Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1900-05-04
OUR NEXT PLATFORM.

course everybody knows who tne
Presidential nominee will be. Nobody
particularly cares who the Vice Presi
Dental nominee will be, but everybody
does not know what the platform will
be, and yet every Democrat is anxious
to know, and deeply interested IN II.
All OF those gentlemen who left the
Democratic party four years ago ana
flocked to McKinley's aid, and who
now have grown sick and tired OF
their new found messiah, are volun-
teering their wisdom to the Democrats
on the subject of platform, Others
are racking their brains to find a man
to commend to the Democrats instead
of Bryan, and all are telling how dead
the silver issue il. The issue OF slavery
was declared to be dead after several
defeats, but it did not die, so have
many great issues after defeat been
declared to be dead, which manifested
themselves again and again and finally
triumphsd. So it may be with silver.
The advocates of silver are not OF the
stuff to allow it to die because it was
once defeated. Silver has been
money metal since the world began
and to say that the failure to adopt II
at fixed standard on one attempt,
forever kills the issue, and burles That
metal out OF sight, is to talk like fool.
Silver has been the money OF this
government since it was q government,
and would be money today In the
full sense had it not been debased by
the debasing hand of Grover Cleveland.
1t was he who put the stamp OF lnfa-
my on it at the same time he put the
stamp of infamy on himself. He it
was who first in the history OF this
nation drew the following distinction
between the different coins OF this
nation and declared one to be better
than another. All remember how and
when this distinction arose. 1t was
as follows: There were certain notes
Of the government in circulation
which could be redeemed in COIN,
mark the word COIN. These had TALL
en- by accident. or by set purpose, into
the hands of the banks, and these
banks either by tip from the govern
ment officials, or the President, pre-
sented them at the Treasury for ne
demption. There was no reason to
redeem them, they were better secur-
ed than national bank note and just
as convenient as circulating medI-
um. The obligation of the govern
ment to one of these notes was no
higher than its obligation to pay one
of its sculllon employees FOR his days
work. Had the scullion gene with bis
bill to Treasury he would have been
paid in any money in the vault. But
when the banker came along with bis
bill for payment what did Mr.. Cleve'
land do? He said to the Treasurer,
you must pay this gentleman those
obligations IN GOLD. Why pay these
obligations in gold any more than any
other obligation not calling for gold
A silver dollar would then have bought
as much bread and meat as any other
dollar both silver dollars and gold
dollars were piled in the vault to pay
government obligations. Who ever
heard before of their being any differ.
ence between them? It was the duty
of the president to have kept them OF
par, 1t was the duty of the president
to know no distinction between one
coin or another of the country. Con.
gress, the law making power, had de
clared them equal. Congress had
made them on par with each other
and the entire strength OF the govern
ment was behind the silver dollar al
much as the gold dollar to protect and
make 1t good. But Grover Cleveland
said no, one is to pay the bond holder
the other to pay the scullion. One ii
a dollar the other is not, and thus die
he for the first time debase the silver
dollar and elevate the gold dollar, ther
for the first time did he say that s
coin OF the realm was not money, an(
refuse to use it in the payment of the
obligations of the country. A Crime
for which any president should have
been impeached, crime the like O.
which was never heard of before il
annals of history, and which coult
have been conceived of by no other in
dividual. The crime of '73, beside
this crime, was as petit laceny to muir
der. Think of it, millions OF None,
in the Treasury and president prac
tically throwing it into the sea. Thi
outrage the Democratic party has Sc
about to correct, it will correct it o.
die in the attempt, and no matte
what may be declared to be the othe
cardinal principless of its faith thi
one will not be abandoned.
The tariff of course should be reduc
ed. 1t is higher than ever before, it ii
prohibitive, and will cause panics ant
distress sooner or later, and stagnatior
In business. Already there are many
factories closing down. Our output
cannot be consumed by US, and al
though we have had phenomenal ex'
port trade, we must have reciprocity
or business will become depressed. II
we expect. any country to take much
of orr wares we must take some Of
theirs, otherwise intercourse ceases.
Imperialism is a new issue, and
whether we will have any very definite
or ineligible declaration on that sub
saet remains to be seen. There certain