The advocate., 1892-03-23
THE ST. LOUIS PLATFORM.
THE ADDRESS.

Organized industry--a In nation
al congress, invoking upon its action the
blessing and protection Of Almighty God,
puts forth, to and for the producers OF
this nation, this declaration of union and
independence:
The conditions which surround us best
justify our cooperation. We meet In the
midst Of a nation brought to the verge OF
moral, political and material ruin. Cor
ruption dominates the ballot box, the
legislatures, the Congress, and touches
even the ermine Of the bench. The peo-
ple are demorallzed. Many Of the states
have been compelled to isolate the voters
at the polling places in order to prevent
universal intimidation or bribery. The
newspapers are subsidized or muzzled;
public opinion sllenced; business pros
trated; our homes covered with mort
cages; labor impoverished, and the land
concentrated in the hands Of capitalists.
The uban workmen are denied the right
of organization for self protection; Inn
ported pauperlzsd labor beats down their
wages; a hirellng standing army, un-
recognized by our laws, Is established to
shoot them down, and they are rapidly
degenerating to European conditions.
The fruits Of the toll OF the millions are
boldly stolen to build up colossal for
tunes, unprecedented In the history OF
the world, while the possessOrS despise
the republic and endanger liberty. From
the same prolific womb Of governmental
injustice we breed the two great classes
-paupers and millionaires. The national
power to create money Is appropriated to
enrich bondholders; 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, as
we'll as human labor; and the supply of
currency Is purposely abridged to fatten
usurers, bankrupt enterprise and enslave
industry. A vast conspiracy against man
kind has been organized on two cont
nents, and Is taking possession of the
world. If not met and overthrown at
once, it forebodes terrible social convul-
sions, the destruction of civilization or
the establishment Of an absolute despot-
ism. In this crisis Of human affairs the
intelligent working people and producers
of the United States have come together,
In the name of peace, order and society,
to defend liberty, prosperity and justice.
We declare our union and lndepend-
ence. We assert our purpose to vote with
that political organization which repre-
sents our principles. We charge that
the controlling influences dominating the
old political parties have allowed the ex-
istlng dreadful conditions to develope
without serious effort TO restrain or pre-
vent them. Neither do they now intend
to accomplish reform. They have agreed
together to ignore in the coming cam
paign every issue but one. They pro-
pose to drown the outcries Of plum
dered people with the uproar OF sham
battle over the tariff, so that corporations,
national banks, rings, trusts, "watered
Stocks" the demoDetization Of silver,
and the expressions of usurerS may all be
lost sight of. They propose to sacrifice
our homes and children upon the altar
Of mammon-to destroy the hopes OF the
multitude In order to secure corruption