The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-09-18
which will be brought upon them by those
corporations which enter the political
INTERSTATE COMMERCE.

The Republican party has persistently
refused to comply with the urgent request
of the interstate commerce commission
for such an enlargement of the scope of
the interstate commerce law as will en-
able the commission to realize the hopes
aroused by its creation. The Democratic
party is pledged to legislation which will
empower the commission to protect in
dividuals and communities from discrim-
ination, and the public at large from un-
Just and unfair transportation rates.
THE FINANCIAL PLANK.
The platform reiterates the demand
contained IN the Chicago platform for an
American financial system made by the
American people for themselves. The
purpose of such system is to restore
and maintain a bimetallic level of prices.
and in order that there may be no un-
certainty as to the method of restoring
bimetallism, the specific declaration In
favor of free and unlimited coinage at
the existing ratio of 16 to l. independent
of the action of other nations, is repeat
ed In 1896 the Republican party recog-
nized the necessity for bimetailism by
pledging the party to an earnest effort
to secure an international agreement for
the free coinage of silver, and the pres
ident, Immediately after his Inaugural
ton, by authority of congress, appointed
d CO1utulSSIOn composed. distinguished
citizens to visit Europe and solicit for
eign aid Secretary Hay, in letter writ
ten to Lord Aldenham in November 1868,
and afterwards published in England, de-
clared that at that time the president and
majority of his cabinet all believed in
the great desirability of an International
agreement for the restoration of the
double standard, but that 1t did not seem
opportune to reopen the negotiations flst
Thp firlaY ooI-I low
a year ago contains a concluding section
declaring that the measure was not in
tended to stand in the way of the resTora-
ton of bimetallism, whenever it could Hs.
done by cooperation with other nations.
The platform submitted to the last Re
pub lean convention with the Endorsement
of the administration again suggested the
possibility of securing foreign aid in re-
Sto- ing silver.
Now the Republican party, for the
first time, openly abandons its al
vocacy of the double standard and in
dorses the monetary system which it
has so often and so emphatically con-
demned The Democratic party, on the
contrary, remains the steadfast advo-
cate of the gold and silver coinage of
the constitution, and is not willing
that other nations shall determine for
US the time and manner of restoring
silver to its ancient place as stand
ard money The ratio of 16 to l is
! not only the ratio now existing between
all the gold and silver dollars in
circulation in this country, ratio
which even the Republican administra-
ton has not attempted to change. but
it is the only ratio advocated py those
who ARE seeking to reopen the mints.
Whether the senate, now hostile to BIZ
metallism, can be changed during this
campaign or the campaign of 1902 can
only be determined after the votes are
counted, but neither the present nor the
future political complexion of congress
has prevented or should prevent All an
nouncement of the partys position upon
this subject in unequivocal terms
The currency bill, which received the
sanction of the executive and the Repub-
lican members of the house and senate,
justifies the warning given by the Dem
ocratic party in 1886. 1t was then pre-
dicted that the Republican party would
attempt to retire the greenbacks, al
though the party and its leaders stu