Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1894-07-19
DEMANDS OF rAe Peoples Party

DEMANDS or THE PEOPLES PARTY.
There are many people in South
western Wisconsin who do not know
what the demands Of the peoples party
are. / shall not at this writing, point
out fully. those that are 10 blame for
this lack of knowledge among the
majority of voters, of the objects of
those VINO have long been working up
this great and growing movement.
But tor many years it he's been the
practice of those having the charge of
the great magazines Ike The
Chicago Herald and New Y ork Tribune,
to assert that the demands of the
peoples party though good in some
respects, are $50 crude that the mass
es do not seem TO grasp their mean
ing" Yet, at the same time they are
very careful not to tell in the language
of the peoples party people, and in
that connection, what these demands
are. And most Of the country
p4pers' have echoed "crude, and
they too have admitted that there are
''some good points in these demands,
but further than to publish the plat
torn once, these do not st tie the
demands again And within the last
few mouths have found several editors
who say that they do not know what
the demands of this party are and they
want TO know and that they want their
readers TO know what these demands
or desires are.
For twelve years last past this party
Called by various Dames) has had the
plainest, most unequiYocal and clear
cut platform of any party in this ma
ton. AS briefly MS possible for this
time. | will paraphrase some of the
platform: We say that all mohopolies
should become public monopolies. The
object being to establish system OF
Just exchanges to take the place of the
system of unjust exchanges now pre-
vailing and that results in the monstr-
ously 'non-equitable distribution of
the good things in life; such distribu-
ton as we now have. And which is
the sole cause of all the woe we now
endure.
But hope we have sense and wisdom
enough to know that il is useless to
lily 10 lIdh6 laws bhul viii lCoulb III
an equitable distribution OF wealth
while wB yet have a system of unjust
exchanges OF course laws can be
made to modify vicious system; in
tensify its bad effects or TO relax them.
That is. with such q system, we may
increase or decrease the degree of the
resulting injustice and cruelty by leg
islatiou, but we cannot obtain lust re-
suits from the use of such q system.
The unjust disiriE dtion Of wealth
now complained Of in this and all other
countries, is the result of the system of
exchanges now used; and the result is
bad because the system is not a just
system. But after we have convinced
our neighbors that the distribution
is not au equitable one, we have done
all we can do on that line. so long as
we tolerate a system of unjust ex
changes. the result will ever be non
equitable.
Our system of exchanges is exceed
ingIy unjust. The result is equally as
unjust. 1t can never be otherwise.
who is to blamep"
In one sense, none of us.
In another sense all of us are to
blame, and all must suffer till we learn
better till we come up higher morally.
And when we shall become moral
enough to desire system of just ex-
changes, we shall invent and establish
such a system. And the result of ex-
changing by such system must be
and it will be an equitable distribu-
ton of wealth in spite of any who
might try to prevent its being so.
One of these demands is that the
issuing of money must be done wholly
by the national monopoly of that busl-
ness. That the profits on the making
and the management of the money
shall be the profits of the nation.
We demand that our money shall be
made safe and convenient, and that it
shall be kept as abundant as we keep
postage stamps, $50 per capita is the
limit tor circulation that has been de-
manded in our platforms. And we
know why and we can tell why
it should never be any more difficult TO
get money than it is TO get postage
stamps.
On the transportation or railroad
queSlOD. Inc people party OemaDuS
that transportation being u means of
exchange and a public necessity" the
nation should own the railroad and it
should operate them through lis sppli-
ance, the government. The nation is
the people in COLLECTIVELY.
The government is OF their creations,
simply al appliance to be used for
he equal benefit Of all the people.
Heretofore, the few have used this
appliance as they have willed But
hereafter they shall not so use it.
w. II. HOLFoRD
Ter nE DaTrnTG