Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1897-06-11
FRIDAY. JUNElI. 1897.
who are the Gold DemocratsP

would be led to suppose lnaI tni'
class is composed Of the most fend
ish enemies of all kinds OF good
government. They are denounced
as deserters by men who never
knew how to be true to cause
unless they could find something IL
it which would advance their per-
sonal interests. They are proclaim
ed as disloyal, by men who would
have the Lrazen effrontery to change
their uniform in sight Of the enemy
rather than be true to a holy cause
when it required courage to keep
in line.
They are ridiculed on account OF
their numbers by men whose STAND
ard of right is based upon the size
of the crowd with which they are
identified.
We're the ragged few at APP
pomattox, that bore eight thousand
muskets against an army ofover two
hundred thousand ridiculous, be
cause they barred their breasts to
the storm and refused to SURRENDER
until their grand old immortal
leader gave the command. cease
firing?
Was the little band OF three hun
dred that so CALAMITY held the pass
at ThermopyIae ridiculous because
they refused to surrender to the
Overwhelming numbers that suTged
against them?
With such awful maledictions
thrown upon them by the most aP
proved and powerful mud mixing
and mud throwing machines, It
seems strange that a number Of
these hated, 'dislOyal, dcserlers'
should be willing 10 proclaim the
fact that they are gold democrats"
Strange as it may appear, such Is
the case, and some of them even
glory in it.
These gold democrats as the
free silver advocates are pleased to
name them ale in no sense different
from the democrats who stood by
their guns when their enemies
boosted that the democratic party
was vanquished, dead, and ready to
be buried.
They we're not ashamed to avow
the doctrines which were the crown
ing ornament Of the democracy in
her best DAYS. They are now op
posed to degrading the highest
court of the land for partisan pur
poses. They favor the use Of both
metals as currency, but in so doing
they stick to the standard adopted
by Jefferson and Hamilton. They
would 90 into the markets of the
world and carefully examine the
subject, ascertain the respective
values of the two metals and upon
that ascertained value, determine
the standard. They would then
coin as much of both metals, or o.
either, as the business of the people
should require. They want a cur
rency of fixed value.
They discard the silly idea that
the stamp of the government gives
value to coin. If the government
by simply placing its stamp upon
48 cents worth of silver can make
it worth one dollar, why will not
its stamp on paper be worth as
much? If this doctrine were true
there would be no necessity Of the
government having a national debt.
II could at once manufacture money
enough to cancel its entire debt.
This silly idea prevailed at one
time, but has long since been ex-
ploded. A man that advocates it,
at this dav, presumes upon the
ignorance of his hearers or readers.
The gold democrats are a class
who refused to desert the principles
Of their party in order to win tenn
porary success. Under such circum
stances they regarded defeat as
more honorable than victory If
they were responsible for the vic
tory of the republican party, they
do notshirk the responsibility. They
honestly believe that nOtwithstand.
ing the Odious protective tariff
which the republican party pro
poses to impose upon the people
and,which some of the regular dem.
Ocrats are supporting in congress,
we are in much better condition
than we would have been, if the
regular democratic party had been
successful and had inaugurated the