The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-09-25

which will be brought upon Ghem ny
those corporations which enter the
political arena.
INTERSTATE COMMERCE.
The Republican party has persist
emily refused to comply with the
urgent request of the Interstate
| Commerce Commission, for such an
enlargement of the scope of the inter
State Commerce law as will enable
the Commission to realize the hopes
aroused by it's creation. The Demo
cratic party is pledged to legislation
which will empower the Commission
to protect individuals and communi-
ties from discrimination, and the
public at large from unjust and I'M
fair transportation rates.
THE FINANCIAL PLANK.
The platform r~eiterates the de-
mand contained in the Chicago plat
form for an American financial sys-
tenn made by the American people
for themselves. The purpose Of such
a system is to restore and maintain
a bimetallic level of prices, and in
order that there may be no uncer-
tainty as to the method of restoring
bimetallism, the specific declaration
in favor of free and unlimited coin
age at the existing ratio of 16 to 1,
independent of the action of other
nations, is repeated. In 1896 the Re
publican party recognized the neces-
sity for bimetallism by pledging the
party to an earnest effort to secure
an international agreement for the
free coinage of silver, and the presi-
dent Immediately after his Inaugural
ton, by authority of Congress, APP
pointed a commission composed OF
distinguished citizens to visit Europe
and solicit foreign aid. Secretary
Hay, in a letter written to Lord AL
denham in November, 1898, and
afterwards published in England, de-
clared that at that time the president
and a majority of his cabinet still
believed in the great desirability of
an international agreement for the
restoration of the double standard,
but that it did not seem Opportune
to reopen the negotiations just then.
The financial law enacted less than a
year ago contains ! concluding sec
ton declaring that the measure was
not intended to stand in the way of
the restoration of b~imetallisln when
ever it could be done by COOPERATION
with other nations. The platform
submitted to the last Republican
convention with the Endorsement of
the administration again suggested
the possibility of securing foreign
aid in restoring silver.
Now the Republican party, for
the first time, openly abandOns its
advocacy of the double standard, and
indOrseS the monetary system which
it has 50 often and SO emDhatically
condemned. The Democrats party,
on the contrary, remains the stead
fast advocate Of the gold and silver
coinage of the Constitution, and is
not willing that other nations shall
determine for US the time and man
ner Of restoring silver to its ancient
place as a standard money. The ratio
of 16 to 1 is not only the right ratio
now existing between all the gold
and silver dollars in circulation in
this country, a ratio which even the
Republican administration has not
attempted to change, but it is the
only ratio advocated by those VINO
are seeking to reopen the mints.
Whether the Senate, now hostile to
bimetallism, a be changed during
this campaign or the campaign of
1902 can only be determined after
the votes I counted, but neither
the present nor the future political
complexion of Congress has prevented
or should prevent an announcement
OF the party's position upon this sub
Ject IN unequivOcal terms.
The currency bill, which received
the sanction of the Executive and
the Republican members of the House
and Senate, justifes the warning
given by the Democratic party in
1896. 1t was then predicted that the
Republican party would attempt to
retire the greenbacks although the
party and its leaders studiously con-
cealed their intentions. That DUR
pose is now plain and the neonle