Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-10-07


70 coin money. regulate the value ther5-
OF and Of foreign coins and fix The stand
ard OF weights and measures ana II -
further provided THAI no State shall
coin money or make anything but go-u
and silver coin tender OF payment IN
debts" The system Of bimetallism Is
here established; gold and silver COIN
here find equal recognition.
AS DEMOCRATS WE BELIEVE II,
r40NFST NONEY-THE MONEY OF
The CONSTITUTION.
We attach deep importance TO the
words of Thomas Jefferson:
81 concur with YOU that the unit must
stand on both metals.
Il was during the administration OF
Washington that the great secretary OI
the Treasury. Alexander Ham llon' saul
TO annuI the use Of either OF the TWO
metals as money is to abridge the guam
tity of he circulating medium ana Is
liable to all the objections that arise
from a comparison OF the benefits OF lu4l
with the evils of a scant circulation.
Have we in the advocacy Of bimetal-
ism departed from the Democratic
teachings. from The Democratic faith on
,his question?
PLATFORMS OF DEMOCRACY.
Mr.. Stevenson then went on to show
that the platform Of the Democratic ma
cional convention of 1880 declared for
honest money-consisting of gold and
silver and paper convertible into coin
on Gemand-and in 1884 Mr.. Cleveland
was nominated and subsequently elected
upOn the declaration:
I'VE believe in honest money, the gold
and silver coinage of the constitution
ana ,he circulating medium convertible
fn-o such money without loss In 1883
tbe platform OF the last preceding con-
v,ntion was unanimously reatfirmed, and
I'M 1892 the platform declared for the use
of both gold and silver as the standard
money OF the country. Mr. Stevenson
said:
|. vais decIara ion met my earnest APP
'pr5vsl then as ii does now. Can 1t be
THAI those of us VINO four years later
sdu hold TO the use or both metals as
standard money Of the country nave
abandoned the faith and are no longer
worthy 10 be called Democrats? Is It too
much to claim that in giving our support
To- The non. nees OF the Chicago conVen-
ton we are keeping the faith?' The
+ charge of recreaucy 10 party does not lie
az our doors.
Ii is well now to inquire what has
been and is the attitude of the Republic
can party upon this question. The
financial plank of the Republican ma
tional convention of 1892 declared N
favor of bimetallism and demanded the
use of both gold and silver as standard
money. In 1892 both parties favored BIZ
mea,Hsm and demanded gold and silver
as he standard money Of the country.
TO THE GOLD STANDARD.
The Republican platform of 1896 is a
departure from that OF 1892. 1t reads:
we are therefore opposed to the free
coinage Of silver being established ex-
cep, 0y international agreement with
the leading commercial nations OF the
world. which we pledge ourselves 10
promote, and until such an agreement
can be obtained the existing gold stand
and must be preserved
Here>we have an explicit declaration
of tde gold standard. This is an undis-
euised declaration-the first of any ma
tiOnal couveuJiOn-.I '3vor of gold as
our sole standard of money.
By this declaration The Republican
party stands pledged 10 me maintenance,
q, all hazards, O, the gold standard, IN
+ less by International agreement the lead
/ ing commercial nations Of the world viii
/ C5uSen. 10 return to b.me,allism. In
wha- party platform at any period of
u "a t~r- No I'm
initiating a proposition?
Do III Republican leaders who fOrmu-
I lated the declartion really expect Eng
/ land. "-he leading commercial IA ion OF
| The world" 10 consent to an information
/ Fl Agreements looking to the re-CS'ablish-
men- Of bimealhsm in the TWO great
Engiish-sDeaking nations? Or was this
I proposition simply to placate and keep
N line until after the election such men,
bers Of The party IS still believe the
interests of the people could best be
subs rived by ne use Of the two precious
metals as standard money?
ReDeat the inquiry of our candidate for
the Presidency: IF the gold standard
is the bes.-if il is desirable-why even
this though. of a change? Why even
NIA SllEE1ILIl UA an III -0l ia lAOlidA dS &C.
ment? Why humble ourselves at the
feet Of England -hat she may consent 10
s some, hing that will not rebound TO our
b1nefit IS a people?
CONFESSION OF WEAKNESS
This clause of the Republican platform
is a confession Of weakness. Either the
simple gold standard is the best for our
country or it Is nc-. If the best, why
ask the consent of England or of any ma
tion that bimetallism be restored? IL
n0--if its maintenance bodies evil and
only evil 70 our people-why shall not
cur government. the greatest the world
has ever known, take the lead in accom-
0lishing what The Republican platform,
hv Implication. admits should be done?
In a word, is not the clause in ,he Re
publican platform looking 10 interna-
tonal agreement a feeble confession that
a return 20 bime,allism is desirable?
am firmly persuaded that in the
. present contest the interest Of all the
/ people are bound up in the success OF the
Democratic party. whose creed upon the
I pending vital issue was the living faith
0s the founders of our government Now.
I ss I'm the struggle Of the past. its appeal
is TO the judgment, the patriotism, the
/ sense of Justice OF tn American people.