Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-06-24
THEY INSISTED ON AL CELD
Convention Would Have No
Other Standard Bearer.
THE PLATFORM is PLAIN
TO Suspicion of Straddle-Free Coinage at 6
to 1, Tariff Revision and an In
come Tax

ton reassembled Hon. Charles K. Laid,
who was presented as permanent chair
man, made a fierce address.
Ex-Congressman Lee Worthington of
Peoria declared that the eastern goldbugs
are responsible for 40 cent whea1 and $40
horses, but there is a sentiment brewing
in the west that will paralyze them.
Governor Altgeld then made his appear
anee on the platform, and was given
tremendous ovation and spoke at length.
The governors illusions to Preslden.
Cleveland were received with tumultuous
| applause, but when he announced that
his physical and financial conditions
| would prevent him entering the canvass
| for a reelection depressing silence fol-
| lowed. The next moment, with a mighty
shout of mo" the convention rose en-
masse and repeated the ovation that
| greeted his entrance.
When the report of the committee on
| resolutions was submitted EX-Congress-
| men Williams and Fithian protested
| against the unit rule plank, but the pro-
| test was ruled out and the platform
| adopted with voices In the negative.
| Nominations for state officers were re-
ported at O'clock Governor Altgeld was
renominated by acclama ton amid scenes
of widest enthusiasm.
For secretary of state, FINS S. Down.
ing of the Seventeenth Congressional dis
| trict, who, in the closing week of con-
! gress, was unseated in favor of General
| Rinaker, won with a majority of 109 over
| A. L. Hereford of Nation.
| The balance of the ticket was speedily
| completed, and at 1885 the convention adj
| journed sine die.
The delegates at large are Governor
ANgeld, Secretary of State Heinrlchsen.
Elk Congressman G. w. Frthian and
| Judge Samuel P. Mcconnell
| The Platform.
These are the principal planks of the
platform adopted this evening by the
| democratic state convention:
| We favor the soundest and safest mon
| ey known to man and the equal rights
of coinage and full legal tender power
| We demand the repeal of that republican
and plutocratic legislation which demon
etized silver and reduced it to the basis
| of token money, destroying by one-half
| the stock of real money, and by doubling
the work to be done by gold doubled its
| purchasing power so that the farmers
and producers had to give twice as much
work to get a dollar as they formerly
had, and found it hard to meet the debts,
| interest, taxes and fixed charges, which
were not lowered. In this way the mar
| ket for those things which the mechanic
| and laborer made was destroyed and the
| factories had to shut down.
| BY thus taking out of the commercial
| world one-half of it's blood industry and
trade have been paralyzed and idleness
and misery have been spread over the
| civilized world. With the richest natural
| resources it is the most industrious, fru-
gal and enterprising population, and with
the most abundant harvest our people
| are in distress. Three per cent of our
population own over half of the wealth
1 of this republic and almost the only men
to prosper are the bond sharks and the
men who fatten off the misery of their
country.
There are conditions under which re-
publican institutions cannot long endure.
| We believe in the greatness and patriot
| ism of the American people; in their en-
ergy, industry and thrift, and that such
a people, with the unlimited resources of
| our land, are strong enough to sustain
| monetary system without the aid of
foreign governments We believe that
the benefits of the independence we
gained 100 years ago-the war for which
was initiated ppon matter of tribute
should not be lost by yielding vassalage
| to monetary system preferred by other
| governments. We believe that the BIZ
| metallism which has done the work of
j the world since the dawn of civilization,
| and which was made the basis of the
monetary system by Hamilton and JEFF
| ferson, is absolutely necessary at present
| to the prosperity of mankind and that
its re-establishment will check the pres
| ent business paralysis; will give to the
| country a safe and honest currency of
adequate volume; will restore prices of
agricultural commodities; will encourage
enterprises; give our people steady, prof
| liable employment. Having learned
| through bitter experience that Wall
| street has controlled the financial legis-
| lation at Washington, and knowing that
| every effort will be made to defeat the
| will of the people, we propose to be ex-
| plicit in our declarations.
Actuated by the foregoing principles
and desiring the prosperity of the people,
| we demand the Immediate restoration of
| the free and unlimited coinage of both
| gold and silver as standard money at the
ratio of 16 ounces of silver to l of gold of
! equal fineness, with full legal tender
| power to each metal without waiting
! for or depending on any other nation of
4 the earth; and the delegates from this
convention to the national democratic
| convention are instructed to use all hon.
/ orable means to secure similar decla-
1 ration by said national convention, and
to support only such men for the presi-
| dency as are in full and pronounced SYM
pathy with these principles. We are also
| opposed to the contraction of the curren-
cy by the retirement of any part of the
present outstanding treasury notes.
/ We favor a tariff for revenue only and
| declare that the government should col
! lect no more taxes than are necessary to
defray the expenses Of the government
| honestly and economically administered
| vival of any such monstrosity in legisla-
| ton as that act of congress which was
known as the Mckinley law, which for
| the fiscal year ending June 80, 1894. pro-
duced a deficit in the United States treas
| ury of $70000,000, under which wages
1 were greatly lowered and which gave
| proprietors monopoly while 1t permit
| ted them to fill their shops with the
cheapest kind of cheap labor, brought
| from all parts of the earth ~
We demand the abolition of govern
ment by injunction that new form OF
oppression and weapon of the money
| power never before heard of among men,
whereby federal judge at once became
legislator, Judge and executor. 1t Is alb
| solutely destructive of American princi-
pies; it robs the American citizen of the
right of trial by jury and all the protee-
| ton of the constitution.
| The arbitrary interference on the part
| Of the federal government in local affairs
| by ignoring lawful authorities is not only
a violation of the constitution. but a
| crime against free government, and is de-
structive of the very foundations of DEM
ocratic and republican institutions.