The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-05

cured seats and the raps of the chairman
had resulted in even the beginning of busi-
ness. The immense hall was almost com
pletely 7lled. 1t was very sultry and fully
third Of the delegates were in their shirt
sleeves.
IMPATIENT FOR THE PLATFORM.
A motion was carried that the resolutions
committee report such part OF the platform
as were ready and that these be considered
while the othsr parts Of the platform were
being prepared. This was apparently the
first move on the part of the Weaver men
to hasten a ballot. Suspicion had
gained currency that the committee
on resolutions was not anxious to make
very speedy progress. for the reason that it
as whole preferred Judge Gresham as
candidate and wanted time to get an agree
ment from him that he would let the con-
vention nominate him. The motion was
carried, but the committee reported that it
was not prepared just yet to make partial
report.
Then an effort was made to proceed at
once to nominations and another 30 adopt
the st. Louis platform without further de-
lay.
These movements becoming known to the
resolutions committee stampeded them and
they soon filed upon the stage with plat
form hastily concluded. and 1t was read, as
follows:
Assembled upon the 10th anniversary of the
declaration of Independence the Peoples party
of America. in their first national convention,
invoking upon their action the blessing OF AL
mighty God, puts forth In the name and on be-
half of the people of this country, the follow
ing preamble and declaration of principles:
The conditions which surround us best justify
our coop ration; we meet in the midst of
nation brought TO the verge of moral, political
and material ruin. Corruption dominates the
ballSt-6oE' t' legislatures, congress ana ana
bench. The people are demoralized; most
OF the states have been compelled TO isolate the
voters at the polling places to prevent universal
intimidation or bribery. The newspapers are
largely subsidized or muzzled, public opinion
silenced, business prostrated. our homes COW
cred with mortgages labor impoverished, land
concentrating IN the hands Of capitalists. The
urban Workmen are denied the right OF organl-
cation for selfprotection. imported pauperized
labor beats down their wages, a hireling stand
ing army, unrecogniZed by our laws, is estab-
degenerating into European conditions.
The fruits of the toll of millions
are boldly stolen to build up colossal fortunes
for few, unprecedented in the history of man
kind, and the possessors Of these, in turn,
despise the republic and Iendanger lib
erty From the same prolific womb of
governmental injustice we breed two
great classes, trampS and millionaires
The national power to create money is
appropriated to enrich bondholders; vast pubs
lie debt 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 decreas-
ing the value of all forms OF property, well
as human labor. and the supply Of currency is
purposely abridged TO fatten usurers, bankrupt
enterprise and enslsve industry.
vast conspiracy against mankind
has been organized on two continents and il Is
rapidly taking possession Of the world. II not
met and overthrown at once 1t forebodes
terrible social commissions tnedestruc.
tion OF civilization or the establishment
of an absolute despotion, We have witnessed
for more than quarter Of a century the strug
giles of the two great political parties for power
inflicted upon the suffering people We charge
that the controlling influences dominat-
ing both these parties have per
mitted the existing dreadful conditions
to develop without serious effort to prevent or
restrain them. Neither do they now promise
us any substantial reform. They have agreed
together to ignore in the coming campai IN
every issue but one. They propose to drown
out the cries of the plundered people with the
uproar of a sham battle over the tariff. so that
capitalists, corporations, national banks, rings.
trusts, watered stock demonstration of silver
be lost sight of. They propose
to sacrifice our homes, lives and children
on the altar Of mammon, TO destroy ths. multi
tude in order to secure corruption funds from
the millionaires Assembled on the anniversary
of the birthday of the nation and filed with the
spirit of the grand general chief who estab-
lished our Independence, we seek to restore the
government of the republic to the hands of the
plain people, with whose class it originated
We assert our purposes to be Identical with the
purposes of the national constitution, to form a
more perfect union and establish Justice, in
sure domestic tranquility. provide for the
common defense. promote the general welfare
and secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves
and our posterlty. We declare that this repub-
lie can only endure as a free government while
built upon love of the whole people for each
other and for the nation; that it cannot be
pinned together 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 brotherhood Our country finds itself
confronted by conditions for which there
is no precedent in the history
OF the world; our annual agricultural produc-
tions amount to billions of dollars in value,
which must within few weeks or months be
exchanged for billions of dollars Of commodi-
ties 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 brings i'm
povershment of the producing class. We
pledge ourselves that if given the power we will
labor to correct these evils by wise and reason
able legislation in accordance with the terms of
our platform.
We believe that the powers Of government,
in other words of the people, should be ex-
panded las in the case Of the postal service) as
rapidly and as far as the good sense of an in
telligent people and the teachings of experience
shall justify, to the end that oppression, intus-
tice and poverty shall eventually cease in the
land. While our sympathies as party Of re-
form are naturally upon the side
of every proposition which will tend to
make men intelligent, virtuous and
temperate, we nevertheless regard these ques-
tions important as they are, as secondary to
the great issue now pressing for solution, and
upon which not only our individual prosperity
but the very existence of free institutions de-
pend and we ask all men to first help us to de-
termine whether we are to have a republic to
adm mister before we differ as to the conditions
upon which it is to be administered. Believing
that The forces OF reform this day organized
will never cease to move forward
until every wrong is righted and equal rights
and equal privileges securely established for all
men and women of this country, we declare,
therefore:
l. 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 tue salvation Of the republic
and the uplifting OF mankind
2. Wealth belongs to him who crestos it, and
every dollar taken from industry, without an
equivalent, is robbery. ''If any will not work
neither shall he eat" The interests OF rural
and civic labor are the same; their enemies are
Identical
8. We believe that the time has come when
railroad corporations will either own the peo-
pie or the people must own the railroads. and
should the government enter upon the work OF
owning and managing all the railroads we
should favor amendment to the constitution
by which all persons engaged In the government
service shall be placed under civil service regI-