The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-07-11
THREE DECLARATIONS.

In figuring up the strength of silver
at the Democratic national convention
our ming contemporary seems to
lose s;rht of the strength of gold at
the Republican national convention.
Both platforms were adopted with
out a dissenting vote. The Republican
platform declares unequivocally for the
single gold standard. The Democratic
platform is just as emphatic for bimet-
allism. The Republican convention an
nounced its unwavering hostility to the
free coinage Of silver. while the Dem
ocratie convention pledged its organ
ization and it's candidates II do every
thing in their power to bring about
the reconciliation of silver.
In the committee room at Kansas
City there was some opposition to max
ing three declarations for the white
metal. 1t was argued that Bryan's
nomination was equivalent to one dec
laration. for the whole world knows
where he stands upOn this question.
Yet those who made this argument
were willing to reaffirm the Chicago
platform. which declared:
Recognizing that the money ques-
ton is paramount to all others at This
time, we invite attention to the fact
that the federal constitution named
silver and gold together as the money
metals of the United States and that
the first coinage law passed by cor
Eress under the constitution made the
silver dollar the monetary unit and
admitted gold to free coinage at
ratio based upon the silver dollar unit.
We declare that the. act of 1873 de-
monetizing silver without the knowl-
edge or approval of the American peo-
pie has resulted in the appreciation of
gold and a corresponding fall IN the
price of commodities produced by the
people; a heavy increase in the burden
and Of debts public and private,
and the enrichment of the money
lending class at home and abroad.
Gold monometallism is
a British policy, and its adoption
has brought other nations into financial
servitude to London. II is not only
un-AmeriCan. but anti-AmeriCan. and
it can be fastened on the United States
only by the sitting of that spirit and
love of liberty which proclaimed our
political independence in 1776 and won
it in the war Of the revolution. We
demand the free and unlimited coinage
Of both gold and silver at the present
legal ratio Of 16 to 1 without waiting
for the aid or consent of any other ma
ton. We demand that the standard
silver dollar shall be a full legal tender.
equally with gold, for all debts. public
and private. and We favor such legis-
lation as viii prevent for the future
the characterization of any kind of legal
tender money by private contract. We
are opposed to the policy and practice
of surrendering to the holders of the
obligations of the United States the
option reserved by law 10 the govern
ment Of redeeming such obligations in
either silver coin or gold COIN
When Bryan's nomination was con-
coded and a reaffirmation Of the fore
going declaration was assented 70,
there were many radical silver men
on the platform committee who felt
that a third declaration for indepen-
dent bimetaHism would not only be
surplusage. but would seem like rub
bing in the silver question on all who
were not enthusiastic but merely pas
sive bimetallists.
But the third declaration for the
white metal went into the platform.
and here it is.
We reaffirm and endorse the principles
of the national Democratic platform
adopted at Chicago in 1856. and We re-