The representative., 1894-02-14
PEOPLES PLATFORM
ADOPTED BIZ THE CONVENTION
At Omaha. Neb., July q, 1892.
Corruption Dominates the
ballot-Box, the Legisla.
lures, Congress.

DaAlot.box, the Legisla.
lures, Congress.
Assembled upon the one hundred
and sixteenth anniversary of the
declaration Of Independence, the
peoples party of America, in their
orst 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
sest justify our cooperation; we
peet in the midst of a nation
?rought to the verge of moral, polit-
tcal and material ruin. CorruptiOn
9ominates the ballot box, the legis-
tatureS, the congress, and touches
even the erm1ne on the bench. The
people are demOralized; most of the
ctates nave been compelled to isolate
sne voters at the polling places to
prevent universal intimidation or
oriDery. The newspapers are largely
subsidized or muzzled public opinion
2llenced, business Frustrated, our
Pomes covered with mortgages, labor
impoverished, and the land cOncen-
2rating In the hands of the capital
tsts: The urban workmen are de-
Aied the right of organization for
eelf-protectiOn; imported pauperized
labor beats down their wages; hire
ling army, unrecognized by our law,
- established to shoot them down
fnd they are rapidly degenerating
tnt0 European conditions. The
fruits Of the toll of millions are bod
tly stolen to build up colossal for
tunes for a few, unprecedented in
Che history Of mankind, and 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
1ires.
The national power to create mon
~ Is appropriated to enrich bond
holders; a vast public debt, payable
n legal tender currency, has been
funded into gOld-bearing bonds,
thereby adding millions to the bur-
dens of the people.
Silver, which has been accepted as
VIII SluCC UIlC OdWu vi IIlSUOlys lids
teen demonetiZed to add to the pur-
Ahe value of all forms of property as
we'll as human labor, and the supply
Of currency is purpOSely abridged to
tltten usurers, bankrupt enterprise,
and enslave industry. A vast con-
spiracy against mankind has been or
9aniZed on two continents and it is
rapidly taking possession of the
world. II not met and overthrOwn
1t once it forebodes terrible social
convulsions, the destruction of civil
txation, or the establishment of an
absolute despotism. We have wit
oessed for more than quarter Of a
century the struggles of the two
great political parties for power and
6under, while grievOuS wrongs have
been inflicted upon the suffering peo-
PIE. We charge that the controlling
Influences dominating both these
parties have permitted the existing
Dreadful conditions to develop,
without serious effort to prevent OF
eestrain them.
Neither do they now promise us
eay substantial reform. They have
agreed together to ignore, in the
coming campaign, every issue but
enc. They propose to drown the out
eries Of plundered people with the
uproar of sham battle over the tar
IL, 80 that capitalists, corporations,
aational banks, rings, trusts, watered
stock, the tiZatiOn 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; tc
destroy the multitude in order to Sc
cure corruption funds from the mil
tionaiers. Assembled on the anniver
sary of the birthday of the nation
and filled with the spirit of the grand
Eoneral in chief, who established
Sur independence. we seek to restore
the government of the republic tt
the hands of "the plain people,
With whose class it originated. We
assert our purposes to be identica
With the purpose of the national con
etftutiOn, to form more perfect
suion and establish Justice, insure
domestic tranquility, provide for the
common defense, promote the gener
Al welfare, and secure the blesSing
~ liberty for ourselves and our pos
terity.
We declare that this republic Cal
taly endure as free government
while built upon the love of th'
whole people for each other and fo
Me nation; that it cannot be pinne(
Sogether by bayonets, that the civi
var is over and that every passion
aud resentment which grew out of il
aust die with it, and that we mus
10 in fact, as we are in name, on
united brotherhood. Our countr.
ands itself confronted by condition
Cor which there is no precedent ii
the history of the world. GU
annual agricultural production
amount tc billions of dollars ii
value, which must within few
weeks or months be exchanged TO
billions of dollars of commoditie
consumed in their production; the ex
listing currency supply is wholly in
ADEQUATE to make this exchange
The results are falling prices, th
formation of combines and rings
the impoverishment of the produc
ing class. We pledge ourselves tina
II given power we will labor to cor
sect these evils by wise and reason
able legislation in accordance witt
ahe terms of our platform.
We believe that the powers OF gov