The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-07-24
PEOPLES PLATFORM.
ADOPTED BY THE CONVENTION
AT OMAHA, NEB., JULY 4, 1892.

sixteenth anniversary of the Declaration
America in Their first national convention,
invoking upon their action the blessings
and ON o puts forth a. in the
the following preamble and declaration q
justify our corporations: we meet in the
midst OF nation brought to the verge OF
m hsaf n ruin corruption dominates the
ana touches even the ermine on , ths "a,
bench ast ., The The people are demorazedd
to isolate the voters at the polling places
to prevent universal intimidation or bri-
berry The newspapers are largely SUP
business prostrated;. our homes covered
with - mortgages; labor impoverlIs isl 60:
are. denied the right of organization for
self-protection; imported pauperized Ia
army, unrecogl1ized by our laws. IS estab-
lished to shoot them down; and they are
dons TRe frats of fnt the tos 81 mill
ions are bodily stolen to build up colossal
fortunes for few. unprecedented in the
of these in turn despise the republic and
| endanger. liberty. From the same pro-
INC womb ON Of governmental in9ustee a We
Dreeuf the TWO great claSSeS-trampS anu
milionaires.
| The national power to create money Is
pabe debt e eaysa IN sai
currency, has been funded into gold
bearing bonds, thereby adding millions
since the dawn Of history. has been de-
m e51 to add to the e. power
erty, as well as human labor, and the sup
Ply OF currency is purposely abrid agS en 70
against ' mankind has b sas' organized on
and it is rapidly s taking ang
social commissions, the destruction Of civ
solute despotism We have witnessed for
| more than quarter of "a century the
struggles of the two great political parties
wrongs have been inflicted upon the suf-
fering people. We charge that the con-
parties have permtted the exsng drea
| full conditions to develope, without seri-
Gus effort to prevent or restrain them: H.,
stantial reform. They have agreed to-
gether to ignore, in the coming campaig n
with the uproar Of sham battle over the
tariff; SO that capitalists. corporations
aatnn Of a rings trhsts tne Of
the usurers may all be lost sight Of.
They propose to sacrifice our homes,
to destroy the multitude in order to secure
corruption funds for the millionaires. AS
sembled on the anniversary of the birthday
of the nation, and filed with the spirit
Of the grand generation of men, who estab-
lished gu. our independence,. we seek t to re- e
the hands of 1.-The plain people" with
whose class it originated. We assert our
purposes to be identical with the purpose
| of the national constitution:-"to form a
more perfect union, establish justice, in
sure domestic tranquility, provide for the
fare, and secure the blessing of liberty
for ourselves and our posterity.'
We. declare that this republic can only !,
upon the love Of the whole people for each
other and for the nation; that It cannot be
pinned together by bayonets, that the civil
war is over and that every passion and re
sentiment which grew out Of it must die
with it; and that we must be in fact as
Our country finds itself confronted by con
ditions for which there is no precedent il
the history of the world Our ANNUAL annual ag
dollars in value, which must within few
weeks or months be exchanged for billion:
of dollars of commodities consumed il
their productions the existing currenc,
supply is wholly inadequate to make this
exchange The results are fa1ling prices
class We pledge ourselves that. if givei
power we will labor to correct these evil
by wise and reasonable legislation. il
accordance with our platform.
We believe that the powers Of govern
ment-in other words, of the people-shoult
be expanded las in the case of the posta
service) as rapidly and as far as tn
good sense of an intelligent people, and tn
the end that oppression, injustice and pow
erty shall eventually cease in the land
While our sympathies as party of re
form are naturally upon the side of ever.
proposition which will tend to make mel
intelligent. virtuous and ana temperate, w
portant as they areas secondary to-, tn
great issues now pressing for solution
and upon which not only our individual
prosperity but the very existence of FIRE
institutions depends; and we ask all mel
to first help US determine whether we ar
| we differ as to the conditions upon whic
it is to be administered: believing that tn
never cease to move forward until ever
wrong is righted and equal privileges estab
lished for all the men and women Of thi
We declare. therefore -
UNION OF THE PEOPLE.
Ftrst-That the union of the labor force
of the United States this day consummate
shall be permanent and perpetual; may it
spirit enter into all hearts for the saliva
ton of the republic and the uplifting Q
mankind.
second-Wealth belongs to him who ere
dustry. without an equivalent, is robbery
eff any man will not work. neither sl1a
he eat The interests of rural and civil
ThirdEwe believe that the time ha
either own the people or the people mus
own the railroads; and should the govern
ment enter upon 1e WorH OF sb 6Wning an
an amendment to tie constitution b
which ali persons engaged in the govern
service regulations of the most rigid char
,, acter, so as to prevent the increase of tn
power of the national administration b
, the use of sucn aooltlohai government EN-
ployes.
, We demand a national currency, safe
sound and flexible; issued by the ger
!; eral government only; full legal tende
for all debts public and private and tina
without the use en % e pankn at
| button direct to the people, at tax not
exceed per cent per annum, to be pre-
of the Farmers Alliance or some bette
system: also by payments in discharge 6
Free and unmtea
Of Is to /.
We demand that the amount of circulat
ing medium be speedily increased to nc
:. | less than $50 per capita.
We demand a CIRCULATED .Sn income tax.
try should be kept, as much as possible,
the hands of the people; and hence W
demand that all state, and national reve
nues shall be limited to the necessar
expenses Of the government. economical
l and honestly administered.
We demand that postal savings bank
safe deposit of the earnings of the peopl
and the facilitation of exchange.
TRANSFORMATION.
Transnortation being a means Of o,
change and a public necessity, the govern
ment should own and operate the railroad
| in the interest of the people.
The telegraph and telephone, like til
postofie system. being a necessity for tn
Transmission of news, should be owne
: | and operated by the government in tn
| interets of the people.
LANDS
The land, including all natural source
) | ona shnmld not be monopilized for specl