People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1895-11-07
THE OMAHA PLATFORM.

Assembled upon the one hundred and six
teenlh anniversary OF the Declaration OF In
dependence, the Peoples Party OF America
IN their first national convention, invoking
upon their actions the blessing OF Almighty
Gou puts forth In the name and on behalf OF
the people OF the country the following pre-
am6le and declarations OF principles:
Inc conditions which surround us best
JusilIy our cooperation; We meet in the
midst OF nation brought TO the verge OF
moral, political and material ruin. COrrup-
ton dominates the ballot box, the legisla-
lures, the Congress and touches even the
ermine on Me bench. The people are de-
moraliZed; most OF the States have been
compelled TO Isolate the voters at the polling
places TO prevent universal intimidation OF
I bribery. The newspapers are largely SUBJ
sidlzed or muzzled, public opigion sileEced,
business Frustrated. our homes covered with
mortgages, labor impoverished and the land
concentrating in the hands OF the cap tai
ISIS. The urban workmen are denied the
right OF organization for seli-protection; i'm
ported pauperiZed labor beats down their
wages; hireling army, unrecOgniZed by our
laws, Is established - shoot them down, and
they are rapidly degenerating into European
conditions. The fruits Of the toll Of millions
are bodily stOlm 10 build up colossal for.
tunes for few, unprecedented in the history
OF mankind, and the possesSOrs of these In
turn despiSe the Republic and endanger lib.
erty. From the same prolific womb OF gov
ernmental injustice we breed the two great
classes-t;am and millionaires.
The national power TO create money is ap-
preriated TO enrich bondholders a vast pub
lie debt, payable in legh tender currency,
has been funded into gOld-bearing bonds,
thereby adding millions to the brudens Of
the People.
Silver, which has been accepted as coin
ever since the dawn OF history, has been de-
monetized to add TO the purchasing power OF
gold, by decreasing the value OF all forms OF
property as well as human labor and the
supply OF currency is purposely abridged to
fattt usurers, bankrupt enterprise and en-
slave Industry. A vast conspiracy against
mankind has been organized on tive con-
tinents, and II is rapidly taking possession Of
the world. IL not met and overthrow at
once 1t forboGes terrible social commissions,
the destruction OF civilization, or the estab-
llshment OF an absolute despOtism. We have
witnessed for more than a quarter of a CEN
fury the struggles OF the two great political
parties for power and plumber, while
grievous wrongs have been inflicted upon
the suffering people. We charge that the
controlling Influences dominating both CT
these parties have permitted the existing
dreadful conditions TO develop without
serious effort to prevent or restrain them.
Neither do tiey now promise us any SUBJ
stantial reform, They have agreed together
TO ignore In the coming campaign, every
issue but one. They propose to drown the
outcries OF plundered people with the up
roar OF sham battle over the tariff, so that
capitalists, corporations, national banks,
trusts, watered stock, the demonstration Of
silver, and the expressions OF the usurers
may all be lost sight Of They propose TO
sacrifice our homes, lives and children on the
altar OF mammon; TO destroy the multitude
In order TO secure corruption funds for the
milli0naires. Assembled on the anniversary
OF the birthday Of the nation and filed with
the spirit OF the grand general chief, who es-
tablished our independence, we seek to re-
store the government Of the Republic TO the
hands OF "the plain people" with whose class
II originated. We assert our purposes TO be
Identical with the purposes OF the national
constitution, to form a more perfect union
and establish justice, insure domestic tran
guilty, 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 en-
dure as free government while built upon
the love OF the whole people for each other
and for the nation; that IL cannot be pinned
together by bayonets; that the Civil war is
i
which grew out OF II must die with II, and
that We must be in fact, as we are in name,
one united brotherhood. Our country finds
Itself confronted by conditions for which
there is no precedent In the history Of the
world. Our annual agricultural productions
amount TO billions OF dollars IN value which
must in few weeks or months be exchanged
for billions OF dollars Of commodities con-
sumed In their production; the existing cur
i ranpv CnnnlV iC WhOllv tnadaonufa TO- 10
this exchange. The results are falling
prices, the formation Of combines and rings,
the impoveris Of the producing class.
We pledge ourselves that II given power we
will labor to orrect these evils by wise and
reasonable legislation in accordance with
the terms Of our platform.
We believe that the powers OF government
lin other words, OF the people-should be
expanded las In the case OF the postal Ser
vice. rs rapidly and as far as the good sense
OF an intelligent people and the teachings Of
experience shall justify, TO the end that op-
preston, injustice and poverty shall eventu-
ally cease In the land.
While our sympathies as party OF reform
are naturally upon the side OF every propo-
sition which will tend TO make men intelli-
gent, virtuous and temperate, we neverthe-
less regard these uestions-importsnt as
they areas secondary 10 the great issues
now pressing for solution, and upon which
not only our individual prosperity, but the
very existence OF free institutions depend,
and we ask all men to first help US TO deter
mine whether we are to have q Republic to
administer, before we differ as to the con-
ditions upon which 1t is TO be administered,
believing that the forces OF reform this day
organized will never cease to move forward
until every wrong isrighted and equal rights
and equal privileges established for all the
men and women OF this country; We declare
therefore,