People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1892-07-29
THE PEOPLES PARTY.
STATE PLATFORM, ADOPTED AT ATTAIN
IA, July GOTH, 1899.

We endorse and reaffirm the preamble,
resolutions and platform adopted by the
Peoples Party in national convention as
sembled at Omaha, July 4, 1892. We
indOrse the ticket nominated and
pledge the party when it shall come
into power in the State to frame and
administer the laws in the spirit Of
the Omaha platform, which is equal
justice to all, and special privileges to
none.
g We condemn the convict lease sys-
tenn.
3. We demand rigid economy in all
public matters and mist on every pos
sible reduction of taxation during the
present impoverished condition of the
people.
And we call public attention to the
fact that the producing interest in both
city and country is bearing more than It's
fair share of taxation.
NATIONAL PLATFORM. ADOPTED AT
OMAHA, July 4TH, 1899.
Assembled upon the one hundred and six
teenth anniversary of the declaration of indie
pendence, the Peoples Party of America, in
their first national convention, invoking upon
their action the blessing of the Almighty God,
put forth in the name of the people of this
country, the following preamble and declara-
ton of principles; E
The conditions which surround us best
justify our cooperation; we meet in the
midst of a nation brought to the verge of
moral, political and material ruin. COrrup-
ton dominates the ballot box legislatures,
congress, and touches even the ermine Of
the bench.
The people are demoralized; most of the
no cd to q q " If
at polling places to prevent universal in
timidatiOn or bribery. Newspapers are
largely subsidized or muZzled; public
opinion silenced; business Frustrated; our
homes covered with mortgages; labor i'm
pOverished; and the land concentrating in
the hands of capitalists. The urban work
men are denied the right of organization for
self-protection; imported pauperized labor
beats down their wages; a hireling standing
army, unreCOgnized by our laws, is esta b.
Hshed to shoot them down, and they are
rapidly degenerating into European condi-
tiOns. The fruits of the toll of millions are
boldly stolen to build up colossal fortunes
for few, unprecedented in the history of
mankind and the pOssessOrs OF these in
turn despise the republic and endanger
liberty. From the same prolific womb of
governmental injustice, we breed two great
classes-tramps and millionaires. National
power to create money IS appropriated to
enrich bondholders; a vast public debt pay
able in legal tender currency has been
funded into gold bearing bonds, thereby
adding millions to the burdens of the peo-
pie. Silver, which has been accepted as
coin since the dawn of history, has been
demonetize0 to add to the purchasing pow
er of gold by decreasing the value of all
forms of property as well as human labor,
and the supply of currency is purpOsely
abridged to fatten usurers, bankrupt enter
prise and enslave industry. A vast con-
Spiracy against mankind has been organized
on the two continents and it is rapidly
taking possession of the world. If not met
and overthrow at once it fOrebOdes terrible
social commissions, the destruction of civil
ization or the establishment of an absolute
despOtism.
We have witnessed for more than aquar-
ter of century the struggles of two great
political parties for power and plumber,
while grievous wrongs have been inflicted
upon the suffering people. We charge
that the controlling influence dominating
both these parties has permitted the exist
ing dreadful conditions to develop without
serious effort to prevent or restrain them.
Neither do they now promise us any SUBJ
stantal reform. They have agreed togeth-
er to ignore in the coming campaign every
issue but one. They propose to drown out
the cries of the plundered people with the
uprOar of a sham battle over the tariff, so
that capitalists, corporations, national
monetization of silver and the oppression
Of the usurers may all be lost sight of.
They propose to sacrifice our homes, lives
and children on the altar of mammOn to
destroy the multitude in order to secure
corruption funds from milliOnaires.
Assembled on the anniversary Of the
birthday of the nation and filled with the
spirit of the grand general-in-chief who es-
tablished our independence, we seek to re-
store the government of the republic to the
hands of "the plain people" with whose
class it originated.
We assert our purposes to be Identical
with the purposes of the national COnstitu-
tion-to form more perfect union and es-
tablish justice, insure domestic tranquility,
provide for the common defense, promote
the general welfare and secure the bless
ings of liberty for ourselves and our pos
terity. We declare that this republic can
only endure as a free government while
built upon the owe of the whole people for
each other, and for the nation; that it can
not be pinned together by bayOnets; but
the civil war is over and that every passion
and resentment which grew out of it must
die with it, and that we must be in fact, as
we are in name, one united brotherhood.
Our country finds itself confronted by
conditions for which there are no prece-
dents in the history of the world. Our
annual agricultural productions amount to
billions Of dollars in value, which must
within a few weeks or months, be eXchang-
ed for billions of dollars of the commodi-
ties consumed in their production.
The currency supply is wholly made
quate to make the exchange. The results
are falling prices; formation of combines
and rings; and the impoverishment of the
producing class.
We pledge ourselves that if given power
we will labor to correct these evils by wise
and reasonable legislation in accordance
with the terms of our platform. We be-
lieve that the powers of governmental
other words of the people-should be ex-
banded as in the case of the postal service,
as rapidly and as far as the good sense OF
an Intelligent people and the teachings of
experience shall justify, to the end that OPP
preston, injustice and poverty shall event
ually cease in the land. While our SYM
pathies, as a party of reform, are naturally
upon the side of every proposition which
will tend to make men intelligent, virtuous
and temperate, we nevertheless regard
these uestions-important as they are
as secondary to the great issues now press
ing for solution and upon which not only
our individual prosperity but the very exist
ence of free institutions depend, and we
ask all men to first help us to determine
whether we are to have republic to ad-
minister before we differ as to the condi-
tions upon which it is to be administered,