Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1900-08-02

Bryan was pre-eminently right in insist
ing that the silver plank of the Chicago
platform should be specifically re-aairmed
at Kansas City.
While number of causes have operated
TO increase the amount of money in circu-
Iation and thus render the gold standard
more t0lerable, bimetalism is the time
honored policy of this country and is not
to be cast aside because the Republican
party has abandoned it.
Four years ago the gold standard advo-
Gates argued that if the value of the dollar
were reduced the wage esrners and those
who had money invested in building and
loan associations, etc, would be robbed,
because their money would have less pur-
chasing power.
This they called dishonesty and repudia-
ton, and strenu0usly declared that the
American people were entitled to the best,
or most valuable money in the world.
Bimetalists insisted that money is govern
ed by the same law that governs the price
of other commodities, and its value or pur-
chasing power depends upon the amount in
circulation in relation to the supply of
commodities for which it is exchanged.
They pointed out that scarce and val
liable currency means cheap commodities,
and that it is impossible to have higher
range of prices and better times without
cheapening the dollar.
Since that time the money supply has
been swelled by the increased production
of gold-the coinage Of seignorage into
fifty cent dollars and the increased national
bank circulation. As q natural consequence
the value of the dollar has fallen while the
price of commodities has risen and times
are better. True, the trusts and corpOr-
atoms have gobbled up The most of the
benefit, but the people generally have been
able to pick up some of the crumbs that
fell from the rich mans table.
This has not been because OF the Law
making gold the standard of value, but in
spite of il; for the gold standard is not in
tended to cheaper the dollars by increasing
the number of them in circulation, but to
make them valuable through their scar
city.
Whatever may be said by that class OF
alleged Democratic newspapers and pollti-
clans who place expectancy above principle,
TIE rank ana tiie OF the party know that
the single gold standard is designed in the
interests of the money power, and they be.
iieve that bimetalism is right just as much
as they did four years ago.
Notwithstanding this however, it is now
evident that still more important ques-
ton will force the financial issue into the
background during the coming campaign.
The American Republic can probably
survive under the gold standard while the
present uneQuaIled output of the yellow
metal continues; but it cannot survive four
years more of Mckinley imperialism.
Indeed it is doubtful if We have not
already gone toe far in that direction to
ever get back to the constitutional repub-
Tic OF cur fathers.
The growth of the imperial idea has
been so insidions, and events have followed
each other with such bewildering rspidity
that the American people do not seem to
realize how they have been drawn into the
maelstrom that has engulfed nearly every
republic of the past.
Nothing but a speedy and thorough
awakening to that burning issue will ever
save us.
One hundred years ago the people we're
so aroused because the spirit of the Consti.
tuition was violated by the passage of the
Alien and Sedition laws, that John Adams
was defeated and the Federalist party
crushed out of existence.
Within the last two years William Nc.
Kinley and the Republican majority in
Congress have violated and disregarded the
Constitution, both in spirit and in letter, tC
an extent that causes the Federalist in
fractions to pale into insignifcance
The Constitution expressly vests the
power of declaring war in the hands OF
Congress, bat the President has for two
years carried on war in the Philippines
that was not authorized by Congress, and
be has now joined with the European
powers in war against the Chinese that
Congress has meyer authorized.
The Constitution provides that all duties
imposts and excuses shall be uniform
throughout the United States but McKin-
ley and his Congress have levied a duty Of
fifteen per cent. against Porto Rico. What
is more dangerous still the Administration
announces the strange doctrine that the
Constitution does not extend to the newly
acquired territories, whose officers are
sworn to support the Constitution, and that
the Congress which exists by and through
virtue OF the Constitution and derives It's
powers from that instrument, is not sub
ject to Constitutional limitations in the
new territories.
Not only are such despotic powers not
granted TO the general government by the
Constitution, but they are expressly pro-
hibited, in the following language THE
powers not delegated to the United States
by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to
the States, are reserved to the States
respectively, Or to the people"
If the Constitution only holds in the
states which have adopted il, and does not
extend TO the teiritories-of which the
District OF Columbia is one-it follows that
our general government is located outside
the pale of the Constitution and Is, there
fore, not subject to its provisions while in
the national capital.
This is the natural and inevitable out
come of the new Mckinley doctrine, and
we need not be surprised to hear it openly
ay0wed in the near future
1t has repeatedly been asserted by Bryan's
opponents that in the event of his election
the Republican majority in the Senate
would prevent the passage of free silver
bill during his administration.
Unfortunately this is the case-therefore
no opponent of bimetalism need fear to
fVtc iol LIZ On tA6 kfOubu LHaF tue gold
standard would thereby be imperiled. On
the other hand, every man who votes tor
Mckinley and Roosevelt this Fall is de-
liberately and with open eyes supporting
high taxation, trusts, imperialism and VIC.
iatIon Of the Constitution.
The Democratic who contributed BY their
votes TO McKinley's election four years ago
are responsible FOR the Dingley tariff and
the resulting growth and increase of trusts
for they knew well enough what Republi.
canism stood for at that time. But they
cannot justly be held accountable for i'm.
| perialism and the setting aside of the Con.
stitution, because these are later develop
ment of MeKinleyism.
No Democrat. however, who votes fol
| Mckinley in 1900 will have any excuse.
| lie knows what Mckinley ism implies
now IL he did not know four years ago. and
| be knows that the election OF the RepubIi.
can ticket will be hailed and accepted al
an endorsement Of high tariff. laras
standing army Ro0seyels's policy Of mill
/ lafy ag9fesniveness throughout both hemi.
spheres, active participation in European
polities Mark Hams ship subsidy steal