Freedom Of Contract

The second revolutionary principie of the Chicago Democratie platform is contained iu its fiual clause, where legislation is favored that will prevent the demonetization of any kind of legal tender money by private contract. ïhia clause is aimed against private contracta Nvhose terms reqnire payment to be made iu gold. However inaptly the clause expresses this aim, or how it would be possible for two individuáis in making a contract betvveen themselves, in which the public has no concern, to demouetize a kind of money which the law makes a legal tender are questions I will not stop to consider. Itis enough ] to know that the Chicago Democracy favors a law which will prevent one man from agreeing to pay another in gold or prevent the payee from enforciug payment in gold. Farmers, it seems, are to bo allowed, when they loan seed wheat to a neighbor, to receive back as good wheat as they gave. Livery men who hire horses and buggies, neighbors who loan implements and tools to another, are not forbidden to Btipulate that the same articles shall be returned to them, or that what is returned to them shall be in as good condition as what they loaned, but the man who loans gold either for friendship or hire shall not be perruitted to stipulato tbat gold shall be returned to him. The trail of the silver producer is over it all. The creed of the silver Deniocracy or of the j gilver mine owner 6eeins to be as follows: First. - The governinent shall coin into dollars all the silver bullion that may be brought to the raints, and those dollars shall be given back to the bullion owner. Second. - The government shall do this work for nothing. Third. - The government shall f orce j all creditors to take ibese dollars at 100 cents each in payment of their claims, no matter what the dollars are aotually worth. Fourth. - Nobody shall be permitted to make a private contract for the payment of money which may not be fulfilled by the payment of silver. - J. T. Brooks.