The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-10-17
Gold Standard Democrats Issue An
Address TO the People.
FEAR BRYAN AND SILVER
THE MAN AND THE ISSUE IN
1900.
National Gold Democratic Committee
Congratulates the Country Upon
the Defeat of the Democratic Party
In 16e6-Will Fight For Free
Trade and the Gold Standard.

Indianapolis, Oct. 1.-THE National
Democratic committee issued the follow
ing address today:
TO the National Democrats of the United
States:
Your national committee, speaking for
the National Democratic party. congrat-
uates the country on the emphatic and
merited condemnation at the polls by
the people in 1896. of the dishonorable and
dangerous doctrines promulgated by the
Chicago platform. The moral influence
exerted by the Indianapolis convention.
| has amply compensated for the efforts
made in behalf of unalloyed Democratic
principles, as held and taught by Jefler7
| son, jackson, Tilden and Cleveland. And
today. this platform is the rock and hrm
| foundation on which alone Democrat
can rest his political faith We there
fore, take this opportunity TO reaf1rm
with accumulated force, the principles OF
our party as enunciated at indianapolis
in 1886.
we believe that the theory of so-called
protection, which. in its last analysis, in
wolves the spOilation of the many Tor the
benefit Of the few, is dishonest. and-fnat
monopolies. and those special privileges
by which the cunning and interruptions
prey on their unSuspecting and credul-
Gus fellow citizens. The protective tax IS
not only dishonest and oppressive, Dut IL
obstructs that free and natural inter
course or commodities winch WOULD IN
creasingly tend TO lessen the cost OF the
necessities and comforts of life to our
wage earning classes. 1t has DESTROYED
our merchant navy. 1t has practically
driven our flag from the seas, and has
! forced us into the humiliating necessity
| of paying vast and constant tribute 10
other nations for ocean carriage. We OPP
pose the extension of this insular system
to any colonies that We nave acquired,
or hereafter may acquire. and favor as
we always have favored, the widest free
| dom of trade 1t is folly to think of Sc
| curing foreign markets unless we are
willing to trade with foreign countries.
platform, for its virtual abandonment OF
this great and time-honored principle.
FREE SILVER DOCTRINE.
THE doctrine of free silver is an ex-
| tension of the protective principle. Free
coinage is the protection OF lev silver
! ing classes. This policy were IL adopted.
their earnings. and. by unsettling
values would bring about a paraly-
/ sis of trade and commerce and reduce us
| financially TO the level of barbarouS anS
unciviliZed nations. We are unreserveoly
/ for the single gold standard, and oppose
/ international bimetallism. so-called, as
/ both impracticable and undesirable. We
| believe that the theory of one standard,
and the selection of gold as that standard,
has been struck off in the mint of human
experience. as the result OF slowly de-
veloped and beneficient evolution in civili-
| cation.
More than ever do we believe that the
continued existence of our national organ
| ization is desirable for the well-beinS of
/ our country. There is no other party that
represents the principles g1r which we are
proud TO stand. Our work is not COM
/ pleted. We are not only against free sill
yer but we are for sound money.
The same causes that induced the
| Indianapolis convention of 1896 still exist
! The financial relief expected of the pres
ent administration has not been given
Tho Of less than 16
members of the Democratic national COM
mittee declaring for free silver, and the
denomination OF Mr.. Bryan, show con-
clusivelv that efforts will be made to
| fight the campaign of 1900 on the free sill
yer issue. and under the old leader. AS
| long as the principles of the indianapolis
| platform remain disregarded by the old
parties. our duty to our country, to our
rarity and to ourselves. demands that we
should continue our fight against free
silver. and keep uD our efforts TO secure
for this nation. such financial legislation
as shall make us commercially the
strongest nation in the world.
We protest against the pollution OF the
Democratic party by alliances with those
( financial declarations which are at war
with its old and true creed.
PURE PATRIOTS.
| with the situation as it exists in some
/ of the various states. we have no prov
! ince to interfere The national Demo-
/ Gratis of each state must solve their local
l =
/ them most likely to insure the triumDhs
of the principles for which the national
organization stands, and TO the main
I tenance of which it is solemly pledged.
We seek no offices. and wish for no re-
wards, except those that flow from the
consciousness of duty done. Our princi-
pies. the gold standard. monetary econo-
my in the administration of the govern
ment. the maintenance of law and order,
| freedom of contract, and the protection
of all contract rights. must triumph If
our representative federal republic is to
be perpetuated. In behalf of these prin-
cinles. we appeal to the sober. settled
| Judgment of the American people. We
should be prepared now. and at all tines,
to defend them against assault from any
quarter.
1T is our earnest hope that our fellow
Democrats n every nook and corner of
our land. may realize their error in fol-
lowing the vagaries of the Chicago plat
form. and may unite with US in the
advocacy and PRONUNCIATION of those
sound and fundamental political princi-
pies which will lead to a ratification of
them by the votes of the people, ensur-
ing a truly Democratic victory
"(Signed) The National Committee of
the National Democratic Party. by
George Foster Peabody. Chairman"