The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-05-25
PEOPLES PARTY.
Single Tax Men Discuss It's Plans
and Platform.
A Congress of Agricultural Patriots-The In
consistencies Of the Cincinnati Conven-
TONS Product.

Professor Ii. a. Tatum led the attack on
the existing financial and Industrial systems
of the country at last nights meeting of the
Single Tax Society. He speedily betrayed
himself TO his hearers as green hacker all
through. He held that the Issuing Of green
backs saved the country from ruin during
the war, and that the national banks have
been running it ever since. He believed
with the trainers of the platform adopted
by the Peoples party at Cincinnati-that
Congress should issue all the money. IL
was absurd TO argue, as bankers do, that a
Government that authorizes national banks
to issue money should not issue money it.
self lie said that the new Congress, the
Congress which the Farmers Alliance is 60
ing to elect. will be a Congress of patriots.
He believed that the new party would be
veto rious because itwould have the support
of all the farmers and WOrkingmen In the
country.
SLAVES OF THE MONEY POWERS.
affairs in the United States" the
speaker said, 'are worse now than they
ever have been before. A few years ago
the blacks were in slavery, but now both
whites and blacks are in slavery to the
money power The chains that were
thrown off by the men of rs are being
riveted again, for there are men In England
to-day who own vast tracts OF land In this
country and can say TO their free-bOrn
American tenant, vote as we would have
you vote or 60 elsewhere and find other
land or starve. These things compel people
to think, and seeing that they gain nothing
from the old political parties, that their cry
for bread is answered with stone, they
turn to this new party which they have
formed and believe that it will give them
the reforms they demand"
PEOPLES PARTY PLATFORM
James A. Reynolds read ana commented
on the platform of the newborn Peoples
party. He ridiculed the demand of the
party for the issue by Congress of legal
tender notes Of sufficient volume to transact
the business of the country on cash basis.
The business Of the country, he held, is not
transacted on a cash basis, nor is it neceS-
Sary that ii should be- for we now exchange
commodity Tor commodity. he held that
this was the demand of the nd-holdng or
farmer class, who are opposed 10 having
special faVors shown to other classes, but
are very willing 10 have especial favor
shown themselves. The platform declares
against the loaning Of money 10 one
class or calling in preference to an
other. and then goes on TO say that money
shall be loaned at2 per cent on unperishable
products or real estate. The speaker
wanted to know whether the loaning Of
money on impeTishaOe farm products or
land was not faYOring one class or calling in
preference TO another lie wanted to know
where the mechanic. the professional man
or the laboreT, who have no land or imper-
ishable products, come in.
LANDS HELD BY ALIENS.
Then the speaker tore up the new party's
plank providing for the Teclaiming by the
Government of lands held by aliens and
railroads. on the grounds that the Govern
ment could not take back those lands with
out paving for them, and, in order that it
might do that, it would be compelled to tax
the industries of the people to obtain the
purchase money.
And now" said Mr.. Reynolds, 1--WE come
to the fifth plank of the platform: We de-
mand that taXation-national, State and
municipal, shall not be used to build up
one interest or class at the expense Of an
other"
'Now that suits me. That means free
trade, and free trade is what we want"
That was about all of the platform Mr..
Reynolds seemed TO want. The other
planks were censured as ridiculous. The
Single Tax platform was the only political
product that upheld the rights of all, and
promised the down-trodden t0ilers of the
country relief.
The Chairman announced that the Single
Tax platform would be read and discussed
at the next meeting OF the society.