The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1892-07-13
PEOPLES PARTY PLATFORM.
Preamble and Declaration of Principles
That Were Adopted.

| Inc IOllOWlUR INC uHdu-
Imously adoped by the Peoples Party
| Convention:
| Assembled upon the one hundred and six
teenth anniversary OF the Declaration OF Inde-
| pendence. the Peoples party OF America I'm
| their 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 country, the following preamble aud
| declaration OF principles
Preamble.
The conditions which SURROUND us best jus
| tify our cooperation We meet In the midst
| OF a nation brought TO the verge OF moral, po-
| litical and material ruin. Corruption domi-
| mates in the ballot box, the Legislatures, the
Congress, and touches even the ermine of the
bench: The people are demoralized; most OF
| the States have been compelled 20 isolate the
voters at the polling places 70 prevent unfvers-
| al intimidation or bribery. The newspapers
| are largely subsidized or muzzled public opin-
| ion silenced; business Frustrated; our homes
! covered with mortgages labor impoverished.
| and the lands concentrating in the hands or the
| capitalists. The urban workmen are denied
| the right of organization for self-protection;
imported pauperized labor beats down their
wages: n hireling standing army, unrecognized
by our laws is established TO shoot them down.
| and they are rapidly degenerating into Euro
pean conditions. The fruits of the toll of mill
| lions are boldly stolen TO build up colossal
| fortunes for few, unprecedented In the his
| tory of mankind; and the possessors of these,
| in turn, despise the Republic and endanger
liberty. From the same prolific womb of gov
ernmental injustice breed the two great
classes-tramps'and millionaires.
The national power co create money is ap-
propriated to enrich bondholders; vast public
| debt payable in legal tender currency has been
funded into collaborating bonds, thereby adding
! millions to the burdens OF the people.
Silver which has been accepted as coin since
| the dawn OF history, has been demonetlzed to
add to the purchasing power OF gold by decreas-
| ing the value of all forms OF property as well
as human labor, and the supply of currency is
purposely abridged TO fatten usurers, bank
rupt enterprise, and enslave industry. vast
conspiracy against mankind has been organized
on two continents and 1t Is rapidly taking pos
~ hA unrl1 mot mat and
| thrown at once 1t forebodes terrible social
| commissions, the destruction of civilization, or
the establishment OF an absolute despotism.
| we nave witnessed for more than quarter of
| century the struggle of the two great political
parties for power and plumber, while grievons
| wrongs have been inflicted upon the suffering
| people. We charge that the controlling infiu-
ences dominating both these parties have per-
| mitted the existing dreadful conditions to de-
velop without serious effort to prevent or
strain them. Neither do they promise uH
any substantial reform. They have agreed to
| gether to ignore in the coming campaign eyerf
| issue but one. They propose TO drown the out
| cries OF plundered people with the uproar o.
| sham battle over the tariff that capital
| lists, corporations, national banks, rings,
| trusts, watered stock, the decentralization of
| silver, and the expressions OF the usurers may
all be lost sight OF. They propose TO sacrifice
| our homes lives, and children the altar 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 generation who established our indie
| pendence, we seek to restore the government
| OF the republic to the hands of the plain peo-
pie, with whose class it originated. We assert
| our purposes to be indentical with the pur-
| poses of the National Constitution-"to
| form 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 only en-
| dure as free government while built upon the
| love OF the whole people for each other and
| for the nation; that it cannot be pinned to-
| r.. he ri vii 10
| md that every passion and resentment which
grew out of 1t must die with it, and that
| must be in fact are in name one united
| brotherhood OF freemen.
Our country finds itself confronted by condi-
| history of the world. Our annual agricultural
productions amount to billions OF dollars in
value, which must in few weeks or months
| be exchanged for billions of dollars of COM
| modities consumed in their production; the
| existing currency supply Is wholly inadequate
| to make this change: the results are the falling
| prices, the formation of combines and rings,
! the impoverishment of the producing class.
! We pledge ourselves that If given power we
VIII labor TO correct these evils by wise and
| reasonable legis Station in accordance with the
| terms of our platform.
| We believe that the powers of government. in
| other words, OF the people, should be expand
| ed las in the OF the postal service as rap
idly and as far as the good sense of an intelli-
gent people and the teachings of experience
shall Justify, to the end that Oppession, injus-
tice; and poverty shall eventually cease in the
| land.
| While our sympathies as a party of reform
! are naturally upon the side of every PROPOSE
| ton which will tend TO make men intelligent,
| vlrtuous, and temperate, we nevertheless re-
| gard these neutrality-suspicious. rs they are
| as secondary TO the great issues now pressing
| for solution, and upon which not only our in
dlvluuai prosperity but the very existence OF
| free institutions depend: and ask all men
| 10 first help US TO determine whether we are to
| have republic TO administer before differ
! as to the condition upon which it il TO be adj
| ministered; believing that the forces of reform
J this day organized will never cease to move
! =
rights and equal privileges securely established
for all the men and women of this country.
| Declaration of Principles.
First-That the union OF the labor forces of
| the United States this day contaminated shall
be perinanent and perpetual-may it's 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 am equivalent II robbery. If any will not
work neither shall he eat" The interests Of
rural and civic labor are the same; their enc
Third-We believe that the time has come
when the railroad corporations will either own
| the people or the people must own the rail-
| roads. and should the Government enter upon
| the work of owning and managing all railroads
we should favor an amendment TO the Consti-
| tuition by which all persons engaged in the
| Government service shall be placed under a
| civil-service regulation Of the most rigid char
| acter so as to prevent the increase of the
power of the national administration by the
use of such additional Government employees.
| We demand national currency, safe, sound
| and flexible, issued by the General Govern
ment only, full legal-tender for all debts,
public and private and that without the use OF
banking corporations, just, equitable and eff
| tcient means of distribution direct to the peo-
| pie, at a tax not TO exceed = per cent. per an
| mum, be provided as set forth in the Sub
treasury plan of the Farmers Alliance or a
| better system; also by payments in discharge
| of it's obligations for public improvements.
| l. We demand free and unlimited coinage of
! silver and gold at the present legal ratio OF
| Is to-
2. We demand that the amount of circulation
medium be speedily increased to not less than
$50 per capita.
| 3. We demand a graduated income tax.
4. We believe that the money of the country
| should be kept as much possible in the hands
| of the people, and hence we demand that all I.
| State and national revenues shall be limited
I to the necessary expenses of the Government,
| economically and honestly administered
8. We demand that postal savings banks be
established by the Government for the safe de-
post of the earnings of the people and to facli-
/ tate exchange.
! Transportation being means of exchange
and public necessity, the Government should
| own and operate the railroads in the interest OF
| the people.
The telegraph and telephone. like the post
Office system, being necessity for the