The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1894-03-15
Pure DEMOCRACY.
PEOPLES PARTY PLATFORM.


Adopted at the Omaha Conference of
Isboring People. July I, 1899
Assembled upon the one hundred
and sixteenth anniversary of the
declaration % independence, the
People's party OF America. IN th~ir
first national convention. invo king
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-
am BILE 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, political aud
material ruin. Con upton dominates
the ballot box. the legislatures. the
congr, -, and touches even the Ell
mine OF the bench. The people are
demorlized. Most of the State have
been compelled 10 isolate the voters
AT the polling places to prevent uni
versal intimidation or bribery. The
newspapers are largely subsidized or
muzzeled, public opinion sllenced
business Frustrated, our homes
covered with mortgages, labor i'm
poyerished, and the land concentrat-
ing III the hands of the capitalists.
The urban workmeH are denied the
right Of organizations for self-protec-
ton; imported pauperized labor
beats down their wages; a hlrelug
standing army. unrecUgnlZed 10y our
laws. is established 10 shoot them
down, and they are rapidly degener-
ating into European conditions. The
fruits of the toll of millions are
bodily stolen to build up colossal
fortunes for few, nprecedeuted
in the history of mankind, and the
possessors of these, in turn, despise
the republic and endauser liberty.
From the same prolific mode of gov
ernmental injustice We breed the
two great classes-tramps aud mil
liOpaires,
The national power to create
money is appropriated to enrich
bondholders. y vast public debt
payable in legal tender currency has
been funded into gold bearing
bonds, thereby adding millions to
the burdens of the people.
THE OLD PARTIES ARRAIGNED.
Silver which has been accepted as
coin since the dawn of history, has
been demonetized to add to the
purchasing power of gold by de-
creaging the value of All forms of
property, as well as human labor,
and the supply of currency is pur-
posely abridged to fatten usurers,
| bankrupt enterprises and enslave
industry. A vast conspiracy against
mankind has been organized on two
continents and is rapid Y taking pos
session Of the world. If not met and
overthorwn at once it forebodes ter
rible social commissions, the destruc-
ton of civilization, or the estd blish-
ment of an absolute despotism.
We have witnessed for more than
a century the struggles of the two
great political parties for power and
plumber, while grievious wrongs
have been inflicted upon the suffer
ing people. We charge that the
controlling Influences dominating
both these parties have permitted
the exising dreadful conditions to
develop without serious effort to
| prevent or refrain them. Neither do
they now promise JUS any substantial
reform. They have agreed together
to ignor IN the coming campaign
every issue but one. They propose
to drown the outcries of plundered
people with the uprOar Of sham
battle over the tariff, so that capl-
talists, corporations, national banks,
ring, trust, watered stock, the de-
monetizatiOn af silver and the OPP
presslons OF the usurers may all be
lost sight Of. TAey propose to sac
rIice our homes, wives and children
on the alter of Mammon; to destroy
| the multitude in order to secure cor
| ruption funds from the million
aries.
Assembled on the anniversary of
the birthday Of the nation. and filed
with the spirit of the grand genera
ton who established our independ-
ence, VIC see k to restore the govern
ment of the republic to the hands OF
1.-The plain people," with which class
! 1t originated.
THE WAR IS OVER.
We assert our purposes to be
identical with the purposes Of the
national constitution-"TO form a
more perfect union, establish justice,
insur domestic tranquility, provide
for the common defense, promote
the general welfare and secure the
blessings Of liberty for ourselves
and our posterity." We declare that
this republic can only endure as a
free government while built upon
the love of the whole people for
each other and for the nation: that
it cannot DE pinned together by bay
onets; that the civil Ear is over, and
that every passion and resentment
| which grew ont of it must die with
| it, and that we must be in fact, as
we are IN name, one united brother
| hood of freemen.
Our country finds itself confronted
| by conditions for which there is no
precedent in the history of the
world-our annual agricultural pro-
auctions amount to billions OF dol
lars ia vaine, which must within a
few weeks or months be exchanged
for billions Of dollars OF commodities
consumed in their production; the
existing currency supply is wholly