The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1894-07-18
Peoples Party Platform.
Preamble aud Platform Adopted by the
Peoples Party Convention at Omaha on
July 4th.
PREAMBLE.

national convention, invoking upon their
! action the blessing of Almighty God, puts
forth in the name and on behalf of the
| people of this country the following pre-.
amble and declaration of principles:
! The conditions which surround US best
| Justify us our cooperation; we meet in the
midst of nation brought to the verge OF
| moral, political, and material ruin. Cor
ruption dominates the ballot box. the leg
! islatures, the congress. and touches even
the ermine of the bench. The people are
| demorilized; most Of the States have been
| compelled to isolate the voters at the pol
| ling places to prevent universal intilnlda-
| ton and bribery. The newspapers are
largely subsidized or muzzled; public opin-
| ion silenced; business prostrated our
| homes covered with mortgages; labor I'M
| poverished and the lands concentrating III
! the hands of the capitalists. The urban
workmen are denied the right of organlZa-
ton for self protection; imported pauper-
lzed labor beats down their wages; hlri-
ing standing army, recognized by our laws,
is established to shoot them down; and
they are rapidly degeneratlng into Euro
pean conditions. The fruits of the toll
Of millions are boldly stolen to build up
colossal fortunes for few, unprecedented
in the history Of mankind; and The posses
sors of these, in turn, despise the republic
and endanger liberty. From the same pro-
life womb of governmental injustice we
breed the two great classes-trampS and
millionaires The national power to Gre
ate money is appropriated to enrich bond
holders. 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.
Silver, which has been accepted as com
since the dawn of history, has been de-
monetized to add to the purchasing 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
abridged to fatten usurers, bankrupt enter
prises and enslave industry. A vast con-
spiracy against mankind has been organ
lied on two continents, and it is rapidly
taking possession of the world. If not
met and overthrown at once it forbodes ter
rble commissions, the destruction OF clylll-
zation, or the establishment OF absolute
despotism,
We have witnessed for more than quar-
ter of a century the struggles OF the two
great political parties for power and pun
der, while grievous wrongs have been IN
| hicted upon suffering people. We charge
that the controlling influences dominating
both these parties have permitted the exist
| ing dreadful conditions to develop without
| serious efforts to prevent or restrain them.
| Neither do they now promise US any suo-
stanlial reform. They have agreed to-
gether to ignore, in the coming issue but
| one. They pl oppose to drown the outcries
| of plundered people with the uproar OF a
sham battle over the tariff, so that the cap
itahsts, corporations, national banks,
| rings, trusts, watered stocks, the demonetl-
zation Of silver and the expressions of the
usurers may all be lost sight OF. They pro.
| pose to sacrifice our homes, lives and chill
dren on the altar of mammon; to destroy
the multitude in order to secure corrup-
ton funds from the milhonaires.
Assembled on the anniversary Of the
birthday of the nation and filed with the
spirit of the grand generation who estab
hshed our independence, we seek our IN
dependence, we seek t restore the govern
ment OF the republic to the hands O
''the plain people" with whose class i
originated.
| We assert our purposes to be identica
with the purposes OF the national constitu
| ton, ITO form more perfect union, es
tabiish Justice, insure domestic tranquility
provide for the common defense, promote
the general welfare. and secure the bless
ings of liberty for ourselves and our pos
terity."
We declare that this republic can on!.
endure as a free government while bull
upon the love Of the whole people for eacl
other and for the nation; that it cannot b.
pinned together by bayonets; that the civi
war is over, and that every passion and re
sentiment which grew out of it must dl
with it, and that We must be in fact, as VI
are in name, one united brotherhood o
free men.
Our country finds itself confronted b,
conditions for which there is no preceden
in the history of the world; our annual ag
ricultural productions amount to billions
of dollars in value, which must within
few weeks or months be exchanged for bill
lions of dollars OF commodities consumed
in their production; the existing currenc,
supply is wholly inadequate to make thl
exchange: the results are falling prices
the formation of combines and rings ant
the impoverishment Of the producing class
We pledge ourselves that, If given power
We will labor to correct these evils by Wis
and reasonable legislation in accordance
with the terms of our platform. We be
lieve that the powers of governmental
other words, of the people should be ex
panded las in the case OF the postal service
as rapidly and as far as the good sense o
an intelligent people and the the teachings
Of experience shall justify to the end thai
oppression, injustice and poverty shall
eventually cease in the land
While our sympathies as party OF re
form are naturally upon the side of every
! proposition that Will tend to make men In
telligent, virtuous and temperate, we never
theless regard these questions important
AS they are as s condary to the great issues
now pressing for solution, and upon which
not only our individual prosperity, but the
verv existence of free institution depend
and We all ask men to first help US to de-
termine whether We are to have republic,
to administer, before we differ as to the
| conditions upon which it is to be admins.
tered; believing that the forces Of reform
this day organized will never cease to move
forward until every wrong is remedied,
equal privileges securely established for all
| men and women of the county,
| We declare, therefore,
First-That the nnion of the labor
forces of the United States this day con
sun mated shall be permanent and perpet-
ual may its spirit enter into all hearts for
the salvation of the republic and the up
lifting of mankind.
Second Wealth belongs to him who Gre
ates it and every dollar taken from indus
try without an equivalent is robbery. I'll
any man will not work, neither shall he
eat" The interests OF rural and civic labor
ire the same; their enemies are identical.
Third-We believe that the time has
come when the railroad corporations will
either own the people or the people must
own the railroads, and should the govern.
ment enter upon the work OF owning and
managing any or ali railroads, we should
| favor an amendment to the constitution by
which all persons engaged in the govern
ment service shall be placed under civil
| service regulation of the most rigid charac-
| ter. so as to prevent the increase OF the
| power of the national administration by
the use of such additional government en-
| ployees.
We demand that national currency, safe,
sound and flexible, issued by the general