Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1892-09-14


PREAMBLE
Assembled upon the 10th anniversar @
the declaration Of independence the people
party OF America In their first nationa
convention invoking upon their action tn
blessing OF Almighty God. sputs forth In tn
name and on behalf Of the people of this coun
Try the following preamble and declaration o
principles:
The conditions which surround US best justif.
our cooperation; we meet IN the midst OF q ma
ZION brought &C. the verge OF moral, political and
material ruin. Corruption dominates the bal
LOT oox, the legislatures, the congress, ant
touches even the ermine OF the bench TIT
people are dernoralized most Of the states have
been compelled TO isolate the voters at the
polling places TO prevent universal init mi
dalton or bribery. The newspapers are largely
subsidized or muzzled; public opinion ii
fenced: business prostrated; our homes GOV
cred with mortgages; labor impoverished, and
the land concentrated In the hands OF capital
lists The urban workmen denied the right
OF organic alton for self-protection; imported
pauperized labor beats down their wages: q
hireling standing army, unrecognized by our
laws, is es 'ablished to shoot them down and
they will rapidly degenerate into European
conditions The fruits OF the toll OF millions
are boldly SIC len TO build up colossal fortunes
unprecedented In the history OF mankind and
the poSsessors Of these in turn despise the re-
public and endanger liberty From the
same prolific womb of governmental in
tramps and millonaires Phe national power
20 create money is appropria ted TO enrich bond
holders a vast public debt payable In legal ten.
der currency has been funded into gold bearing
bonds, thereby adding millions to the burdens
OF the people.
Silver which has been accepted as a
coin since the dawn OF history has
been demonetized to add to the purchasing
power Of gold by decreasing the value OF all
forms Of property as well as human labor and
the supply OF currency Is purposely abridged
10 Iatten usurers, bankrupt enterprise and en-
slave industry. A vast conspiracy against man
kind has been organized on two continents and is
Yapidly taking possession OF the world II not
met dad overthrow at once IL forebodes terri
Bile social CONFUSION, the destruction OF civiliza
tion, or the establishment OF an absolute des-
potism
We have witnessed for more than a quarter
OF century the struggles OF the two great
political parties for power and plumber. while
grfevous wrongs have been inflicted upon a suf-
fering people We charge that The controlling
Influences dominating both these parties have
permitted the existing dreadful conditions to
Sevelop without serious efforts to prevent or re-
strain them Neither do they now prom
ise US any substantial reform They have
agreed together to ignore, in the coming
campaign, every issue but one. They propose
90 drown the outcries OF a plundered people with
the uproar OF "A sham battle over the tariff so
that capitalists, corporations, national banks,
rings, trusts, watered stock characterization
OF silver and the expressions OF the usurers may
all DO lost sight OF They proposed to sacrifice
our homes, lives and children on the altar OF
mammon; 10 destroy the multitude in order 10
secure corruption funds from the millionaires.
Assembled on the anniversary OF the birth
day Of the nation and filled with the spirit OF
the grand generation who established our indie
pendence, we seek our independence. We seek
10 restore the government of the republic to
the hands OF the plain people" with whose
class II originated.
We assert our purposes 70 be identical
with the purposes of the national consti-
tuition ITO form a more perfect union,
establish justice, insure domestic 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 en-
dure as free government while built upon
the love Of the whole people for each other and
for the nation; that 1t cannot be pinned to-
gether by bayonets; that the civil war is over
and that every passion and resentment which
grew out OF IL must die with it, and that we
must be in fact as we are in name, one united
Of freemen.
Our country finds itself confronted by con di-
tons for which there is no precedent 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 exchanged for billions OF dollars
Of commodities consumed in their production
The existing currency supply is wholly
Inadequate TO make this exchange The
results are falling prices, the formation of
combines and rings and the impoverish-
ment OF the producing class. We pledge
ourselves that II given power, we will labor
TO correct these evils by wise and reasonable
legislation in accordance with the terms of our
platform. We believe that the powers OF govern
ment-in other words, Of the people-should be
expanded las in the case OF the postal service)
NIL 1u nd NJ 70 thO cd aN4o tn
teligent people and the teaching OF experience
shall Justify TO the end that oppression, injustice
and poverty shall eventually cease In the land.
While our sympathes as party Of reform are
upon the side OF every proposition
which will tend to make men intelligent virtu-
Gus and temperate, we nevertheless regard
these questions, important as they are, as
secondary to the great issues now pressing
for solution and upon which not only our indi-
vidual prosperity, but the very existence OF
free institutions depend, and we ask all
men TO first help US 10 determine whether
we are to have o republic to administer be-
fore we differ as to the conditions upon which
IL Is 70 be administered; believing that the
forces OF reform this day organized will
never cease 10 move forward until every wrong
Is remedied and equal rights and equal prvii-
leges securely established for all the men and
women Of the country.
THE PLATFORM
We declare, therefore:
Ffrst-That the union OF the labor forces Of
the United States this day consummated, shall
be permanent and perpetual May its spirit
enter into all hearts for the salvation of the
republic and the uplifting Of mankind
Second-Wealth belongs to him who creates
It. and every dollar taken from industry with
out equivalent is robbery "If any will
not work neither shall he eat" The interests
OF rural and civic labor are the same; their emf
mies are identical
Third-We believe that the time has come
when the railroad CORPORATIONS must either
own the people or the people must own the rail-
roads-and should the government enter
upon the work OF owning and managing any
or all railroads, we should favor an amend.
ment to the constitution by which all persons
engaged in the government service shall be
placed under a civil service regulation OF the
most rigid character, so as to prevent the in
crease Of the power OF the national administra-
ton by the use Of such additional government
employees.
We demand that national currency, safe
sound and flexible, issued by the general gov
eminent only, full legal tender for all debts
public and private, and that without the use of
banking corporations, just equitable and
efficient means of distribution direct to the
people, at a tax not to exceed two per cent per
annCm, be proviped, as set forth in the sub
treasury plan of the Farmers Alliance or some
better system: also by payments in discharge
OF its obligations for public improvements.
silver and gold at the present legal ratio of 10
70 I.
We demand that the amount of circulating
medium be speedily increased TO not less than
$50 per capita
We demand n graduated income tax
We believe that the money Of the country
should be kept as much rs possible in the
hands of the people, and hence we demand that
all state and national revenue shall be limited
20 the necessary expenses of the government
economically and honestly administered
We demand that postal savings banks De
aatabliShed by the government for the safe de-
posit of The earnings Of the people and to
facilitate exchange
TRANSFORMATION being q means Of exchange
and public necessity, the government should
20.
own and operate the railroads in the interest Of
the people
The telegraph and telephone, like the post OF
nee system, being necessity for TRANSMISSION
of news should be owned and operated by tns
government in the interest Of the people
The land, including all the natural resources
of wealth, is the heritage Of all the people Ant
should not be monopolized for speculative pur
poses and alien ownership Of land should DC
prohibited. All land now held by railroads anO