The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-10-31
PEOPLES PLATFORM
ADOPTED BY THE CONVENTION
At Omaha, Neb., July 4, 1S92.-Cor.
ruptiOn Dominates the Ballot.
Box, the Legislatures,
and the Congress-.
.l'-lF!7l! 4 /
i ! lIl.n-:::T

Assembled upon the one hundred
and sixteenth anniversary OF the
Declaration OF Independence, the Peo-
pie Party of America, in their first
national convention, invoking upon
their action the blessings of Almighty
God, puts forth in the name, and on
behalf of thc.peoplc 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 nation brought to
the verge of moral ruin. Corruption
dominates the ballot box, the legisla-
lures, the Congress, and touches even
the ermine 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 muzzlcd; public opinion silenced;
business Frustrated; our homes covered
with mortgages: labor impoyerished;
and the land concentrating In
the hands of the capitalists.
right of organization for solf-protec-
down their wages;.a hireling army, I'M
recognized by our law, is established
to shoot them down; and they are
rapidly degenerating into European
conditions. The fruits Of the toll OF
millions arc bodily stolen to build up
colossal fortunes for few, unprece-
denied in the history of mankind, and
the possessors of these in turn despise
the republic and endanger liberty.
From the same prolific womb OF gov
ernmental injustice we breed the two
great classes-tramps and million
aires.
The national power to create money
is appropriated to enrich bondholders;
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
coin since the dawn of history, has
been demonetized to add to the pur-
chasing 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 fat
ten usurers, bankrupt enterprise, and
enslave industry. A vast conspiracy
against mankind has been organized
on two continents, and it is rapidly
| taking possession of the world. II
not met and overthroWn at once 1T
forebodes terrible social commissions,
| the destruction Of civilization, or the
establishment of an absolute despot-
| ism. We have witnessed for more
than a quarter of a century the strug-
| for power and plumber, while grievOus
wrongs have been inflicted upon the
! suffering people. We charge that the
controlling influences domino ting both
these parties have permitted the ex-
listing dreadful conditions to develOpe,
without serious effort to prevent or
restrain them.
Neither do they now promise us any
substantial reform. They have agreed
together to ignore, in the coming
| campaign, every issue but one. They
propose to drown the outcries of plum
dcrcd people with the uproar'Of sham
battle over the tariff; so that capital
lists, corporations, national banks
rings, trusts, watered stock, the de-
monctization of silver, and the oppres
sions of the usurers may all be lost
sight Of. They propose to sacrifice oul
homes, lives and children on the altar
of Mammon; to destroy the multitude
in order to secure corruption funds
from the millionaires. Assembled OF
nation, and filled with the spirit of tn.
grand generation of men, who estab
lished our independence, we seek to re
store the government of the Republic
to the hands of "the plain people,
with whose class it originated. We as
sert our purposes to be identical will
the purpose of the national cOnstitu
tion:-'to form more perfect uniO1
esta blish justice, insure dOmesti
tranquility, provide for the common
defense, promote the general welfare
and secure the blessing Of liberty 70
ourselves and our posterity."
We declare that this republic can on
| " endure as free government Will,
built upon the love of the whole people
for 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 resentment
which grew out of it must die with 1t
and that we must be in fact, as we art
in name, one united brotherhood. GU
country finds itself confronted by con
ditions for which there is no preceden
in the history Of the world. Our an
nual agricultural productions amour
must within few weeks or months b.
exchanged for billions of dollars O
commodities consumed in their pro
duction; the existing currency sup
ply is wholly inadequate to make thi
exchange. The results are fallin,
prices, the formation Of combines an,
rings, and the impoverishment of tn
producing class. We pledge ourselve
that il given power we will labor II
correct these evils by wise and reason
able legislation, in accordance with tn
terms of our platform.
We believe that the powers of gov
ernment-in other words, Of the pee
ple-should be expanded las in tn
case of the post tai service)aS rapidly an,
as far as the good sense of an fntelll
gent people, and the teachings of ex
perience, shall justify; to the end tina
oppression, injustice and poverty shall
eventually cease in tie land.
While our sympathies as party O
reform are naturally upon the side O
every proposition which will tend t
make men intelligent, virtuous an
temperate, we nevertheless regar
these uestiOns-impOrtant as the
areas secondary to the great issue
now pressing for solution; and upo
which not only our individual prosper
ity, but the very existence of free In
situations depends; and we ask al
men to first help us to determin
whether we are to have republic t
administer. before we differ as to tn
conditions upon which it is to be ad
ministered; believing that the force
of reform this day organized vii
never cease to move forward unit