The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-07-21
CENTRAL IDEA OF A POPULIsT
PLATFORM PREPARED BY
"CYCLONEa DAVIS.
APPROVED BY COMMITTEE.
HIS DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES
WILL BE OFFERED IN THE
CONVENTION.
BOTH OLD PARTIES ARRAIGNED.
Abundant Money of Amy Kind Pre-
scented the Cure for Every
Public Evil.

ST. LOUIS, Nc, July 20.-The fol-
lowing platform has been prepared by
Cyclone Davis, of Texas who is to
present it to the convention. 1t has
been submitted to the executive COM
mittee, of which Mr.. Davis is a MEM
Der, and approved. Mr.. Davis remark
ed with reference to it: 1T represents
humanity
I'VE, the Peoples party Of the Unit
ed States. in convention assembled,
proclaim the following as the para
mount creeds and principles of our
party, and the pledges and promises
upon which we ask the votes and CO.
operation of the American people"
1--WE declare that no alien shall be allowed
to own lands in our country without first be-
coming an American citizen We declare that
no corporation shall be allowed to own land
except what is necessary for the legitimate
purposes for which such corporation was Gre
ated Believing that the home is the basic
source of the grandest civilization, we de-
mand that some just system shall be esta5-
Iished by which all land monopoly shall be
speedily abolished and the lands sacredly
preserved for homes for our people and their
posterity.
'3The right to construct, own and regulate
highways Is q sovereign right, right OF
government, and should never be delegated
to citizens corporations for private gain
or speculation. Under the power in the con-
stitution, declaring that congress shall have
power to establish postofices and post roads,
it was intended that congress should build
post roads, as well postofhces wherever
necessary; and under this clause of the con-
stitution, we declare that congress has the
same right to build railroads to be used as
post roads, to build a stone or marble
building to be used as a postoffce. Under
these plain provisions of our constitution, we
declare 1t to be the duty Of the government
to own and operate the railroads telegraph
and telephone lines.
Recognizing the money question as the
great question, we declare: Congress alone
has the power to coin and issue money; and
this power cannot be delegated to corpora
tons and individuals. This government has
power to emit bills of credit. Mr. Mad
ison, who helped to draft the constitution,
tells us that when the instrument was be-
ing formed. clause giving congress The
power to emit bills of credit or redeemable
paper money, was voted down by a majority
of 8 to 2. The constitution says: Congress
shall have the power to coin money, regulate
the value thereof and of foreign coin.
I'VE therefore demand that congress shall
coin gold, silver and paper into money, and
shall regulate its value so as to make every
dollar full legal tender for all debts, both
public, and private, and give. to each the
same legal standard and function as money.
We demand that all paper money shall be
issued directly by the treasury department,
and be made receivable for all debts. public
and private. We demand the free and UNI
limited coinage of both silver and gold at the
present legal ratio of 16 to 1, withou. wait
Ing for the aid or consent of any other ma
ton. Congress alone has the power to coin
and issue money, and President Jackson de-
clared that this power could not be delegated
to corporations or individuals. We repeat
the words of Mr.. Jefferson wherein he said:
'lnterdict forever to both state and nation
the power to establish paper bank, /.
I'VE declare that the act Of 1873, demone-
tizing silver, has resulted in the apprecia-
ton of gold and corresponding fall in the
prices of commodities produced by the peo-
pie of this nation: 1t has resulted in heavy
Increase of the burden OF taxation, and of all
debts, public or private; 1t has resulted in
the enrichment of the money-lending. class,
at home and abroad; it has resulted in the
prostration of industry and the impoverish
ment of the people. ssfs
Eve arraign the Democratic and Republi-
can parties for surrendering to the holders OF
the obligations of the United States the OPP
ton, reserved by law to the government,
of redeeming such obligations in either sill
yer coin or gold coin. We arraign the Re-
publican and Democratic parties for issuing
interest bearing bonds of the United States
In time of peace, and condemn the Demo-
cratic party for traffcking with banking syn
dicates which, in exchange for bonds, and
at an enormous profit to themselves, supply
the federal treasury with gold to maintain
the Republican policy. of gold recommendation.
eve declare this to be an indissoluble
union of indestructible states and that the
powers Of constitutional union and the
rights of the separate states shall - sa-
credly preserved.
For violation of the well known principles
of our government, we arraign both the. Re-
publican and Democratic parties. We ar
raign the Democratic party for its arbitrary
interference, by federal authority. in local
affairs being guilty Of violation OF the
constitution of the United States and a crime
against free institutions.
Eve arraign the Democratic party for es-
tablishing a precedent Of government by in
junction, new and highly dangerous fern OF
oppression, by which federal judges in con-
tempt of the law Of the states and the just
rights of the citizens, become at once legis-
lators judges and executioners-a tyrannical
departure from those principles which are
cherished by all liberty Loving Americans"
We are opposed to the Importation of pau
per labor or of pauper labor-made goods to
beat down American wages If the Ameri-
can people buy their factory-mad goods in
foreign countries because they can buy them
cheap, it will destroy our American industry
and force us to sell our raw material IN the
same cheap foreign market Our plan is to
coin money enough to enable our people to
buy and consume the products OF this coun-
try. Then wages, prices, everything will be
prosperous. Then some just system Of pro-
lection will be absolutely essential not only
to raise revenue for current expenses but
to prevent foreign competition, either by i'm
porting foreign paupers themselves or by
pauper-made goods.
I'VE pledge ourselves to a speedy adjust
ment of our federal and state constitutions SO
eminent by direct legislation so that no act
of legislation shall become law until rati-
fed by the votes Of the people, giving the peo-
pie right to demand just legislation and to
vote upon all unjust and undesirable meas
ures.