Conservative.
THK COSPKI. OK TIIH I'AKTIKS.
What ( lie Political Platforms Tor Twenty
VIMITN Hiivo Siltd nil iMoncy.
Political platforms may well bo called
gospels of the parties. They are ( ho
expressions of political faith. A com
parison of ( he state platforms of the four
parties in Nebraska on money at this
time is both interesting and curious.
If the platform expressions of the
domocratic-populist-silver republican al
liance mean anything , the defeat of the
tri-party two years ago has not destroyed
their fetish worship of free silver.
This distinctly appears in the money
platform of the democratic party adopted
at the state convention at Lincoln ,
August 2 , 18)8. ! ) It says :
"We reaffirm our adherence to the
platform of 180(5 ( , adopted by the denio-
cratic party in national convention.
And that the paramount issue of the
campaign of 1900 ought and will be the
restoration of our monetary system to
its position prior to 18751 , the free and
unlimited coinage of the two metals at
the ratio of 1(5 ( to 1. "
The silver republicans on the same
day in their convention declared :
"We take no backward step on the
money question. We are in 1'avor of
tree and unlimited coinnco of both cold
and silver at the present ratio of 1(5 ( to 1
without waiting lor the consent of any
other nation on earth. "
And the people's independent party
said :
"We specifically reiterate our loyalty
to the free coinage of silver and gold at
the ratio of 10 to 1. "
Opposed to these platforms , the repub
licans of Nebraska , adopted Axigust 10 ,
1898 , the following plank :
"We reaffirm unswerving allegiance
to the principles enunciated in the re
publican national platform of 180(5. ( Wo
are in favor of the maintenance of the
present gold standard and unalterably
apposed to the free and unlimited coin
age of silver. "
All four parties stand by their respec
tive national platforms on money of two
years ago.
But the silver republicans have gone
a step farther. Their platform heaps
reproaches upon the republican party.
It is the republican party and not they
who have departed from the old repub
lican principles and the teachings of its
honored leaders :
"Maintaining and supporting republi
can principles upon the question of gold
and silver as money as advocated by the
old republican party until its repiidiation
of those principles at St. Louis in 1896 ,
wo renew our loyalty to the principles
thus repudiated at the behest of the
money power and declare as formerly
declared by the old republican party and
its honored leaders and accepted as good
republican doctrine as well as a doctrine
as old as the national constitution itsoU
that wo are in favor of the use of both
gold and silver as money and wo con
demn the policy of the gold standard re
publican administration in its efforts to
demonetize silver. Silver until a few
years ago was money the wide world
over. Silver was one of the standare
coins of the United States from the
n'rth of independence until domoneti/a-
ion crept into the statute of congress
either by fraud or mistake. "
This arraignment of the republican
party if true would bo severe. But it is
not true. And nowhere can the truth
jo read more clearly than in the money
planks of national party platforms from
1872 to 18 0.
Seven times preceding presidential
elections in the past twenty-six years
bhe republican , and five times the demo
cratic party , have spoken in national
convention upon the money question.
The close of the war of the rebellion
found business and industry demoral
ized , the country exhausted and bur
dened with a colossal war debt. The
national treasury was empty and the
monetary system deranged and discred
ited by a vast issue of fluctuating and
irredeemable greenbacks. The first five
years after 18(55 ( were taken up with re
pairing the waste of war and with a
gradual return to the ordinary pursuits
of peace.
HKPUDIATION OK DEISTS.
Repudiation of debts was urged as the
only remedy for the depression. The
unrest and distress of the times crystal-
ized in a movement called the labor re
form party i which urged as its cardinal
doctrine , "that it is the duty of the gov
ernment to provide a purely national
circulating medium based on the faith
and the resources of the nation which
money shall be legal-tender in the pay
ment of all debts public and private. "
In answer to this demand and to allay
the distrust which repudiation implied ,
the republican party in 1872 "denounced
repudiation of the public debt in any
form or disguise as a national crime and
confidently expected that the national
currency will be perfected by a speedy
resximption to specie payments. "
The democratic platform of 1872 on
the money question was silent.
