The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1892-07-08
WEAVER AND FIELD.

Gen. j. G. Field, of Virginia, was nom
mated on the first ballot for the vice. presi-
dency.
THE PLATFORM.
Assembled upon the one hundred and
sixteenth anniversary of the declaration of
independence, the peoples party of Amer
lea, in the first national convention, invok-
ing upon their action the blessing of
Almighty God, puts forth, in the name and
on behalf Of the people of this country, the
following preamble and declaration of prin
ciples:
The conditions which surround us best
justify our cooperation. We meet in the
midst of nation brought to the verge of
moral, political and material ruin. Cor
ruption dominates the ballot box, the Leg.
islatures. the Congress and touches even the
ermine of the bench. The people are de-
moralized most of the States haye been
compelled to isolate the voters at the poll
ing places to prevent universal intim idation
or bribery. The newspapers are largely
subsidized or muzzied, public opinion
silenced, business Frustrated, our homes
covered with mortgages, labor impoverished
and the land concentrating in the hands Of
capitalists. The urban workmen are denied
the right Of organization for selfprotection !;
imported pauperized labor beats down their
wages; a hirellng standing army, unrecog.
nized by our laws, is established TO shoot
them down, and they are rapidly degener
ating into European conditions. The fruits
of the toll of millions are boldly stolen to
build colossal fortunes for few unprece.
denied 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 inius-
tice we breed the two great classes-tramps
and millionaires.
The national power to create money is
appropriated to enrich ,bondholders. A
vast public debt, payable in legal tender
currency, has been funded into gold bearing
bonds, thereby adding millions to the bur-
dens of the people.
Silver, which has been accepted as coin
since the dawn of history, has been demon
etized to add to the purchasing power Of
gold by decreasing the value of all forms Of
property as we'll as human labor, and the
supply Of currency is purposely abridged to
fatten usurers, bankrupt enterprise and
enslave inostry. A vast conspiracy agains,
mankind has been organized on two CONT.
J nents, and it is rapidly taking possession Of
the world. Ii not met and overthrown at
once it forebodes terrible social commissions
, the destruction of civilization or the estab.
, lishment Of an absolute despotism. We
haye witnessed for more than quarter of a
century the struggles of the two great polit-
. ical 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 existing dreadful
; conditions TO develop without serious effor,
to prevent or restrain them.
Neither do they now promise US any sub.
stantial reform. They have agreed together
to ignore, in the coming campaign, every
issue but one. They propose to drown the
. outcries Of The plundered people with the
uproar of a sham battle over the tariff, So
that capitalists, corporations, national banks
rings, trusts, watered stock, the demonetiza.
tion of silver and the expressions of the
usurers may all be lost sight Of. They pro-
pose to sacrifice our homes, lives and CHI H.
dren on the artar Of Mammon; to destroy
the multitude in order to secure corruption
funds from the millionaires. Assembled
on the anniversary of the birthday of the
nation and filled with the spirit Of the grand
general-in.chief who established our indie
pendence, we seek to. restore the govern
ment of the republic to the hands of "the
, plain people," with whose class it originate
ed. We assert our purposes TO be identica
with the purposes of the national constitu.
; lion, TO form a more perfect union and
: establish justice, insure domestic tranquility
!, provide for the common defense. promote
the general welfare, and secure the blessings
b of liberty for ourselves and our prosperity
We declare that this republic can only
endure IS free government while bull
e upon the love of the whole people for each
i other and for the nation; that it cannot b.
i pinned together by bayonets; that the ciyi
:? war is oyer, aid that every passion an,
e resentment which grew out of it must di,
d with it, and that we must be in fact, as W,
y are in name, one united brotherhood O
freemen.
!, Our country finds itself confronted BY
e conditions for which there is no preceden
d in the history Of the world our annual az
e ricultural productions amount to billions o
= dollars in value, which must within a few
weeks or months be exchanged for billion
y OF dollars of commodities consumed in thei
: production the existing currency supply il
= wholly inadequate TO make this exchange
the results are falling prices, the formation
of combines and rings, the impoverishmen
of the producing class. We pledge ourseIve.
. that il given the power we will labor to cor.
rect these eyils by wise and reasonable leg.
islation, in accordance with the terms Of
our platform.
We believe that the powers of govern.