The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1892-07-05
TIE PREAMBLE

THE PREAMBLE
Adopted by the Peoples Party Commit
tee on Resolutions.
OMAHA, July 5.--Fcllowing are the
preamble and declaration of principles
adopted by the committee on platform:
The Peoples Party of America In their first
national convention, invoking upoH their ac-
ton the blessing of Almighty God, puts forth
In the name and on behalf Of the people Of this
country, the following preamble and declara-
tion Of principles:
The conditions which surround us justify
our cooperation: we meet In the midst q
nation brought to the verge Of moral. political
and material ruin. Corruption dominates
the ballot box. the legislatures, the congress
ana touches even the erraine of the bench.
The people are demoralized: most of the states
have been compelled TO isolate the voters at
the polling pla es in order to prevent univer-
sal intimidation or bribery. The newspapers
are subsidized or muxzled; public opinion
silenced; business prostrated; our homes COW
cred with mortgages; labor impoverished; and
the land concentrating in the hands Of the
capitalists The urban workmen are denied
the right OF organization for self protection:
imported pauperized labor beats down their
wages; q hireling standing army. .unrecognized
BY our laws Is established to shoot them down
and they VIII rapidly degenerate into Euro
pean conditions The fruits of the toll of mill
lions are boldly stalen to build mp collosal for
tunes unprecedented In the history OF man
kind, and the possessors Of these in turn
despise the republic and endanger liberty.
From the same prolific womb of governmental
Injustice we breed the two great classes
tramps and millionaires- The national power
TO create money Is appropriated to enrich
bondholders; vast public slebt payable in
legal tender currency has been funded into
gold bearing bonds, thereby adding millions
to the burdens of the people Silver. which
has been accepted as coin since the dawn OF
history, has been demonetized TO add to the
purchasing power of gold by decreasing the
values OF al forms OF pr5pe ty, as well as
human labor. ani the supp OF currency Is
purposely abridged to fatten usurers, bank
rupt enterprise, and enslaye industry. Al vast
conspiracy ainst mankind has been organ
ized on two continents, and IL Is rapidly taking
possession Of the world. II not met and over
thrown ut once it foreboies terrible social
convulsion. the destruction of eiviliza-
tion or the establishment of an absolute
despotism. We have witnessed for more
than quarter of a century the struggl Of
the two great political parties for power and
plumber while grievous wrongs have been in
fiicted upon a suffering people. We charge
that the controlling influence dominating both
these parties have permitted the existing
dreadful conditions to exist without serious
efforts TO prevent or restrain them. Neither
do they now promise us any substantial re-
form. They have agreed together to ignore
In the coming campaign every issue but one.
They propose to drown the outcries of q
plundered people with the uproar of q sham
battle over the tariff, so that capitalists, corr
porations, national banks, rings, trusts,
watered stock. the decentralization of silver,
and the oppression Of the usurers may all be
lost sight OF. They propose to sacrifice onr
Il xxrixa nd fshildpa1a an ha a1ta NJ
mammon. to destroy the multitude in order to
secure corruption funds from the miilionaires.
Assembled on the anniversary OF the birthday
| Of the nation and filed with the spirit of the
grand generation who established our inde-
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 to
| be Identical with the purposes Of the national
1 constitution: ITO form q more perfect union:
| establish justice, secure domestic tranquility.
l provide for the common defense, promote the
i general welfare and secure the blessings of
I liberty for ourselves and our pOsterity.n We
| declare that this republic can only endure as Z
| free government. while built upon the love OF
/ the whole people for each other and for the
4 nation, that IL cannot be pinned together by
bayonets. that the civil war Is over and that
/ every passion and resentment which grew ont
/ of it must die with II, and that we must be In
| fact MS we are In name one united brother
hood Of free men. Our country finds itself
confronted by conditions 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
1 3 few weeks or months be exchanged for bill
/ Hons of dollars worth OF commodities con-
sumed ii their production. The exhausting
currency supply is wholly inadequate to
make the exchange. The results are
falling prices. the Formation Of COM