The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1894-02-02

J.
good citizens to corporate with ns in
our efforts to have enacted into law the
principles and reforms contained Gin the.
subjoined declaration OF principles.
PtRAMt3LE.
The people OF the United States in.
habit country the natural resources of
which should make them the most for.
tunate and prosperous people in the
world. Not only has'nature abundaut,y
provided for our wants, but our fore
fathers have bequeathed to US an instru-
ment OF government which is conceded
to be the best that has ever been devised
by man. With perfect natural resources
on the one hand aud An almost perfect
government and constitution to assist
nature on the other, it is evident that
prosperity contentment and happiness
should obtain throughout the length
and breadth of our land among the peo-
pie, and that want and misery and
originality in such a country and
among such people would be uecessar-
lily reduced to minimum. But such
10 not the condition of the American
people today. The very opposite obtains
and within the confines of every COM
munity ia the land. starvation is playing
havoc among the families of strong and'
honest workipgmen, who are begging
for work, but who are unable to procure
it. In land Of plenty, with our gran
aries and store houses filled to over.
flowing, we find 10 almost every NUM-
cipality organized charitable institutions
trying in vain to prevent deaths,
suicides, rapine and murders, the result
of vicious and corrupt legislation, under
- nh 49,
brethren have been reduced to cOndi
starve. The millions Of our people who
are now experiencing the excruciating
papgs If hunger and tho miseres of
poverty, can never be adequately COM
D nsated for the sufferiugs which have
been uniustly and unnecessarily visited
upon them, but if the honest, earnest
and patriotic citizens OF our country
will stand forth in the sunlight of truth
and independence, the great wrongs un-
der which our people are starving and
deteriorating at the present time, can
be effaced and An era of abundance and
iovousness ushered in for the future.
We assert that the time has come for
organized labor in behalf of itself, in
behalf of downtrOdden millions of
human beings, in behalf of the American
constitution, and in behalf OF liberty
itself, to take united and decisive politi-
cal action. We charge the republican
and democratic parties with the full
responsibility of the deplorable condi-
tions which prevail throughout our
country. We charge that majority
of the representatives OF both the old
political parties are owned, controlled
and directed by the gold kings OF
Europe and America, and we assert
that q complete reformation OF either
tho republican or democratic parties in
tho interest Of the producers is absolute
ly impossible. Taking it for granted
that union men and other patriotic
citizens who are imbned with desire to
right the wrongs Of an oppressed people,
and who wish to preserve American
institutions and American liberty will
never cooperate again with those politi-
cal parties that have betrayed the
people, we appeal to them to array
themselves with that political party
which for the past two years has been
battling for union principles, union
interests and union men, whose mission
is to secure "equal justice to all, " whose
ranks are being fled by the patriots of
the country, whose platform we adopt
aud upon whose banner is inscribed the
talismanic title "THB PEOPLES PARTY"
PLATFORM
1. We demand national currency.
safe, sound and flexible, issued by the
general government only. full legal
tender for al debts public and private,
and without the use of banking corpor-
atoms; and just, equitable aud efficient
means OF distribution direct to the
people, at tax not to exceed 2 per cent
per aunum, but provided as set forth in
the sub:treasury plan of the Farmers
Alliance. or some better system: also by