The advocate., 1892-07-20
PEOPLES PARTY NATIONAL PLAT
FORM.

AmStlCH1 III lt5 nEob AoSAOA0A NOA'"~'AAS
invoking upon their action the blessing
of Almighty God, puts forth, in the name
and on behalf of the people of this coun-
try, the following preamble and declara-
tlon of principles: The conditions which
surround US best justify our CO opera
tion; we meet in the midst of nation
brought to the verge ofmoral, political
and material ruin; corruption dominates
the ballot box, Legislatures, congress, and
touches even the ermine of the bench.
The people are demOralized; most OF the
states have been compelled to isolate
voters at polling places to prevent uni
Versal intimidation or bribery. News
papers are largely subsldized or muzzled;
public opinion silenced; business pros
trated; our homes covered with mort
cages; labor impoverished and land con-
centratlng In the hands OF capitalists.
Urban workman are denied the right Of
organization for self-protection; imported,
pauperized labor beats down their wages;
q hirellng, standing army, unrecognized
by our laws, Is established to shoot them
down and they are rapidly degenerating
into European conditions; the fruits of
the toll of millions are bodily stolen to
build up colossal fortunes for the few, un-
precedented in the history Of mankind,
and the possessors Of these in turn de-
spise the republic and endauger liberty;
from the same prolific womL of govern
mental injustice, we breed two great
classes-tramps and milllonalres; the ma
tlonal power to create money Is appro-
prlated to enrich bond-holders; the vast
public debt, payable In legal-tender cur
rency, has been funded into gold bearin
bonds, thereby adding millions to the bur
dens of the people; silver, which has been
accepted as coin since the dawn Of his
tory, has been demonetlzed to add to the
purchasing power Of gold by decreas-
ing 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 en-
slave industry; vast conspiracy against
mankind has been organized on the two
continents and is rapidly taking posses
sion Of the world; If not met and over
thrown at once 1t forbodeS terrible
social convulsion, the destruction of
capitalization or the establishment of alb
solute despotism;Iwe have witnessed for
more than 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 existing
dreadful conditions to develope without
serious effort to prevent or restrain them;
neither do they now promise us any sub
stantial reform; they have agreed to-
gether to ignore in the coming campaign
every issue but one; they propose to
drown the outcries Of the plundered peo-
pie with the uproar Of a sham battle over
tariff, so that capital, corporations, ma
tlonal banks, trusts, watered stock, de-
monetlzation of silver and the oppression
of usurers may be all 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 milllonaires. As
sOmbled on the anniversary Of the birth