Birmingham state herald., 1896-07-30
THE EXIT OF HON. OSCAR.
State Senator Hundley Tells Why He'll
 Do It,

Do It.
 Huntsville, July 24 To the Chattanooga Times:
 You request that I give you my views on the currency and collateral issues and l submit the following:
 I am a bimetallist and believe in the free coinage of silver and gold at the ra- tio of 16 to 1, whenever the parity of the two metals can be- maintained and the credit of the country preserved. I am in favor of accomplishing this without in ternational agreement if possible, but if not possible then by international agree ment. The democratic platform on this subject, to my mind, if carried out, would lead to silver monometallism, pure and simple, for to establish free and un- limited coinage of silver, no matter where mined. and then make silver dol lars receivable for all debts, both public and private without regard to their par ity or value, would be to retire gold as money and in effect result in repudiation.
 But while the democratic platform att tempts to make the question of free coin- age the paramount issue in the coming campaign, there are other issues raised by this platform which are bound to, in measure, overshadow that of free coin age. Those issues are the preservation of the nations credit and integrity the maintenance of law and order, the regu- lation and protection of commerce be- | Stitution, a tariff sufficient to run the government without issuing bonds and to protect American industries and Ameri- can labor, and the right of every Ameri- can to cast one ballot and have it counted and returned as cast. These are the burning questions which today con- front the American public and which are necessarily precipitated by the promul- gation of the undemocratic, un-American platform at Chicago, and which seems to n "a 1GfAfr tion of revolution, riot and repudiation, and the candidates nominated amidst the delirium of those triune evils, which threaten the very life of the republic. That platform presents upon it's face the most glaring inconsistencies and patent contradiction. Declaring in it's preamble for the preservation of con- stitutional rights, it seeks in another article to overturn the life tenure of the supreme and inferior courts of the United States which Is fixed by the constitution. Again, there Is no question so well set tied as that congress alone has the right to regulate the commerce between the states, and this right must necessarily carry with 1t the power to protect that commerce. It cannot be gainsaid, too, that the federal government has the right to protect it's mail in transit, and yet it is sought to ruthlessly set aside these plain constitutional rights. under the gauzy pretext of denouncing the arbi-
 
 ties in local affairs The attack upon the courts of the country would be astound- ing were it not for the knowledge of the fact of the peculiar forces which brought forth such a. deliverance. The issue of flair elections which is made by the section of the republican platform re- ferring thereto, will naturally be promi- nent here in the south, where, under the guise of maintaining white supremacy, a large republican vote has at times been suppressed As I understand 1t, it will no longer be the purpose of the repub- lican party to have federal legislation on l this subject, but that 1t will use It's inffu- ence to secure such state legislation as will secure the untrammelled expression of the popular will. The democratic party can no longer rally its forces under the tocsin of "white supremacy" for the white people are divided, and they are divided upon questions of principle and not of prejudice. The duty of the hour is that we should have fair cleo tions, that the will of the majority may rule. I have heretofore acted with the democratic party, but believing. as do. l that it is the duty of every self-respect- ! ing American citizen to uphold and mafn- | tain the integrity of the nation as within his power may lie. and believing in sound money, home rule and the protection of | home interests, shall support Mckinley | for president.