The advocate and Topeka tribune., 1892-08-10
PEOPLES PARTY NATIONAL PLAT
FORM.

Of independence, the Peoples party OF
America, in its first national convention,
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-
tom of principles: The conditions which
surround us best justify our co opera
tion; we meet In the midst OF nation
brought to the verge Of moral, 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 sllenced; business pros
trsted; 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,
pauperlzed labor beats down their wages;
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 endanger liberty;
from the same prolific wont of govern
mental injustice, we breed two great
classes-tramps and milllonaires; the ma
tlonal power to create money is appro-
priated 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 demonetized 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 fstten
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 q terrible
social convulslon, the destruction OF
capitalization or the establishment Of sb-
solute despotism;..we have witnessed for
more than q quarter Of century the
struggles of the two great political
parties for power and plunder, while
grievous wrongs have been.inficted 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 q sham battle over
tariff, 80 that capital, corporations, ma
tlonal banks, trusts, watered stock, de-
monetization 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 millionaires. As