As a further pledge of its honesty of
purpose , congress in 1875 , then in the con
trol of the republican party , passed the
bill known as the resumption act , pro
viding for the return to specie payments
January 1 , 1870 , four years after the
passage of the bill. From that time the
resumption act became the rallying
standard for the republican party , and a
target for the assault of the opposition.
The presidential year J 87(5 ( divided the
American people into three great parties
on the money question , the republican ,
the democratic and the greenback ; and
in the platform adopted by each , occurs
the first definite expression of the parties
on money since the close of the war.
The second term of President Grant was
drawing to a close. The republican
party naming Rutherford B. Hayes for
standard bearer and rendering an ac
count to the nation of its stewardship
for eight years said :
"In the first act of congress signed by
President Grant , the national govern
ment assumed to remove any doubts of
its purpose to discharge all just obliga
tions to the public creditors , and solemn I/ ; /
l > led/fd itsj'aitli In iimke i > rovisoii ! nl the
curliest i > i'teticihk' jicriutl for the redemp
tion of the I'nited titatcx nott'x hi coin.
Commercial prosperity , public morals
and national credit demand that this
promise bo fulfilled by a continuous and
steady progress to specie payment. "
This was the endorsement of the re
publican platform of the redemption act
and the issue iipon which the party wont
before the country.
THE DEMOCRATIC CONVBNTJON OK 187(5. (
The democratic party meeting in con
vention a few weeks later adopted as its
money platform under the leadership of
Samuel , T. Tildon , the following appeal :
"Reform is necessary to establish a
sound currency , restore the public
credit , and maintain the national honor.
"Wo dcnoxince the failure , for all
these eleven years of peace , to make
good the promise of the legal-tender
notes , which arc a changing standard of
value in the hands of the people , and
the non-payment of which is a disregard
of the plighted faith of the nation.
"Wo denounce the improvidence
which , in eleven years of peace , has
taken from the people in federal taxes
thirteen times their sum in useless ex
penses without accumulation of any re
serve for their redemption.
' 'We denounce the financial imbecility
and immorality of that party , which
during eleven years of peace , has made
no advance toward resumption by
wasting our resources and exhausting all
our surplus income ; and , while annually
professing to intend a speedy return to
specie payments has annually enacted
fresh hindrances thereto. As such a
hindrance we denounce the resumption
clause of the act of 1875 and we hereby
demand its repeal.
"We demand a judicious system of
preparation by public economies , by offi
cial retrenchments , and by wise finance ,
which shall enable the nation soon to as
sure the \yhole world of its perfect
ability and its perfect readiness to meet
any of its IH-OHII'MX < tt the mil of the cred
itor entitled to { tcii/menl. /
"We believe tliat such a system well
devised , and above all intrusted to com
petent hands for execution , creating at
no time an artificial scarcity of cur
rency , and at no time alarming the
public mind into a withdrawal of that
vaster machinery of credit by which flo
per cent of all business transactions
are performer ! a system , open , public ,
and inspiring general confidence , would
from the day of its adoption bring heal
ing on its wings to all our harassed in
dustries , sot in motion the wheels of
commerce , manufacture and the me
chanic arts , restore employment to labor
and renew in all its natural sources the
prosperity of the people. "
THE GREENBACK CONVENTION OF 187(5. (
A survey of the political belief of the
American people in 1876 would not bo
complete without a recognition of those
who advocated the indefinite retention
of the irredeemable paper money , and
now as the greenback party led by the
venerable Peter Cooper demanded :
"The immediate and unconditional
repeal of the specie resumption act of
January 1 , 1875 , and the rescue of our
industries from ruin and disaster result
ing from its enforcement ; and we call
upon all patriotic men to organize in
every congressional district of the coun
try with a view of electing representa
tives to congress who will cany out the
w
