The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1896-11-20
LIVE ISSUES.
The National Chairman's Address.

man OF the Peoples Party, has is
sued the following address to the
party. The party will be reformed
ON Peoples Party lines and go for
ward with the reform movement
regardless of all other parties. In
future all parties and individuals
which join with it in the contest
against monopoly and syndicate
government must range themselves
under the Peoples party banner
and principles. The party in
future will be absolute master and
director OF its own campaigns. The
address is as follows:
To THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED
STATES In the remarkable
campaign just closed the Peoples
party was the only party that sup
ported solidly and unitedly the
great and vital issues represented
in the candidacy of Mr.. Bryan.
This was natural, for the Peoples
party came into existence to bring
to the front and to press to victory
the principles of Lincoln and JEFF
ferson, already long discarded by
the two old parties. The money
power feeling reasonably sure of its
control and domination of the lead
ers and the controlling influences
in the Republican party, in 1892
gave its support to the candidacy
of Grover Cleveland for the especial
purpose of having him, through the
use of patronage and otherwise, to
crush out the silver sentiment in
South, and make the leaders in that
party as completely subservient as
those in the Republican party. To
accomplish this purpose four cab
met ministers were selected from
the South, and an unusually large
amount of patronage used on pO-
litical leaders to the same end. 1t
will be remembered that Mr.. Cleve
land demanded that the Democratic
Senators and congressman give a
decisive vote in the interest of the
gold standard before he would even
give out the post offices. This
deep-laid plan might have succeed
ed had not the Peoples party at
this .juncture sprung into existence,
exposed the plot, stood in the
breach and appealed to the patriotic
hosts of both parties to check the
scheme of the peoples despoilers
and rally to the common defense.
Thus the Peoples party forced the
Democratic organization to repudi-
ate Clevelandism and return to cor
rect fundamental principles. Not
only this, the Peoples party then
forced the Republican party to cease
hedging and straddling for the pur-
pose of deceiving the people, and
drove them to take a stand one side
or the other of the vital issues at
stake. The issue now being square
'ly joined, it was evident that those
influences in the Democratic party
which had dominated and debauch-
ed the party for a quarter of a cen
fury would be driven to the sup
port of the party that took a posi-
tion on the side of trusts, monopo
lies and money gamblers. While,
on the other hand, it is evident that
even larger per cent of the Repub-
lican party favored the principles
now squarely forced to the front,
yet only small per cent would in
this campaign support them because
they found them under the Demo
cratic banner.
Had it not been for the prejudice
against the Democratic name as
well as Il want of confidence in Dem
ocratic promises, for which it must
be frankly admitted past experience
furnishes ample ground, majority
of the voters of the country, in spite
of the tremendous and unparalleled
forces put forward by the Repub
liean managers, would have cast
their vote for financial reform and
American independence. The Peo-
pies party with high patriotism
and an unseltish devotion to prin-
ciple, greater than ever exhibited
by any other party, stepped outside
of its organization to throw its two
million votes solidly for Mr.. Bryan.
Had not more than this number of
those who called themselves Demo
Gratis in 1892 given their support TO