Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-07-15
The "Peoplc'S Party" Jcrcmiad.
The DeIiriOUs TirRde Of their Preamble
---SOme of the Remedies Proposed.

I
---Some Of the Remedies Proposed.
From theplat form alop ed at Omaha
The conditions which surround us best
justify our cooperation: we meet in the
midst of Nation brought to the verge of
moral, political and material ruin. Cor
ruption dominates the ballot-bOX, the leg
islature, the Congress, and touches even
the ermne of the bench. The people are
demoralized; most of the states have been
compelled to isolate the voters at the poll
ing-places to prevent universal intimidation
or bribery. The newspapers are largely
subsidized or muzzled; public opinion
silencel; business Frustrated; our homes
covered with mortgages; labor impover-
ished; and the land concentrating in the
hands of the capitalists. The urban work
men are denied the right of organization
for self-protecton; imported pauperized
labor beats down their wages; a hreling
standing army, unrecognized by Our laws,
is established to shoot them down, and
they are rapidly degenerating into Europe
an conditions. The fruits of the toll of
millions are boldly stolen to build up cOlOs-
sal fortunes for a few, unprecedented in
the history of mankind; 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 of tramps and million
aires.
The national power to create money is
appropriated to enrich bOnd-holders: a
vast public debt, payable in legal tender
currency, has been funded into gold-bear-
ing 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 value of all forms of property as well
as human labor, and the supply of currency
is purpOsely abridged to fatten usurers,
bankrupt enterprise and enslave industry.
If not met and overthrown at once it fore
bodies terrible social commissions, the de-
StructiOn of civilization or the establish
ment of an absolute despotism.
We have witnessed for more than a
quarter of a century the struggles of the
two great political parties for power and
| plumber, while grevious wrongs have been
| inflicted upon the suffering people We
charge that the controlling influences dom
mating both these have permitted the
existing dreadful condition to develop with
out 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 campaign,
every issue but one. They propose to
! drown the outcries of a plundered people
with the uproar of sham battle over the
! tariff, so that capitalists, corporations, ma
| tonal banks, rings, trusts, watered stock,
! the characterization of silver and the OPP
pressions of the usurers may all be lost
sight of. They propose to sacrifice our
homes, lives and children on the altar OF
mammon to destroy the multitude in or
der to secure corruption funds from the
millionaires.
We demand a national currency, safe
sound and flexible, issued by the general
government only, full legal tender for all
debts, public and private, and that without
the use of banking corporations, just
equitable and efficient means of distribu.
tion direct to the people, at a tax not to
exceed , per cent per annum to be proyid-
ed as set forth in the sub-treasury plan OF
the farmers alliance, or a better system
also by payment in discharge of its obliga,
tions for public improvements.
We demand free and unlimited coinage
of silver and gold at the present legal ratio
of Is to l. We demand that the amount
of circulation medium be speedily increas
ed to not less than $50 per capita. We de
mand graduated income tax. We believe
that the money of the country should b,
kept as much as possible in the hands o
the people, and hence we demand that al
state and national revenues shall be limited
to the necessary expenses of the govern
ment, economically and honestly admins
tered. We demand that the postal saving
banks be established by the government
for the safe deposit of the earnings of tn
people and to facilitate exchange.
Transportation being means of eX
change and public necessity, the govern
ment should own and operate the railroad
in the interest of the people. The tele
graph, telephone, like the post-office sys
TEN, being a necessity for the transmission
of news, should be owned and operated b.
the government in the interest of the pee
pie.
The land, including all the natura
sources of wealth, is the heritage of tn
people and should not be mOnopolized TO
speculative purposes, and alien OWNERSHIP
of land should be prohibited. All Ian
now held by railroads and other corpora
tiOns in excess of their actual needs an
all lands now owned by aliens should
reclaimed by the government and held fo
actual settlers only.