The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-07-14
THE PLATFORM OF THE DEMOCRACY.
OF PARTY PRIN.
- CIPLES.
"A straightforward and UnequivocaI
Document-No Straddte on the
Finencial Question.

"A straightforward and Unequiyoca
Document-No Straddte on tn,
Finencial Question.
The following is the platform as fin
ally agreed upon by the committee or
resolutions to be submitted to the con
ventiOn: 80
We, the Democrats of the United
States, in national convention assem-
bled, do reatfirm our allegiance to those
great essential principles of Justice
ana alberty upon which our institutions
are founded, and which the Democratic
party has advocated from Jefferson's
time to our own-freedom of speech,
freedom of the press, freedom of con.
science, the preservation of personal
rights, the equality of all citizens be.
fore the law, and the faithful observ-
ance OF constitutional limitations. Du-
ring all these years, the Democratic
party has resisted the tendency of sell
hsh interests to the GENERALIZATION OF
government power and steadfastly
maintained the integrity to the dual
scheme OF government established by
the founders OF this republic of repub-
iics. Under Its guidance and teachings
the great principle of local self-govern-
ment has found its best expression in
the maintenance OF rights of the State
and In its assertion of the necessity of
combining tho general government to
The exercise of the power granted bv
the constitution OF the United States
recognizing that the money question
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 Congress under
the constitution made the silver dollar
the monetary unit and admitted gold
TO irce coinage at ratio based upon
the silver dollar.
We declare that the act of 1873, de-
monetizing silver without the knowl-
edge or approval of the American
people, has resulted in the apprccia-
tlon OF gold and a corresponding fall
In the prices of commodities produced
by the people; a heavy increase in the
burden of taxation and of all debts,
public and private; the enrichment of
the money lending class at home and
abroad; the prostration of industry
and lmpoverishment Of the people.
we are unalterably opposed to mono
'metailisrn which has locked fast the
prosperity OF an 1ndus;riS! people in
the paralysis of hard times. Gold
recommendation is British policy ard
It's adoption has brought other nations
into financial servitude to London. 1t
Is not only un-American, but antI-Am-
erlcan, and 1T can be fastened on the
United States only by the stiffness of
that spirit and love of liberty which
proclaimed our political Independence
In 1876 and won in the war of the reyo.
luton.
We demand the free and unlimited
coinage of both gold and silver, at the
present legal ratio of l6 to |, without
waiting Tor the aid or consent of any
other nation. We demand that the
standard silver dollar shall be full
legal tender, equally with gold, for all
debts, public and private, and we favor
such legislation as will prevent for the
1uture the demonetiZatiOD of any kind
OF legal tender money by private con-
tract.
We are opposed to the issuing of in
terest-bearing bonds Of the United
states IN time OF peace, and condemn
the tratticking with banking syndicates
which, In exchange for bonds and at an
enormous profit to themselves, supply
the FEEDER al Treasury,with gold to main
tain the policy OF gold monometallism.
Congress alone has power to coin and
Issue money and President jackson de-
clared that this power could not be
delegated to corporations or individ-
uals. we, therefore, denounce the is
surance of notes as money for national
banks in derOgation of the constitution
and we demand that all paper which is
made legal tender for public and pri-
vate debts or which is receivable for
dues to the United States shall be
Issued by the government Of the United
States and shall be redeemable in coin.
We hold that tariff duties should be
levied for purpose sof revenue, such
duties to be 80 adjusted as to operate
Throughout the country and not
TO discriminate between class or Sec
lions, and that taxation should be
limited by the needs of the Government
honestly and economically administer
business the Republican threat to re-
store the Mckinley law which has
twice been condemned by tho people
in National elections, and which,
enacted under the false plea of protec-
tion to home industries, proved a pro-
llhc breeder OF trusts and monopoiies.
the few at the expense of the
many, restricted trade, and deprived
the producers of the great American
staples OF access to their natural
markets.
Until the money question Is settled
we are opposed to any agitation for
futn.r changes In our tariff laws ex-
cept such as are necessary to meet the
dehclt In revenue caused by the adverse
decision OF the Supreme Court on the
income tax But for this decision by
the Supreme Court there would be no
de1lclt In the revenue under the law
passed by Democratic Congress in
sbr ct pursuance OF the uniform de-
cisiOn OF that Court for nearly one
hundred years, that court, having in
that decision sustained constitutional
ooJectlons TO Its enactment which had
previously been overruled by the ab!est
Judges VINO have ever sat on that
bench We declare that 1t is the duty
OF Congress to use all the constitutions
al power which remains after that de-
cislon, or which may come from its re-
versal by the court as 1t may hereafter
be constituted, so that the burdens OF
taxation may be equally and impartial
ly laid to the end that wealth may bear
It's due proportion Of the expenses of
the Government.
We hold that the most efficient way
of protecting American labor is to pre-
vent the importation Of foreign pauper
labor to compete with 1T in the home
market, and that the value Of the home
market to our American farmers and
artisans Is greatly reduced by vicious
monetary system which depresses the
prices of their products below the cost
o! production, and thus deprives them