Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-04-25

of 1892 was II substitution of parity
in the value OF the coins of the two
metals" for parity of the two metals"
Parity" always parity" WAS the
test.
THE CHICAGO PLATFORM ENAM
INED.
The condition Of the country in 1895
ana 1896 by reason of business ana COM
lnercial depression which began three
years before owing TO the Sherman Sill
yer law, whose repeal you resisted. the
endless chain." short crops, long West
ern droughts, diminished foreign de-
mand for our cereals and reduced prices
everywhere, offered IL fertile field for
your efforts. Undcv the present changed
conditions we can calmly anaiyze the
novelties Of the Chicago platform.
1T began by affirming that the first
coinage law Of 1872 made the silver dol
lar the money unit. That is II matter OF
statute Interpretation ana has been
much debated. Jefferson said. as you
have mentioned in your letter TO me.
that the unit should "rerose on both
metals and so it is probable that the
draughtsmen of The law of 1892 intend
cd bimetaliic standard.
1t declared that the Democracy was
unalterably opposed 10 monometal-
lism.' but the trainers of the Chicago
platform urged what the country be-
l!eVed would be silver monometallsm.
Many things demanded by the plat
form could be done only by Congress.
such as opening our mnts TO silver ANA
gold alike, on Il fixed ratio, legislation
to prevent freedom of contracts 10y
making debts payable not in such
dollar as contractors preferred. OK
tinction of the national bank notes. and
making government notes the only pa
per currency. The right to grant other
demands-such as. FOR example. the re-
fuSal to government creditors of the
rirht vic la -aI.
the coin Of payment, whether silver
or Eold-Was. ana is now perhaps, in the
discretion of the Secretary of the
Treasury TO whom the law has 50 gem
orally given decision in those matters.
1t is not given to the President. The
Chicago platform clearly intended that
the President should nominate, and. If
the Senate confirmed. appoint Il head OF
the Treasury who should forthwith pay
all government creditors in silver dol
lars. the gold price of the bullion in
each OF which was then worth 4 trifle
over fifty cents. You may say that YOU
believed at the time that the opening
OF our minis to cVcryhody'S silver on
the ratio Of Is (thc bullion ratio in 1896
was over 30), TO |. without waiting for
the aid or consent of any other nation."
would bring l6 ounces of silver To n
commercial parity with an ounce Of
gold. but. If YOU did. there were prob
ably very few experts i'm any country,
VINO sympathized with your belief All
felt that the time would be far off. if IL
ever came. when such parity could ox-
list. The Chicago platform plan. how
ever, was not 10 await the opening OF
our mlnts by Congress and the arrival
OF parity. hut for the Treasury TO be-
gin at once to pay tho pensioners. ON
GERS of the army and navy. laborcrs
ana all government creditors in silver
dollars
r
JEFFERSON THE STANDARDS AND
TEST
In your unwarranted letter to mo Of
March 10th YOU arraign my political
opinions because. rs YOU assert. they are
hostile To those OF Jefferson, "who stood
for sacred. we'll defined principles."
jefferson was by you made the standard
and the tes.. In order to crafty your
desire To know my opinions | mailed 10
you correct record of all had said
or written on the Chicago platform
since the election Of 1896. | did not. as
YOU wrote in your letter of the Sth in
slant. TO which am now replying. ask
You to point out objections [ said:
You are ut liberty TO Indicate and OK
pose any portion that IS uupatiiotir
I'M Democratic un-American or IN con-
i!lct with the Democratic creed as set
forth in lcffcrson's first inaugural adj
dress. You reply that You haVe not a
standard by which to determine
whether a Sivon opinion is patriotic or
American. had suspected as much.
on tho issue raised by yourself oyer
Jefferson you cndeaVor to make not his
State papers the test If Democracy. but
the innovations your co-conspirators.
chlelly Republicans. inserted i'll ;hc chi
cage platform. You complain OF oul.
iirst Democratic platform. which WAS
JeTerson's inaugural address. that it
dealt only with general principles"
OF course it did II is the function Of
u platform. in the American sense. TO
zeal with questions the conditions Of
winch are permanent. Jefferson aid.
however, insist ION honest payment Of
our debts, ana sacred preservation Of
the public faith" which YOU ignore in
your unreasoning spite against credit
ors. In your hatred of creditors YOU
ignore the public credit.
AGAIN shifting your position. You for
get 10 apDly Jeifcrson's platform to
these three topics ON WhIch, You saw !
nave taken position" First, stand
ara money second, paper money; third,
the income tax
AS to the first, you affirm that Jeffer-
son favored the double standard" bu,
The Chicago platform declared mat The
iirst coinage law OF 1892 set up a single
standard which was the SILVER dollar.
ana INSISTED that alone was Democratic.
AS 10 the second there is not "paper
money under our constitution. Onlv
specie can be money Everything IN
paper is mere currency and should not
be legal tender. Jefferson said noth.r
of banks In his inaugural. but mat he
became Intensely hostile 10 1.-The banks
is true. The conduct of the state
banks in his time WAS enough 10 *
cite his condemnation. Nj. Galla,in
wrote ON June lith 1871 mat Jefferson
lived ana died i decided enemy u oGr
banking system generally, ana esre-
cially 10 bank Of the United states"
but in the irisCce KcniuclllD case n
Democratic Snrr1ir. l,nt,,.t ~ -. ~ :.