The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-10-30


that the Governments should own and
operate the railroads. AtOcala, L. F.
Livingston, obeving the wishes Of Pat
Calhoun and Evan P. Howell, had
weakened that demand by putting a
condition to it. We thought that the
condition should be stricken out, and
that the Peoples Party ought to take
a manly stand for governmental own
ership, just as the original compact
between the knights and the farmers
had stipulated.
Briefly. to sum up the case in SEN
tence, we had magnificent reform
movement built up on an agreed
platform; the followers of that move
ment were Democrats and Republi-
cans; new party was proposed in or
der to guarantee legislative action up
on our demands; therefore it seems to
us to be the plainest thing in the
world that If we expected to
draw the refOrmers into new party
it was absolutely necessary to adhere
to the principles to which the Demo
cratic and Republican reformerS were
committed.
To change horses while crossing the
stream, 10 monkey with our platform
while forming old Democrats and old
Republicans into a new party, we
humby thought was madness-dOWn-
right and fool-hardy madness.
The Cincinnati convention OF 1891
recognized the SOundneSS OF this rea-
sonng and it based the new Peoples
Party upon the Ocala demands and
the st. Louis compact OF 1889.
But the ST. Louis convention of 1892
seemed to think that a little more
radcalism was eminently needful at
that critical moment. and the doc.
trinaires loaded US up in great shape.
They dropped one of the very best
plankS in the platform when they left
out the demand that the necesSarles
of life be put upon the free list and
that no industry be built up at the
expense OF another.
They triggered with the wording Of
the landplank, and thus made it pos
Sible for our enemies to charge that
we waged war upon private ownership
of land.
AS if this wasn't enough to insure a
defensive campaign and a Scattera-
tion of our own forces, the Soldier
resolution was tackled on.
Then the tide turned. Thousands of
Republicans in the West, who would
have STAYED by the Ocala demands,
held themselves liberated from ali
moral obligations when we changed
the terms Of the contract.
Thousands Of Democrats in the
South, who honestly loved the Alliance
and it's demands, and who would have
tloated right into the new party upon
the Ocala platform, utterly refused to
stir step when they saw that creed
altered.
True, we pleaded with them that in
essential principle no change had been
made:-but they were alarmed, and
they stampeded. They could not un
derstand why it was hat the original
compact between the Knights and the
farmers was not reiterated word for
word. They could not underSt tand why
the Cincinnati Platform Of 1891 was so
quickly brushed aside.
God help us all!-blindness ruled the
hour, and we madly changed the
statement Of creed upon which
South and West had already united:
and we played into the hands of our
enemies by tinkering with words and
phrases until, to the average voter, it
appeared that our pla was ma
terially different from that which the
farmers and the Knights had agreed
upon.
To make matters still worse. our
Presidential candidate in 1892 went
into the magazines proclaiming So
ciaism on the land question; and
various editors and public speakers.
assuming to speak for the Peoples
Party denounced private ownership Of
land and capital and did their utmost
to frighten away from us every man
of substance and conservatism.
Have we Overstated the case! We
ivl> r bo l.;
of the fight for four years and we
opposed these changes before they
were made, but we did not Sulk be-
cause they were made. We stood to
our guns, while some OF the long
haired doctrinaireS who forced these
changes into our platform scOOted
away to Quieter regions when the
fighting grew not and dangerous.
They we're in bomb-proofs during the
tempest of 1892, and they are in bomb
proofs now.
1t will be altogether bene fetal to
the party if they hereafter keep their
hands out of our pla tform work, and
let the men who really ear the tug of
war say upon what issues the contest
shall be fought.
Now, to what does all this preface
tend?
Simply to this:
WE MUST RE-ADOPT THE OCALA
PLATFORM
II we make any change at all in
those demads. it should consist in drop
ping the sub-treasury plan.
This was never an essential prin-
cipal; it was bnt detail of distribu-
tion. The essential principle is that
the government shall create currency
enough to answer the needs of bust
ness, and shall issue this currency di-
rectly to tue people.
Let us adhere to the vital principal,
and throw open to the government
the whole field of choice as the detail
of distribution.
The Sub-treaSury plan has be-show-
cred us with ridicule from Borneo to
kamschatka. UndeSeryed ridicule. we
grant;-but effective, nevertheless.
The best argument on finance our
best orator delivered could not entire
ly subdu. the sneer about "Pea-vine
Currency" pumpkin Money" and
Potato Security
Facts are facts, boys, and we had
just as well recognize them when they
meet us on the big-road.
Let us drop the sub treasury; let us
again demand that the neceSsarieS Of
life be untaxed by the tariff; let US
stand by the cardinal doctrine that it
is unjust to build up by legislation one
industry at the expense OF another;
and let US deliver our Land-plank
from the suspicion of Socialism.
In doing this. we show that we
spoke the truth when we told the