Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-05-21
THE PEOPLES PARTY
Formed in Cincinnati Amid
Wild Enthusiasm.
COMMITTEE NAMED
Political War is Declared Against the
Money Power.


Prohibition Plank Ruled out-The Now
Party Wants Unlimited Silver, No Ma
tional Banks and Eight Hours for Work.
ingmen- Exciting Scenes.
CINCINNATI, May 21.-The National
Union Conference has formally declared
for a third party.
1t is to be the Peoples Party, opposed
to all monopolies and corrupt influence
in public life, against the demon nation
of railroad, iron, coal and other barons,
and in favor of the farmer and laborer.
The report of the committee on plat
form was presented by Ignatius Donnelly
and read by Robert Shilling. 1t opened
with a lengthy statement of the political
and social grievances and evils that
had rendered independent political action
not only desirable but necessary. Then
came the resolutions, which are summa-
rized as follows:
The Ocala, St. Louis and Omaha de-
clarations were endorsed. All national
banks as banks of issue should be abol-
ished and legal tender treasury notes be
issued to any amount required.
Next came the demand for the unlim-
tied coinage of silver, for the restoration
of all lands held by aliens, foreign syn
dictates and railroad corporations, after
certain allowance, for the abolition of
class taxation and all taxation beyond
that needed for an economical admins
tration of government.
1--WE demand a just and equitable sys-
tenn of graduated tax ON income. We
demand the election of President, Vice
President and United States Senators by
q direct vote of the people,"
Then provision was made for the cleo
tion and management of the National
committee. Denunciation of the last
Congress came next, followed by the Ia
Dor plank:
Resolved, That as eight hours consti-
tutes a legal days work for Government
employees in mechanical departments,
we believe this principle should be far
Their extended so as to apply to all corpo-
rations in the different States of the
Union"
Great enthusiasm was manifested when
the resolution manning the new move
ment the Peoples Party of the United
States was read, the victorious element
INDUCING in several rounds of applause
At the conclusion of the reading Shilling
made an energetic argument in favor of
adopting the platform as prepared, and
appealed to the delegates to abstain from
adding any pet theories to the document.
T. H. Davis of Texas, an eX-Confederate
officer and a six-footed, goateed, typical
Southerner, moved the adoption of the
platform and resolutions in their en-
tirety, declaring that it was time that
the farmers of the South and the laboring
men of the north clasped hands across
the chasm and buried the blood shirt for
ever. He was followed by Union
soldier, Gen. John Wadsworth, of Fort
Wayne, Ind, who, toward the close of an
impassioned address, called upon the
Texas ex-Confederate to return to the
platform. Davis complied, bringing
with him Col. r. w. Humphrey, the
leader of the Colored Alliance of the
South, which boasts of a membership of
a million and a quarter.
a Pandemonium of Enthusiasm.
The three men clasped hands, and each
uttered fervent God bless you" The
sight moved the delegates on the floor to
a frenzy. They broke from their seats,
bearing aloft the banner designating the
respective States and crowded upon and
around the stage. The eX-Confederate
seized one of the American flags that
decorated the desk of the presiding officer
and waved it in the air, and Wadsworth
and Humphrey followed his example.
The delegates were short of bunting, so
they tore down the flags from the gal
leries and organ loft and literally
wrapped the three men in their folds,
while cheer after cheer echoed in the
rafters. For 20 minutes or more it was
a pandemonium of enthusiasm. One half
the audience sang the "Star Spangled
Banner" while the other half was rem
dering America" and the men from
Kansas and Texas Rugged and embraced
their colleagues from the West and
Northwest. Order was restored only
when everybody was exhausted.
A motion insert prohibition plank
was voted 4 wn, and the resolutions,
without addition or alteration, were
adopted.
A National committee was then ap-
pointed and the convention adjourned
sine die.