The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1894-02-01
PURE DEMOCRACY.
PEOPLES PaETY PLATFORM.
Adopted at the omaha Conference OF
Laboring People, Jais :. 1851

Adopted at the omaha Conference Of
LaborIng People, Jals :. isa<-
Assembled upon the one hundred
aud sixteenth anniversary 81 tbs
declarations Of independence, the
PEOPLES party OF America, IN their
first national convention. Invoaing
upon their action the blessing OF
Almighty God. puts forth in the
uame apd ou behalf ol the people
Of this country. tAe FOL owing pre-
an bic and declaration ot priueip es;
The condition. which surround rs
best Justify our cooperation. We
cleet IN the midst OF a nation brought
10 the verge of moral, political ami
material ruin. toluptl"n dominates
the ballot box, the legislatures. the
con grrSs. and touches even the ell
mine eli the bench. Tue people are
lemorlized. Most IF the State haze
been compelled TO isolate the voters
at the polling places TO prevent UNI
yersal intimidation or bribery. The
newspa pers are largely subsidized or
muzzelrd, public opinion sllenced
business Frustrated, our homes
covered with mortgages, labor i'm
poyerlshed. and the laud coneentrat-
ing III the bands of the capitalists.
The url an workmen are denied the
right o. organization for self-protec~
ton; imported pauperized labor
beats down their wages: hIrclug
standing army, unrecognlzed by our
laws, is established 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, IN tul II, desplse
the republic and endanger liberty.
From the same prolific mode of gov
ernmental injustice we breed the
two great classes-tramp aud mil
honaireS.
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-
poseiy 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. 1t not met and
overtLorwn at once it forebades ter
rible social commissions, the destruc-
ton Of civilization, or the establish
ment OF an absolute dcspotism.
We have witnessed for more than
ii century the struggles of the two
great political parties for power and
! plumber, while grIeylOus wrongs
nave been inflicted upon the suffer
ing people. We charge that the
! controlling influences dominating
both these parties have permitted
the eXising dreadful conditions tC
develop without serious effort tC
prevent or refrain them. Neither dc
they now promise US any substantial
reform. They have agreed together
to ignor IN the coming campaign
every issue but one. They propose
to drown the Outcries of plundereC
people with the uproar Of a shan
battle over the tariff, so that capl
tallsts, corporations, national banks
ring, trust, watered stock, the de
monetization af silver and the op
presslons of the usurers may all bt
lost sight of. They propose to sac
rltice 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 o
the birthday of the nation. and tilleC
with the spirit of the grand genera
ton who esta blished our independ
ence, we seek to restore the govern
ment of the republic to the hands o
1.-THE plain people," with which elias
it originated.
THR WAR IS OVER.
We assert our purposes to b.
identical with the purposes of tn
national cOnstitution-'TO form
more perfect union, establish justice
insur domestic tranquility, provid
for the common defense, promote
the general welfare and secure tn
blessings of liberty for ourselve
and cur posterity." We declare tina
| this republic can only endure as
free government while built upon
the love of the whole people 70
each other and for the nation: tina
it cannot be pinned together by bay
onets; that the civil war is over, ant
that every passion and resentmen
which grew out of it must die Will
it, and that we must be in fact. a
We are IN name, one united brother
hood of freemen.
| Our country finds itself confronted
by conditions for which the is M
precedent in the history of til,
world-our annual agricultural pro
auctions amount to billions Of dol
lars III value, which must within
few weeks or months be exchanged
for billions of dollars OF eOmmoditiei
consumed in their production; tn,
existing currency supply is who'll,
/ annat2 n 10
the results are falling prices, th'
formation of combines and ring,
and the impoverishment of the pro
ducing classes. We pledge ourselve:
that il given power We Will Ia Dor I,