Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1892-09-01
PEOPLES PARTY PLATFORM,
Adopted by the National Peoples Party
Conxcnttoa nj Omaha. July ath. 1909

Convention at Omaha, July tth, 1899.
Assembled on the one hundred and
sixteenth anniversary of the Declare
ton Of Independence, the Peoples
party Of America, in their first Ma
tional convention, invoking upon their
action the blessing of Almighty God,
puts forth in the name and on behalf
of the people of this country the fol-
lowing preamble and declaration of
The conditions which surround us
best justify our cooperation we meet
in the midst of nation brought to
the verge of moral, political and ma
terial ruin. Corruption dominates
the ballot box, the Legislatures, the
Congress, and touches even the ermine
of the bench. The people are demon
allied most of the States have been
compelled to isolate the voters ut the
polling places to prevent universal
intimidation or bribery. The news
papers are largely subsidized or muz-
zled public opinion silenced bust
ness Frustrated, our homes covered
with mortgages, labor impoverished,
and the land concentrating in the
hands of the capitalists. The urban
workmen are denied the right of or
ganization for self-protectiou import
ed, pauperized labor beats down their
wages a hireling standing army, un-
recognized by our laws, is established
to shoot them down and they are rap
idly degenerating into European
conditions. The fruits of the toll of
millions are boldly stolen to build up
colossal fortunes for few, unprece-
denied in the history of mankind, and
the possessOrs of these in turn despise
the republic and endangcr liberty.
From the same prolific womb of
governmental injustice come the two
great classes-tramps and millionaires.
The national power to create money
is appropriated to enrich the bond
holders a vast public debt payable in
legal tender currency has been funded
into gold bearing bonds, thereby add
ing millions to the burdens of the
people.
UsURERs FATTEN.
Silver. which has been accepted az
coin since the dawn of history, has
been demonetizcd to add to the pur-
chasing power of gold by decreasing
the value of all forms of property, as
well as human labor, and the supply
of currency is thereby abridged to
fatten usurers and bankers by the
slave industry. A vast conspiracy
against mankind has been organized
on two continents, and it is rapidly
taking possession of the world. If not
overthrow at once, it forebodes ter
rible social commissions, the destruc-
ton of civilization and the establish
ment of an absolute despotism. We
have witnessed for more than a
quarter of century the struggles of
the two great political parties for
power and plumber, while grievOus
wrongs have been inflicted upon the
suffering people. We charge that the
controlling influences dominating both
these parties have permitted the eX-
listing dreadful conditions to develop
without serious effort to prevent or
restrain them. Neither do they now
promise MS any substantial reform.
They have agreed together to ignore
in the campaign every issue but one :.
They propose to drown the outcries
of a plundered people with the nproar
of a sham battle over the tariff so that
capitalists, corporations, national
banks, rings, trusts, watered stock,
the decentralization of silver and the
oppression of the usurers may all be
lost sight of. They propose to sacri-
flee our home, lives and children on
the altar of mammon to destroy the
multitude in order to secure cOrrup-
ton funds from the milliOnaires.
Assembled on the anniversary of the
birthday of the nation, filed with the
spirit of the grand generation which
established our independence, we seek
to restore the government of the Re-
public to the hands of "the plain .peO-
ple," with which class it originated.
We assert our purposes to be identical
with the purposes of the national con-
stitution, "tO form more perfect
uni IN, establish justice, insure dOmes-
tic tranquility, provide for the common
defense, promote the general welfare
and secure the blessings of liberty for
ourselves and our posterity."
We declare that this Republic can
only endure rs free government
while built upon the love of the whole
people for each other and for the
nation; that it cannot be pinned
together by bayonets that 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 of free men.
APPALLING CONDITIONS.
Our country is confronted by condi-
tiOns for which there is no precedent
in the history of the world. Our an
nual agricultural productions amount
to billions of dollars in value, which
must within a few weeks or months
be exchanged for billions of dollars of
commodities consumed in their pro-
duction the existing currency supply
is wholly inadequate to make the
exchange the results are falling
prices, the formation of combines and
rings, the impoverishment of the pro-
ducing classes. We pledge ourselves
that if given power we will labor to
correct these evils by wise and reas-
enable legislation in accordance with
the terms of our platform.
We believe that the powers of gov
eminent, in other words of the people,
should be expanded, as in the case OF
the postal service, as rapidly and as