The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-01-03
POPULIST CONFERENCE.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL
COMMITTEE
7. Session in ST.. Louis-Au AIress TO ills
fnueri'unr,r-The President and
H''rEl Courts Denounced
Pooling Bill Opposed.

st. Louis, Dec. 29.-The work of the
conference of the natinal committee of the
Peoples party with the leading members
of the rank and lille came TO a fruitiOn
tonight when the committee submitted
to the conference as the result of then
consideration Of the discussions of the con
ference an address to the party and to
the people. Its presentation was hailed
by the gathering with a shout that rang
through the hall and endorsement of the
conference was given with vigorous viva
voce votes. The address follows:
''rhe national committee of the PEG
pies party send greetings TO its cOnStit-
uency throughout the land. The rapid
increase of our vote in every part of the
Union and the startling events of the
past two years evidently justify both the
existence of and necessity for the People 5
party. The contention of the party that
one Of the great needs of this country
is an enlarged volume of circulation me
dunn is now practically conceded by all
parties and by the government. The gold
power and banking interests insisting
through the president and his secretaries
that the enlarged issue of our money
supply shall he given exclusively into
the hands of the banks; that silver shall
he excluded, all treasury notes retired
and that gold alone shall be legal fender,
thus making the monetary question an
issue which must be met at once.
Within the present year the corporations
grown arrogant because of the vast posses
sions of wealth and the exercise of I'M
constitutional power. have made war
upon the people and induced the federal
courts to exercise III their interest UNI
| usual and arbitrary powers, induced the
invasion of the states by federal troops
| without he request of either executives
of said states or legislatures therefor,
and are at his time, through recreant
administration and truculent congress,
attempting to clOthe the railroad cOrpOr-
atoms by means of pooling with power
TO further and more Systematically rob,
| Cypress and plumber the people and hay
| ing already deprived the people of ac-
| cess of the silver mines of the country
as an independent source of money sup
ply, are nC in the interest of banking
olgarchy endeavOring to deprive them of
the right to have their government in the
exercise of its constitutional power issue
the money of the nation and controls its
volume. In the opinion of our committee
these events are startling, subversive of
the liberties of the citizen and destructive |
of business and social security, and. adj |
herring to the Omaha platform in all its |
integrity, your committee insists upon the |
restoration of the coinage of silver as it |
existed prior to 1873 at the ratio of 16 to |
], without regard to the action of any
other nation and that all paper money !
shall be issued by the general government |
without the intervention of banks of |
issue, the same to be a full legal tender. |
We also declare our implacabla hostility |
to the further issue of interest bearing |
bonds.
eve denouncc the pooling bill as q |
move toward completing the monopoly of |
transportation and demand that instead |
congress proceed to bring the railroads |
under government ownership.
"The power given congress by the con-
stitutiOn TO provide for the calling forth |
of the militia to execute the laws of the
Union, to suppress Instructions, to repel
nvaSiOns' does not warrant the govern
ment in using the standing army i'll aiding |
mOnOpolies in the oppression of the public |
and their employees When free men I'M |
sheath their swords it should be to strike |
for liberty not for despotism, nor to up
hold privileged mOnopoies in the oppres-
sion of the poor.
eve ask the people to forget all past po-
Iitical differences and unite with us in the
common purpose to rescue the govern
ment from the control of monopolists and
concentrated wealth; to limit the powers
of perpetuation by curtailing their priv
ilegeS, and to secure the rights of free
speech, free press and trial by jury--all
rules, regulations and judicial dicta in der
rogatiOn of either of which are arbitrary
unconstitutional and not to be tolerated
by free people. We recommend the
immediate mOnopolzation of an educa-
tional campaign by the national, state
and local committees 4
In addition to this address the national
committee adopted the following:
"In face of the fact that the state of
Alabama and |Other Southern states
are without republican form OF gov,
ernment, because of the rule of political
oligarchy which is perpetuated by mon
strous frauds at the ballot box, the i'm
perative necessity of a free ballot and
an honest one. is constitutional right
and we demand that it be given and
move that the chairman of the national
executive committee appoint committee
of three 10 submit evidence to the press
of the ct Lntry, and to suppress TINS
alarming and revolutionary condition
enings of peril caused by this existing
autocracy and anarchy in the South"
The following We're appointed: Il. }.
Naming. Alabama. chairman; Henry ID.
Lloyd. Illinois; Lee Crandnll. Alabama.
In the conference today the temporary
officers We're continued as permanent.
time was occupied by, re-
marks upon various subjects by members
of the conference, including the recent
election in Alabama, educational cam
paigns, etc.
The committee on educational cam
paigns reported in favor of II club or
lyceum system ms auxiliary to the reGu-
lar campaign work. The report was then
adopted.
On motion of Mr.. Striker of Kansas, the
national committee was requested, Ill
sending out literature upon the Omaha
platform, to include herewith a proper
of literature upon women's
The conference listened TO an address
from a number OF delegates upon plans
Of campaign, the initiative and referen-
dunn and other matters.
During the discussion of the referen-
iun T. COstigan Of Topeka, Kansas.
caused whirl OF excitement by getting
on the Anor with the declaration that
,arp grt mon from my stntp declaring