American capital and enterprise to the use of alien flags and alien crews, have made the stars and stripes an almost unknown emblem in foreign ports, and have virtually extinguished the race of American seamen. We oppose the pre- tense that dis scrnnir ating duties will promote shipping; that scheme is an invitation to commercial warfare upon the United States, n-American in the light of our great commercial treaties, offering no gain whatever to American shipping, while greatly increasing ocean freights on our agricultural and manufactured products.
 The experience of mankind has shown that, by reason of their natural quail ties gold is the necessary money of the large affairs of commerce and business, while silver is conveniently adapted to minor transactions, and the most ben- eficial use of both together can be in- surad by the adoption of the former as a standard of monetary measure, and the maintenance of silver at parity with gold by It's limited coinage under suitable safeguards of law.
 The largest possible enjoyment or both metals is gained with a value uni versally accepted throughout the world which constitutes the only practical bi- metallic currency, assuring the most stable standard and especially the best and safest money for all who earn their livelihood by labor or the pro- duce of husbandry. They cannot suf- fer when paid in the best money known to man. but are the peculiar and most defenceless victims of debased and fluctuating currency which offers con- tinual profits to the money changer at their cost
 Realizing gthesetruths, demonstrated by long and public inconvenience and loss, the democratic party. in the interests of he pooccoc and Of edI1al iuStice to