The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1900-10-04
ELECTION OF 1900.
Democratic Platform Adopted at
Kansas City, July 4, 1900.
The Party (Domocratic) Stands
Where 1t Did in 1896 on the
Money Question.-William j. Bryan
at GAINESVILLE, Ohio, Sept. 4, 1900.

Nominated:
For President-WILLrAM J.. BRYAN
Of Nebraska.
ice-President-ADLAI E. STEVEN
SON Of Illinois.
PLATFORM.
We, the Democrats Of the United
States, in national convention assembled,
do reaf1rm our allegiance to those great
essential principles Of justice and liberty
upon which our institutions are founded,
and which the Democratic party has ad-
vocated from Jefferson's time to our own
freedom Of speech, freedom Of the
press, freedom of conscience, the preser-
walton of personal rights, the equality Of
all citizens before the law, and the fait-
full observance of constitutional limita-
tons.
State Rights.
During all these years the Democratic
party has resisted the tendency of selfish
interests to the Capitalization of govern
mental power, and steadfastly maintain
ed the integrity of the dual scheme Of
government established by the founders
Of this republic or republics. Under its
guidance and teachings the great princi-
pie of local self-government has found
its best eNpTession in the maintenance
of the rights of the States and in it's as
sertion of the necessity of combining the
general government to the exercise of the
powers granted by the Constitution of
the United States.
The Money Question.
Recognizing that the money system is
paramount to all others Mt this time, we
invite attention to the fact that the
Federal Constitution names silver and
gold together as the money metals of the
United States, and that the first coinage
law passed by Congress under the Con-
stitution made the silver dollar the mon
etary unit, and admitted gold to free
coinage at q ratio based upon the silver
dollar unit.
We declare that the act Of 1873 demon
citing silver without the knowledge or
approval Of the American people has re-
suited in the appreciation of gold and a
corresponding fall in the prices of com
modities produced by the people; q heavy
increase in the burden of taxation and of
all debts, public and private; the enrich
ment of the money lending classes at
home and abroad; prostration of indus
try and impoverishment Of the people.
We are unalterably opposed to gold
monometallism, which has locked fast
the prosperity of an industrial people in
the paralysis of hard times. Gold mono
metallism is u British policy, and its
adoption has brought other nations into
financial servitude to London. 1t 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
Independence in 177G and won it in the
war of the Revolution.
Free Silver.
We demand the free and unlimited
coinage of both gold and silver at the
present legal ratio Of 1G to /. without
waiting for the aid or consent of any
other nation. 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
legislation as will prevent. for the future
the characterization of any kind Of legal.
tender money by private contract.
We are opposed to the policy and prac-
tice Of surrendering to the holders of
the obligations of the United States the
option reserved by law to the government.
Of redecming such obligations in either
silver coin or gold coin. ID,
Bond Issues.
We are opposed to the issuing of inter
est-bearing bonds Of the United States
in time Of peace, and condemn the traf-
licking with banking syndicates which,
in exchange for bonds and at an enor-
nous profit to themselves, supply the
Federal treasury with gold to maintain
the policy of gold monometallism.
Congress alone has the power to coin
and issue money, and President Jackson
declared that this power could not be del
egated to corporations or individuals. We
therefore demand that the power to issue
notes to circulate as money be taken from
the national banks. and that all paper
money shall be issued directly by the
Treasury Department., be r~edeemable in
coin, and receivable for all debts, public
and private.
Tariff for Revenue. q
We hold that the tariff duties should be
levied for purposes Of event such du-
ties to be so adjusted as to operate equal
ly throughout the country and not dis
criminate between class or section, and
that taxation should be limited by the
needs Of the government honestly and
economically administered We de-
nounce as disturbing to business, the Re
publican threat to restore the Mckinley
law, which has been twice condemned by
the people in national elections, and
which, enacted under the false plea of
protection to home industry. proved a
prolific breeder of trusts and monopolies,
enriched the few at the expense of many,
restricted trade and deprived the pro-
ducers Of the great American staples of
access to their natural markets. Until
the money question is settled we are op.
posed to any agitation for further
changes in our tariff laws, except such
as are necessary to make the deficit in
revenue caused by the adverse decision
Of the Supreme Court on the income tax.
The Income Tax.
There would be no deficit in the reve-
nue. but for the annulment by the Su-
preme Court Of a law passed by u Dem
ocratic Congress in strict pursuance of
the uniform decisions of that court for
nearly one hundred years, that court hay
ing sustained constitutional objections to
its enactment which had been overruied
by the ablest judges who have ever sat
on that bench. We declare that it is the