The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1893-09-06
PEOPLES PLATFORM
ADOPTED By THE CONVENTION
At Omaha, Neb., July 4, 1892.
Corruption Dominates the
Ballot.Box, the Legisla-
lures, Congress.

Assembled upon the one hundred
and sixteenth anniversary of the
Declaration Of Independence, the
peoples party Of America, in their
1rst national convention, invoking
upon their action the blessing Of Al
mighty God, puts forth in the name
and on behalf Of the people of the
country the following preamble and
declaration of principles:
The conditions which surround US
best justify our cooperation; we
meet in the midst Of a nation
brought to the verge of moral, polit-
zeal and material ruin. Corruption
dominates the ballot box, the 1egis-
hturss, the congress, and touches
even tho ernine on the bench. The
people are demoralized; most of the
states have been compelled to isolate
the voters at the polling places to
prevent universal intimidation or
bribery. The newspapers are largely
subsidized or muzzled public opinion
eilencod, business Frustrated, our
homes covered with mortgages, labor
impoverished, and the land concen-
trating in the hands Of the capital
lsts. The urban workmen are de-
Ned the right of organization for
oo3f-prOtectiOn; imported pauperized
Abor beats down their wages; hire
Ing army, unrecOgnized by our law,
= esta blished to shoot them down
ead they are rapidly degenerating
into European conditions. The
fruits Of the toll of millions are bod
~ stolen to build up colossal for
tunes for a few, unprecedented in
the history of mankind, and the pos
SCISSORS of these in turn despise the
republic and endanger liberty. From
The same prolific womb of govern
mental injustice we breed the two
great claSSeS-trampS and million
Tires.
The national power to create mon
~ is appropriated to enrich bond
holders; vast public debt, payable
funded into gold-bearing bonds,
tAereby adding millions to the bur
1sns of the people.
Silver, which has been accepted as
1ein since the dawn Of history, has
been demonetized to add to the pur-
fAasing power Of gold, by decreasing
the value Of all forms Of property as
we'll as human labor, and the supply
Of currency is purposely abridyeu to
fAtten uSurerS, bankrupt enterprise,
cad enslave industry. A vast con-
0iracy against mankind has been or
6anized on two continents and it is
yhpidly taking possession of the
world. II not met and OverthrOwn
q once it forebodes terrible social
eeavulsions, the destruction of civil
txatiOn, or the esta blishment Of an
absolute despotism. We have wit
Aessed for more than quarter of a
century the struggles of the two
0Reat political parties for power and
under, while grievouS wrongs have
Aeen inflicted upon the suffering peo-
-. We charge that the controlling
Influences dominating both these
DArties have permitted the existing
dreadful conditions to develop,
without serious effort to prevent or
restrain them.
Neither do they now promise us
cay substantial reform. They have
agreed together to ignore, in the
coming campaign, every issue but
enc. They propose to drown the out
oRiss of plundered people with the
pproar of q sham battle over the tar
u, 20 that capitalists, corporations,
national banks, rings, trusts, watered
OtOck, the demonstration Of silver,
And the expressions of the usurers
may all be lost sight Of. They pro-
pose to sacrifice our homes, lives and
children on the altar Of mammOn; to
destroy the multitude in order to Sc
cure corruption funds from the mil
AonaierS. Assembled on the anniver-
cary of the birthday Of the nation,
and flied with the spirit of the grand
general in chief, who established
bar independence, we seek to restore
Ne government of the republic to
tho hands of "the plain people"
With whose class it originated. We
oasert our purposes to be identical
With the purpose of the national con-
oektution, to form more perfect
union and establish justice, insure
domestic tranquility, provide for the
common defense, promote the gener-
Al welfare, and secure the blessings
a liberty for ourselves and our pos
terity.
We declare that this republic can
saly endure as a free government
While built upon the love of the
whole people for each other and for
~ nation; that it cannot be pinned
together by bayonets, that the civil
war is over and that every passion
and resentment which grew out of it
must die with it, and that we must
b in fact, as we are in name, one
united brotherhood. Our country
finds itself confronted by conditions
lor which there is no precedent in
ths history of the world. Our
annual agricultural productions
amount to billions of dollars in
value, which must within a few
weeks or months be exchanged for
billions Of dollars of commodities
ee0sumed in their production; the ex-
teting currency supply is wholly in
adequate to make this exchange.
The results are falling prices, the
formation of combines and rings,
the Impeachment of the produc-
tpg class. We pledge ourselves that
II given power We will labor to cor
Rect these evils by wise and reason
eAle legislation in accordance with
We terms Of our platform.
We believe that the powers Of gov
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