The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1893-10-04
MASSACHUSETTS, TOO.

The State Populist Convention Demands
the Issue of Absolute, Inconvertible Pa
per Money.
The Massachusetts state populist
convention held at Lynn, September
6, adopted the following plank:
1--WE emphasize the insuficiency of
the circulating medium for the bust
ness needs of the country. We insist
that the refusal of congress, while re-
pealing the purchasing clause of the
Sherman act, to give to silver any
money function, plainly proves that
both the old parties are determined to
force upon us the single gold standard.
The worlds exchanges increase several
times as fast as the supply of gold
available for coinage. Thus, on gold
basis, the purchasing power of the dol
lar is increased, the debtor robbed and
the creditor enriched by vicious and
arbitrary change in the contract, time
obligations made contingent on the
luck of the miner and the Vaccinations
of spectators, and periodical panics
precipitated in land of plenty We
believe that the time has come to take
the nations money completely out of
the realm of private speculation
and to look to Washington and not
London for stable conditions of COM
merce. If silver is to be permanently
deprived of it's money function, gold
also should be demonetized; and there
fore, we call for system of legal ten
der treasury notes, issued only by the
government, to be irredeemable except
as they are receivable for government
dues and regulated in volume as the
market price of commodities may indi-
cate, so that the supply of money shall
keep pace with the legitimate demands
of business and demoralizing fluctua-
tions in the purchasing power of the
dollar cease forever In default of
such an issue of legal tender notes, we
favor free coinage of silver as afford
ing with gold a more honest money
than gold alone. We demand a postal
bank system for deposit and exchange,
in which thirty-day notices would not
apply nor depositors checks be refused
payment until confidence is restored
And we condemn the perpetuation and
ext "nsion to private corporations of the
power of issuing money, which is the
proper function of the government.
For the deplorable condition of af-
fairs now existing in the coal mining
regions of southeastern Kansas. the
Massachusetts, populists demand the
only true and rational remedy. They
say:
''As protection against monopoly is
the right of every citizen, we call for
the assumption by the government as
soon as practicable of the ownership of
the railroads, which as now conducted
are little short of chartered conspira-
cies against the peace and prosperity
of the people; and we especially urge
that steps be taken to acquire coal
mines that are at present exploited by
combinations of capitalists, and that
federal system of mining and coal
distribution be Immediately estab-
lished"
The platform further recommends
state and national supervision and con-
troll of the liquor tariff. protests against
municipal contract labor system, and
demands that civil-service rules be
applied to all public employees; favors
universal workday of eight hours and
full municipal suffrage for women;
demands such laws as shall compel the
wealthy holders of personal property
to pay their share of the taxes; favors
the multiplication of all local utili-
ties. such as furnishing of gas elect
richly, water, street railway transpor-
tation, ETC., and favors election laws
which shall place upon equality all
political parties or organizations in the
selection of candidates and the placing
of their names on the official ballot.
-"Banks smash, post offices do not.
Let us have postal savings banks" says
the Farmers Tribune, Gen. Weaver's
paper. Let us have government banks
of issue, loan and discount. That will
solve this seemingly intricate financial
problem, and nothing else will. Postal
savings banks are a cowardly humbug,
or would be.-Cotton Plant.