Gilpin observer., 1920-06-24
SHOULD COVER GOLD
SITUATION IN PLATFORM
Democrats of Gilpin County APP
peal to Delegates to National
Convention For Plank Pledging
Legislation to Stimulate Gold
Mining.

Gilpin county delegates to the
recent Democratic state conven-
tion have drafted the following
letter to the Colorado delegation
to the Democratic national con-
vention, emphasizing the advisa-
bility of the platform containing
plank covering the gold situa-
tion:
at was the pleasure of the un-
dersigned to be delegates to the
Democratic state convention held
in Denver on the. 18th ult. We
represent the county of Gilpin,
where gold lode mining was first
carried on in the west. 1t was al
so our pleasure to bring to the at
tention of the Resolution commit
tee of that honorable convention,
that our convention should go on
record in a whole-hearted way.
favoring Legislation then and now
pending for an excise tax on man
ufactured gold, the revenue there
from to be used as a bonus on
newly produced gold in the Unit
ed States and it's possessions.
"While the McFadden bill.
known as H. R. 13201' was not
specifically referred to, which
provides for this very necessary
national legislation, the resolu-
tion committee embodied the es-
sence of our recommendations in
its report, and we shall always be
grateful for the splendid cooper
alton of Hon. John T. Barnett in
the deliberations of that general
committee and subcommittee. 1t
is matter of record and should
be of regret to the Republicans
that they overlooked this import
ant material for campaign pur-
poses and propaganda in the
forthcoming election in our state,
by neglecting any reference to it
in their recent state convention
held at Pueblo.
at is evident, however, that
their party leaders have given the
matter recent close attention, be-
cause of the fact that their dele
gates to their national convention
(contention) at Chicago, discuss
ed this subject freely enroute
Denver to Chicago, with view of
having the same embodied in their
national platform. 1t developed,
however, that personal interests
were the keynote of the late Re-
publican national convention, and
Colorado's opportunity and the
peoples rights in general were
victimized by a political demur-
rer.
Now, would it not be we'll, (and
this is all said and done in a
friendly spirit that is purely and
peculiarly democratic) to have
our Colorado delegations to the
Democratic national convention,
soon to assemble at San Francis
CO, use its best efforts and COM
bine with eastern influence to
have written into our party's
platform a plank, TO provide for
the protection of the monetary
gold reserve by the maintenance
of the normal gold production of
the United States to satisfy the re-
requirements of the arts and
trade, by imposing an excise upon
all gold used for other than none
tary purposes, and the payment of
a premium to the producers of
newly mined gold?
eve have here quoted from the
preamble of the McFadden bill,
which provides for an excise of
$1,000 an ounce on gold used for
other than monetary purposes
and the accrued revenue to be
used as bonus of $1,000 an ounce
for new gold produced in the I'm
tied States and it's possessions for
term of five years.
"This question is as broad as
the United States and should be
contended for on the following
grounds: That its two most ac-
tive advocates represent the lead.
ers of what is conservative and
progressive in financial and in.
dustrial activities, namely, the
American Bankers association,
and the American Mining Con-
gress; that our vanishing gold re-
serve must have reas )nably