The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1895-10-18
The Peoples Party the Hope of the
PeODIe,

interest Of the people. Thus far they have
promised very little. The democrats are
intent on upholding the Gorman-Rasin
methods, and are exhibiting the old negro
bugaboo which did such land office"
business for them in the years of long
ago.
III addition to keeping down NEGRO
supremacy" they promise to pass re-
vised assessment law if given chance"
The negro supremacy" and "mixed
schools" the smallest number of persons
take any stock in. The people generally
know these are campaign humbugs-o
political chestnuts.
The republicans promise but little if
any more than the democrats. They,
too, are going TO give the people new
and fair assessment law and abolish the
book fee. If they have promised more
than this we have not heard Oft Putting
both parties promises together, they
would scarcely fill lady's thirnble. In
addition to their smallness, there is no
assurance that even this little in the way
of reform will be accomplished by either
party. The men who head both tickets
are the men, or class of men, who opposed
the Hayes assessment bill to the death
Neither are they the kind of men who
want the book fee or any other portion of
tax lifted from the shoulders of the labor
ing class and farmers. The past actions
of the democrat party prove, ifthey prove
anything, that they will keep none of
their promises to the people; and we have
what might be termed "stalwart' reasons
for believing the republicans can't be de-
pended upon to do any better
There is a Populist State ticket i'll the
field composed of three men of the peo-
ple-the plain people, not goldbugs or
plutocrats, as the heads of the two old
party tickets certainly are.
If the voters i'll good faith are asking
for reform and desire a government for
the masses and no special favors for either
I'LL VI pOoly 1il al tiSaSSN stllN> anu
justly, they can in no way prove the sim
cerity of their demands, and set about
inaugurating sorely needed reforms in
sleepy headed, quiet, conservative" old
Maryland, SO surely as voting for the
three working men who are the standard
bearers of the Peoples party in the State,
+I,a Il e = IL
column in this paper.
Among the reforms which the People =
party are pledged to work for till achieved
are, a new assessment law which will
equalize taxation so that existing unjust
tax burdens shall be removed from the
agricultural interest or industry, which
has so long borne an unequal proportion
of the public expenses of the State.
We favor an amendment to the State
constitution which will permit the people
to exercise local control of the taxing
power for county and municipal purposes.
The fee system is antiquated, open to
abuse and unsuited to present conditions,
should be abolished and salaried Offices
substituted. The present salaries of State
and county officers are i'll many instances
much too high. as compared with similar
classes of service in private lines of bus
mess, and should be reduced at least &c
per cent, so as to more nearly accord with
their purchasing power when they were
instituted.
The public school book fee should be
abolished and the schools made free in
fact as in name. The Peoples party are
champions of popular government in its
broadcast sense, and favor the election of
School Commissioners by popular ballot,
the term of service to be six years, one
member of the board to be elected bien-
mall; and the County Examiner and
Superintendent also elected, and the
term of office six years.
Proportional representation is demand
founded in justice because minorities
should have "a faif representation of their
choice, and voice in all law making and
executive bodies, and not suffer virtual
disfrachisement as under the present
unjust, tyrannical majority rule; and
the Peoples party advocates Il constitu-
t:onal amendment for a system of direct
legislation by which 20 per cent of the
legal voters Of the State on State matters,
or the same per cent III any legal division
on local matters in such division, may, by
petition, have submitted to all the people
OF the State, or the people of such sub
division to test their sovereign will OH any
act of legislation.
The democrat and republican parties
are both in the firm grasp and control of
monopoly and can no longer be trusted
to legislate in the interest of the people;
and the public interest, or the interest of
the industrial masses of the people, de-
mands that both old parties should be
relegated to the limbo of things that have
become useless for any public, honest
purpose.
The Peoples party is the party of the
plain people and was organized for the
purpose of suppressipg monopoly and
class rule, as we'll as boss ra1e, and the
principles of the party invite the great
industrial element of our State to rally to
its support as the only hope of escape
from the practical bondage under which
they have been placed by the methods