Show kew democracy the change in the chicago platform was so radical on both the currency and katiff planks as to amount almost to the creation of a new party the leaving out of the word only from the good old democratic form of tariff for revenue only was a virtual renunciation of the free trade doctrine indeed BO radical was the change that democrats can now 50 senator hawlins proved vote for pure protect tion on the plea of it being a tariff for revenue of course all protection is primarily for the raising of revenue and were the revenue not to be raised it is doubtful whether we could have protection in the past there has been no difference on the question of raising revenue by tariff taxation but republicans have contended that the duties should be BO laid as to afford protection while democrats have said 4 should simply be placed for revenue only without regard to protection killing as printers would say that little word only has indeed made a great difference in the democratic doctrine the change was premeditated so it now appears and that feature is creating considerable comment senator vilas who was among the strong minority turned down at the chicago convention has been trying to account for that remarkable freak in american politics says the st louis globa democrat his theory is that was a prearranged plan made by lead ine populists lists silver democrats and silver republicans the advance agreement including both platform and candidates and the manipulation later on of the populist convention ven tion even the applause senator vilas says was in greater part manufactured the entire democratic creed was sacrificed at chicago for the purpose of making a combination with the populists lists and silver republicans the full story of the conspiracy has not been divulged but those who witnessed the chicago convention will certainty with which it moved in the populist direction and the utter defeat and helplessness of alio conservative democrats numbering more than who vainly supposed that they could arouse some feeling inbe halt principles of the party we do notre gara ane change in the light of a conspiracy as does senator vilas we think the renunciation of free trade by democracy is just as certain as their renunciation of the one onetime one time bidol slavery free trade is a wrong economic principle and president Clev elands last administration clearly proved that fact then what more natural than that the chicago convention should take a bold step toward leading the party out of the free trade heresy into the broader field of action of tariff for revenue 1 0 c the democratic stand for independent free coinage is also wrong and timo will tend to prove it the world with modern facilities of commerce is one large family of states and the exchange between them is so close that a common money must be had or trade is much dwarfed in order to aid communication between nations a country must have a currency common to all the country that adopts a system of finance antagonistic to the ruling currency only cats itself off from the advantages of our advanced civilization and goes back to the extent that it isolates itself with a bad money china and mexico form good illustrations this country would also deteriorate by adopting a standard of money not universally recognized by this argument we do not desire to be understood as favoring gold in which coin the nations now do mainly trade we favor gold and silver at a ratio of 16 to 1 or international bimetallism and the republican pany will yet succeed ill restoring that condition the world cannot well get floo much money and the universal recognition of goldana gol dand silver as in the past |