The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1893-10-26
n H DEMOCRACY.
rrorrt.srARTy PLATFORM.
Admitted At the Omaha Conference at
l,,rtur People, Jaly =. 1899.


Assembled upon the one hundred
and sixteenth anniversary oil the
declaration of independence the
Peoples party OF America, IN Iheir
first national convention, lnN"kihe
upon their action the blessing "t
Almighty God. puts forth IN the
nam, and on behalf of the people
of this country, the following pre-
amblr and declaration ot prln'lpit>:
The conditions which surround "a
best Justify cur cooperation. We
meet IN the midst of a nation brought
to the verge of moral, political ana
material ruin. tori upton dominates
the ballot box. the legislatures. the
congress, and touches even the Ell
mine of the bench. The people are
demorlized. Most of the State have
been compelled to isolate the voters
at the polling places to prevent UNI
yersal intimidation or bribery. Inc
newspapers are largely subsidized or
muzzeled, public opinion sllenced,
business Frustrated, our homes
covered with mortgages, labor I'M
poyerlshed, and the land eoncentrat-
ing in the hands of the capitalists.
The urban workmen are denied the
right of organization for self-protec-
ton; imported pauperized labor
beats down their wages; hlreltng
standing army, unrecogmZed by our
laws, is esta blished 10 shoot them
down, and they are rapidly degener-
ating into European conditions. The
fruits of the toll of millions are
bodily stolen TO build up colossal
fortunes for few, unprecedented
in the history of mankind, and the
possessors of these, III turn, desplse
the republic and endanger liberty.
From the same prolific mode of gov
ernmental injustice We breed the
two great classes--tramps aud mil
lionaires.
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.
THE OLD PARTIES ARRAIGNED.
Silver which has been accepted as
coin since the dawn of history, has
been demonetized to add to the
purchasing power of gold by de-
creasing the value of all forms of
property, as well as human labor,
and the supply of currency is pur
posely abridged to fatten usurers,
bankrupt enterprises and enslave
industry. A vast conspiracy against
mankind has been organized on two
continents and is rapidly taking pos
session of the world. If not met and
overthorwn at once it forebodes ter
rible social commissions, the destruc-
ton Of civilization, or the establish
ment OF an absolute despotism.
We have witnessed for more than
a century the struggles of the two
great political parties for power and
plumber, while grievious wrongs
have been inflicted upon the suffer
ing people. We charge that the
controlling influences dominating
both these parties have permitted
the exising dreadful conditions to
develop without serious effort to
prevent or refrain them. Neither do
they now promise Jus any substantial
reform. They have agreed together
to ignor In the coming campaign
every issue but one. They propose
to drown the Outcries of plundered
people with the uproar of sham
battle over the tariff, so that capl-
tallsts, corporations, national banks,
ring, trust, watered stock, the de-
mOnetizatlon af silver and the OPP
pressions OF the usurers may all be
lost sight Of. They propose to sac
rifice our homes, wives and children
on the alter of Mammon; to destroy
the multitude in order to secure cor
ruption funds from the million
aries.
Assembled on the anniversary of
the birthday of the nation, and filed
with the spirit of the grand genera
ton who established our independ-
ence, we seek to restore the govern
ment of the republic to the hands of
1.-The plain people," with which class
1t originated.
THR WAR IS OVER.
we assert our purposes to be
identical with the purposes of the
national constitution-"To form a
more perfect union, establish Justice.
lnsur 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 nation: that
1t cannot be pinned together by bay
onets; that the civil war is over. and
that every passion and resentment
which grew out of it must die with
1t, and that We must be in fact. as
we are In name, one united brother
hood of freemen.
Our country finds itself confronted
oy conditions for which there is no
precedent in the history Of the
world-our annual agricultural pro-
ductlons amount to billions of dol
lars In value, which must within a
lew weeks or months be exchanged
for billions of dollars of commodities
consumed in their production; the
existing currency supply is wholly
inadequate to make this exchange:
the results are falling prices, tn. |
formation of combines and rings
and the impoverishment of the pro-
ducing classes. We pledge ourselves
that II given power we will labor to
correct these evils by wise and reas.
enable legislation in accordance
with the terms of our platform.
we oeieve that the power of gov
eInm ent-ln other words, of the peo-
be expanded (as in the
case the postal service) as rapidly as
far as the good sense of an intelI,-
gent people and the TEACHINGS of ax