The Hartford herald., 1880-06-30
The Greeubaek PIatforns.
The Greenback party at Chicago
adopted the following


The Greenback party at Chicago
adopted the following
PLATFORM:
First-That the right to make and is
sue money is sovereign power to be
maintained by the people for the COM
mon benefit. The delegation of this
right to corporations is u surrender of
the central attribute of sovereignty,
void of constitutional sanction, eonferr
ing upon "A subordinate, irresponsible
power absolute dominion over industry
and commerce. All money, whether
metallic or paper, should be issued and
volume controlled by the government
and not by or through banking cOrpo-
ratiOns, and when 50 issued should be
full legal tender for all debts, public and
private.
Second-That the bonds of the United
States should not he refunded, but paid
as rapidly as practicable, according to
contract. To enable the government to
meet these obligations, legal tender eur
rency should he substituted for notes
of national banks, the national system
adopted, and the unlimited coinage of
silver ~ well ~ gold established by law.
ThirI-That labor should be 81 pro-
tected by National and State authority
a. to euualize its burdens and insure IA
Just distribution of its results. The
eight hour law of Congress should be
enforced; the sanitary condition Of in
dlIstrial establishments placed under
rigid control; convict labor abolished;
a bureau Of labor statistics established;
/ factories and workshops inspected; the
employment of children under fourteen
years of age forbidden, and wages paid
in cash.
Fourth Slavery being simply cheap
labor and cheap labor being simply
slavery, importation and the presence
of Chinese serfs necessarily tend To bru-
talize and degrade American labor;
therefore, immediate steps should he
taken tO abrogate the Burlingame
treaty.
Fifth Railroad land grants, forfeited
by reason of nonfulfillment, should he
Immediately reclaimed by the Govern
ment, and henceiorth public domain re-
served exclusively a. homes for actual
settlers.
Sixth-All lines of communication
and transportation should be brought
under such Legislative control as should
secure moderate, fair and uniform rates
for passenger and freight traffic. Ii is
the duty of Congress To regulate inter-
State commerce.
Seventh-We denOunee as destructive
to prosperity and dangerous to liberty
the actions of old parties i'm fostering
and sustaining gigantic land, railroad
and money corporations, and monopo-
lies invested with and exercising powers
belonging to the Government, and yet
not responsible to il for the manner of
their exercise.
Eighth-That the Constitution i'm
giving Congress power to borrow money
to declare war, to raise and support ar
mics, to provide and maintain navy,
never intended that the men who
loaned their money for an interest con-
sideration should be preferred to sol
diers and sailors who periled their lives
and shed their blood on land and sea i'm
defense of their country; and We con-
denim the cruel class legislation of the
Republican party, which, while profess
ing great gratitude to the soldier, has
most unjustly Disseminated against
him and in favor of the bOndhOlder.
Ninth-All property should bear its
Just proportion of taxation, and We de-
mand graduated income tax
Tenth-We denounce rs most danger
Ouc tue citOhtc every "ACiC htaAiitot W
restrict the right of suffrage.
Eleventh-We are opposed to an in
crease of the standing army in time Of
peace, and the insidious schemes to e.
tablish enormous military power under
the guise of military laws.
Twelfth-We demand absolute DEM
Ocratie rules for the government of Con-
gress, placing all the representatives OF
the people upon an equal footing, and
taking away from the committees a
veto power greater than that of the
President.
Thirteenth demand a govern
ment of the people, by the people, and
, for the people, instead of u government
of bondholders and for bondhOlders; and
we denounce every attempt to stir up
sectional strife as an effort To conceal
monstrous crimes against the people.
Fourteenth-In the furtheranee of
these ends we ask the eo-Operation and
aid of fair minded people. We have no
quarrels with individuals, wage no war
upon classes, but only against vicious
institutions. We are not content to en-
dure further discipline from our present
actual rulers, who, having dominion