The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1893-11-26
OUR PLATFORM.
ADOPTED BY THE PEOPLES
PARTY AT OMAHA.
Eno Preamble States the Conditions.
the Platform Gives the Kennedy
Land. Money and transportation Re-
form.

Assembled upon the one hundred
and sixteenth anniversary of the Dec
la<ation of Independence, the peoples
party OF America, in their first ma
tional convention. invoking upon their
actions the blessing of Almighty God,
outs forth in the name and on behalf
of the people of the country the fol
lowing preamble and declaration of
principles:
The conditions which surround us
best justify our cooperation; we meet
In the midst of nation brought to
the verge of moral political and ma
terial ruin. Corruption dominates the
ballot box, the legislatures, the con-
gress, and touches even the ermine on
the bench. The people are demoral-
lied; most of the states have been
compelled to isolate the voters at the
polling places to prevent universal in
timidation or bribery. The newspa-
pers are largely subsidized or muzzled,
public opinion silenced, business pros
trated, our homes covered with mort
cages, labor impoverished, and the
land concentrating in the hands of
the capitalists The urban workmen
are denied the right of organization
Esor self-protection; imported pauper-
Ted labor beats down their wages;
hireling army, unrecognized by our
laws, is established to shoot them
down, and they are rapidly degenerat-
Ing into European conditions. The
fruits OF the toll of millions are bodily
stolen to build up colossal fortunes
for few, unprecedented in the history
ofmankind, and the possessors of these
in turn despise the republic and en-
danger liberty. From the 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;
a vast public 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 pur-
chasing 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 A vast con-
spiracy against mankind has been or
I ganized on two continents, and it is
rapidly taking possession of the world.
If not met and ove~thrown at once it
forebodes terrible social commissions,
the destruction of civilization, or the
establishment of an absolute despot-
ism. We have witnessed for more
than quarter of a century the strug-
giles of the two great political parties
for power and plunder, while grievous
wrongs have been inflicted upon the
suffering people. We charge that the
controlling influences dominating both
these parties have permitted the ex-
isting dreadful conditions to develop,
without serious effort to prevent or re-
strain 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 10 drown the outcries of a
plundered people with the uproar of a
sham battle over the tariff, so that
capitalists, corporations, national
banks, rings, trusts, watered stock.
the demonetiza ion of silver. and the
expressions of the usurers may all be
lost sight of. They propose to sacri-
fee our homes. lives, and children on
the altar of mammon; 10 des roy the
multitude in order to secure cOrrup-
ton funds from the miilionaires.
Assembled on the anniversary of the
the spirit of the grand general chief,
who established our independence.
we seek to restore the government of
the republic to the hand of ''the plain
people, with whose class it originated.
We assert our purposes to be identical
with the purposes of the national con-
,Gtitution, to form more perfect union
and esta blish justice, insure domestic
tranquility, provide for the common
defense, promote the general welfare,
and secure the blessings of liberty for
ourselves and our posterity.
We declare that this republic can
only endure as a free government
while built upon the love of the whole
people for each other and for the