The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-01-24
PEOPLES PLATFORM
ADOPTED By THE CONVENTION
At Omaha. Neb., July q. 1892.
Corruption Dominates the
BallOt-Box, the Legisla.
lures, Congress.


peoples party of America, in their
drst 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
eest justify our cooperation; we
meet in the midst Of a nation
brought to the verge of moral. polit-
teal and material ruin. Corruption
dominates the ballot box. the legis-
latures, the congress, and touches
even the ermine on the bench. The
people are dcmOraliZed; mosfsof the
states have been compelled to Isolate
ene voters at the polling places to
prevent universal intimidation OF
bribery. The newspapers are largely
subsidlZed or mCzZled public opinion
silenced, business Frustrated, our
homes covered with mortgages, labor
impoverished, and the land concen-
5rating in the hands of the capital
asts. The urban wOrkmen are de-
0ied the right of organization for
elf-protection; imported pauperizcd
labor beats down irwages; a hire
Ing army, unrecognized by our law,
g established to shoot them down
and they are rapidly degenera ting
into European conditions. The
fruits Of the toll of millions are bod,
lily stolen to build up colossal for
sunes for few, unprecedented in
she history of mankind, ana the pos
SCISSORS of these in turn despise the
republic and endanger liberty. From
Che same prolific womb of govern
mental injustice we breed the two
great clasSeS-trampS and million
sires.
The national power to create mon
~ is appropriated to enrich bond
holders; a vast public debt, payable
ia legal tender currency, has been
funded into god-bearing bonds.
thereby adding millions to the bur
aens of the people.
Silver, which has been accepted as
coin since the dawn of history, has
been demonetiZed to add to the pur-
chasing power Of gold, by decreasing
she value of all forms of property as
well as human labor, ard the supply
Of currency is purposely abridged to
tatten usurers, bankrupt enterprise,
and enSlave industry. A vast con-
apiracy against mankind has been Or
gained on two continents and it is
eapidly taking possession Of the
world. If not met and overthrown
ut once it foreboGes terrible social
commissions, the destruction.o civil
liza alton, or the esta blishment Of an
absolute despotiSm. We have wit
1essed for more than a quarter of a
century the struggles of the two
great political parties for power and
Hunder while grievOus wrongs have
been inflicted upon the suffering peo-
gle, We charge that the controlling
Influences dominating both these
parties have permitted the existing
dreadful conditions to develop,
without serious effort to prevent or
restrain them.
Neither do they now promise us
eny substantial reform. They have
ggreed together to ignore, in the
coming campaign, every issue but
ene. They propose to drown the out
3ries of plundered people with the
aprOar of d sham battle over the tar
Ii, SO that capitalists, corporations,
rational banks, rings, trusts, Watered
stock, the decentralization 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
lQnaiers. Assembled on the anniyer-
s3Ty OF the birthday Of the nation,
and filled with the spirit of the grand
EaneraI in chief, who est blished
sur Independence, we seek to restore
me government Of the republic to
The hands OF "the plain people, !"
Rith whose class it originated. We
9asert our purposes to be Identical
with the purpose Of the national con-
zVitution. to form a more perfect
eciOn and establish justice, insure
domestic tranquility, provide for the
common defense, promote The gener-
al welfare, and secure the blessings
vi liberty for ourselves and our pos
terity.
We declare that this republic can
saly endure as free government
chile built upon the love Of the
whole people for each other and for
S6e nation; that it cannot be pinned
together 10y bayOnetS, th?t the civil
war is over and that every passion
aud resentment which grew out OF it
aust die with it, and that we must
50 in fact, as we are in name, one
Inited brotherhood. Our country
5nds itself confronted by conditions
for which there is no precedent in
she 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
consumed in their production; the ex-
fsting currency supply is wholly in
adequate to make this exchange.
The results are falling prices, the
formation Of combines and rings,
she impoverishmen of the produc-
inc class. We pledge ourselves that
II given power we will labor to cor
yect these evils by wise and reason
able legislation in accordance with
The terms of our platform.
We believe that the powers Of gov
srnment-in other words, of the peo-
ple-should be expanded las in the
case of the postal service) as rapidly
&c far as the good sense of an intelli-
gent people and the teachings of eX-
perience shall justify to the end that
oppression, injustice and poverty