The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-04-07
Amending the Platform.

The Peoples party Of Georgia repudiate
that plank in the platform OF their party
which provides that union soldiers shall re-
ceive the difference between the deprecated
green backs In which they were paid and gold.
AT Calhoun on Tuesday the Peoples party OF
Gordon county repudiated that plank OF
their platform. They were appalled, at the
prospect Of the public debt being increased
billion Of dollars or more, part of which
the south would have to pay, without re-
ceiving any benefit from it worth mention
ing.
But do not these Gordon county members
Of the Peoples party know that the repudia-
ton Of the Objectionable plank amounts to
nothtng' II they accept the platform at
all they must accept the whole Of It. 1t
will not be changed simply because they
object to a part OF it, 1t was made for the
north-not for the south, but the south is
expected TO furnish the main part Of the
support for 1t. The Objectionable plank
was put in the platform to catch the soldier
vote OF the north, and the Peoples party is
pledged TO sustain It. Even if the Peoples
party of the state OF Georgia, with Senator
Ellington at its head. should protest against
that plank it would still remain part OF
the platform.
But have Georgisns who are supporting
the Peoples party given the platform of
that party careful considerations II they
have not, they should do so without unnec-
essary delay. They might find other things
in it to which they cannot conscientiously
subscribe For instance, what do they think
OF the leaving out Of it all mention Of tariff
reforml Do they not know that this means
that the Peoples party is a virtual indorse-
ment OF the republican doctrine of proteo-
tion7 As a matter of fact the platform
was made by men who were in hearty &C
cord with the Republican party, and
who are yet republicans at heart. Are
those southern men. who have always been
democrats, ready to surrender their life
long political convictions at the bidding Of
lot of political sdventurers who have left
the Republican party because they were not
permitted 20 control that partys
And what do Georgians who are giving
the Peoples party encouragement and aid
think of the plank In the platform Of that
party which calls for government ownership
OF the Telegraph ana transportation Ilnes'
1t is difficult enough now to keep corruption
from creeping into the public service, but
what would be the moral condition Of that
service if the hundreds of thou
sands of men employed by the
railroads and telegraph companies
were employees of the government Would
it not quickly become so corrupt that it
would be practically impossible to get out
of power party that had obtained control
of the government! Would not the people
be plundered right and left, and, If they
complained, would they not be sneeringly
asked what they were going to do about it3
And If the government should own railroad
and telegraph property why shouldn't it
own the factories and mines and about
every other species Of propertyl The con-
dition of affairs that would follow legisla-
ton on the line marked out by the platform
of the Peoples party would be deplorable.
II Georgiaus study that platform carefully
very few Of them will be found in the
Peoples party when the campaign begins in
earnest.