The Louisiana populist., 1896-09-18
There is No Free-Country. Unless the People Rule.
Peoples PARTY Plat
form.
Full Text of the one Adopted
at st. Louis.

The following is the platform and res
olutions adopted at St. Louis by
the Peoples Party Convention, Gen. j
b. Weaver being chairman of the com
mittee on resolutions
The Peoples party assembled in ma
tional convention, reaflirms its al egi
ance to the principles declared by the
founders of the republic, and also to the
fundamental principles of just govern
ment as enunciated in the platform of
the party in 1892. We recognize that
through the connivance of the present
and previous administrations the cOun
try has reached crisis in its national
ife predicted in our declaration four
years ago, and patriotic action is the SUI
preme duty of the hour. We realize
that while we have political independ
ence our financial and industrial indie
pendence is yet to be attained by res
toring to our country the constitutional
control and exercise of the functions
necessary to peoples government,
which functions have been basely sur
rendered by our public servants to cor
rupt monopolies. The influence Of the
Republican money changers has been
more potent in shaping legislation than
the voice of the American people, ex-
ecutive power and patronage have been
used to corrupt our industries and
defeat the viii of the people, and
plutocracy has been enthrOned upon the
ruins of Democracy TO restore the
government intended by the fathers and
for the welfare and prosperity Of this
and future generations, we demand the
establishment of an economical finan-
c;al system which shall make us masters
of our own affairs and independent 0f
European control, by the adoption of
the following declaration of principles:
FINANCE
III. We demand a national money,
safe and sound issued by the general
government only, without the interven-
ton of banks of issue, to be n full legal
tender for debts, public and private, and
a Just. equitable and efficient means of
distribution direct to the people and
through the lawful disbursements OF the
government,
9. We demand the free and unre-
the present legal ratio of 16 to /. with
out waiting for the consent of foreign
nations,
d.
lating medium be speedily increased to
an amount sufficient to meet the de
mands of the business population OF
this country and to restore the just level
of prices of labor and production.
4. We denounce the sale of bonds
and the increase of the public interest
bearing bonded debt made by the present
administration, as unnecessary and with
out authority of law, and demand that
no more bonds be issued except by n
specific act of congress.
5. We demand such legal legislation
as will prevent the demonstration OF
the lawful money of the United States
by private contract.
6. We demand that the government
in payment of its obligations shall use
its option as to the kind of lawful mon
ey in which they are to be paid, and we
denounce the present and proceeding
administrations for surrendering this
option to the holders of government OBJ
ligations9
z. We demand the graduated income
tax, to the end that aggregated wealth
shall bear its Just proportion of taxation,
and we denounce the decision OF the
supreme court, in relation to the income
tax law, rs a misinterpretation OF the
constitution and an invasion of the
rightful powers OF congress over the
subject of taxation.
8. We demand that: postalf Savings
banks be established by the government
for the safe deposit of the people and
to facilitate exchange.
TRANSFORMATIONS.
1. TRANSPORTATION being the means of
exchange and a public necessity the gov
ernment should own and operate the
railways in the interest of the people
and on q nonpartisan basis, to the end
that all may be accorded the same treat
ment in transportation, ana that the
tyranny and political power now exer-
cised by the great railroad corporations.
which result in the impairment, ii not
the destruction, of the political rights
of the citizens, may be destroyed. Such
ownership is to be accomplished gradu-
ally in a manner consistent with sound
policy.
q. The interest of the United States
in the public highways built with public
money and the proceeds Of extensive
grants of land to the Pacific railways
should never be afeinated, mortgaged
or sold, but guarded and protected for
the welfare as provided by the laws or
ganizing such railways. The forcclos-
ure of the existing liens of the United
States on these roads should at once fol-
low default i'm the payment of the debt
of the companies and at the foreclosure
sales of said roads the government shall
purchase the same if it becomes necessa-
rv to protect its interests therein or il
they can be purchased at n reasonable
price; and the government shall operate
said railways as public highways for
the benefit of the whole and not in the
interest of the few, under suitable pro-
visions for the protection of life and