The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-07-25

| system being necessity, Tor the trans
mission Of news, should be owned and op-
Grated by the government In the interest
Of the people.
| THIRD. LAND.
1. True policy demands that the national
and state legislation shall be such as will
ultimately enable every prudent and In.
dustrious citizen to secure q home and
| therefore, the land should not be monopo-
| li1ed for speculative purposes. All lands
now held by railroads and other corpora
tions In excess Of their actual needs should
by lawful means be reclaimed by the gov
ernment and held for natural settlers only.
| and private land monopoly as well as
alien ownership should be prohibited.
2. We condemn the frauds by which the
land grant Pacific Railroad companies
| have through the connivance Of interior
department robbed multitudes Of actual
bona fde settlers of their homes and min
| ers Of their claims, and we demand legis-
lation by congress which will enforce the
exception of mineral land from such
grants after as we'll as before the patent.
3. We demand that bona fde settlers on
all public lands be granted free homes as
provided In the national homestead law
and that no exception be made in the case
of Indian reservations when opened for
settlement and that all lands not now pat
ented come under this demand.
FOURTH. DIRECT LEGISLATION
We favor q system Of direct legislation
through the Initiative and referendum,
under proper constitutional safeguards.
FIFTH, GENERAL PROPOSITION.
/. We demand the election Of president.
vice. president and United States senators
by direct vote OF the people.
3 We tender to the patriotic people Of
the country our deepest sympathy In their
heroic struggle for financial freedom and
independence. and We believe the time has
come when the United States. the great
republic of the world. should recognize
that Cuba Is, and Of right ought to be, y
free and Independent state.
3. We favor home rule In the territories
and the District Of Columbia and the early
admission of territories as states.
4. All public salaries should be made
to respond to the price Of labor and its
products.
5. In times OF great Industrial depres-
sion idle labor should be employed on pub
lie works as far as practicable.
6. The arbitrary course Of the courts
In assuming to imprison citizens for in
direct contempt and ruling them by in
junction should be prevented by proper
legislation.
Z. We favor just pensions for our disa-
bled Union soldiers.
g. Believing that the elective franchise
and an untrammelled ballot are essential
to government. for and by the people. the
PEOPLES party condemn the wholesale sys-
TEN OF dsfranchisement adopted in some
OF the states as unrepublican and undem-
ocratic and We declare II to be the duty
Of the several states legislators to take
such action as will secure full and free
and fair ballot and an honest count.
.. While the foregoing propositions con-
stitute the platform upon which our party
stands and for q vindication Of which its
organization will be maintained, We rec
ognize that the great and pressing issue
in the pending campaign upon which the
present election will turn, Is the finan-
cial question, and upon this great and
specific issue between the parties. We cor
daily invite the cooperation Of all or
gandzations and citizens agreeing with Us
upon this vital question.
IOff,cial Copy) ]. B. Weaver,
Chairman Committee;
Robert Schilling,
Secretary Committee.
A number Of amendments were Of
fered and a minority report was pre-
sentsd. All were laid on the table. how
ever. and the platform was adopted as
read.
The convention then took q recess un.
til 6 p. m.
At 6S5 p. m. the convention was
called to order by its permanent chair
man, Senator Allen, Of Nebraska, but
1t was a long time before the call pro.
duced the desired result. Then the
chairman announced that a message
had been received from the silver con-
vention and 1t would now be read.
Delegate Pollock, Of Mississippi. q
members Of the silver convention, was
introduced by the chairman. and pro-
ceeded to read the plank adopted by
that body. There were some points of
order made against the reading, but
they were promptly overruled by the
chairman.
When he reached the conclusion to
the effect that Mr.. Bryan had been
nominated for the presidency there was
an outburst Of applause, drowning the
further announcement of the nomina-
ton Of Sewall for the e-presidency.
The call Of states for nominations for
vice-president was resumed. Mr.. Bau-
mann, Of Alabama, appearing as the
spokesman of that delegation, to nomi-
nate for vice-president Representative
Skinner, the Populist congressman from
North Carolina.
Representative Howard, of Alabama,
placed in nomination Hon. Thomas F.
Watson. the late Populist congressman
from Georgia, who became famous by
bringing into publicity the alleged In
quiry Of Judge Cobb, Of Alabama.
Mr.. Sovereign, master workman of
the Knights Of Labor, seconded the
nomination Of Mr.. Watson, Of the state
Of Arkansas.
LAFE DRAWS THE POISON.
Mr. Watson's nomination was also
ceconded by Delegate johnson, Of Cal
ifornia, Colorado being called yielded
to Lafe Pence. now In New York, form
erly a congressman Of Colorado, who
began by saying:
Mr.. President, in order to draw the
poison quickly and hastily out let me-
say my purpose Is to give some reason
or try to give some reason why We
should nominate Mr.. Arthur Sewall, Of
Maine, for vice president
This announcement was received
with great applause, followed by Kisses.
We are in a crisis which calls for cool
judgment and not for reclamation, ap-
plause or noise. continued Mr.. Pence.
Do you remember that Lincolns COL
league on the ticket was q man from
Maine-Hannibal Hamlin? Do you re-
member, or do you know that long be-
fore any Of us was in this fight for
reform and against the gold ring"
Mr.. Sewall himself was actively in the
fight? 1t makes no difference as to the
merits of the man. The vice president
does not amount to much unless the