Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1897-06-25
PARTY PLATFORMS.
DEMOCRAT.

assembled send greeting to the nearly
100000 patriots who participated and
aided in the battle of the people in their
struggle for their rights In the last
campaign, by giving renewed express
sion of devotion to the principles Of the
democracy Of the nation as set forth in
the platform adopted by the democratic
party at Chicago in 1896. We lay spec
ial emphasis upon that portion of the
national platform of the democratic
party on tho financial question, belev-
ing that the very existence of the farm
ing, laboring and commercial interests
Of this country depends upon change
of our financial policy, and we enter in
to the first campaign after the great
battle Of the people against the COM
bined corporate and money power, in
which that peerless statesman and pat
riot, w. J. Bryan, was our leader, with
the reassertion shat we demand the
free and unlimited coinage of both gold
and silver at the present legal ratio Of
16 to 1, without waiting for the aid or
consent OF any other nation"
We declare that the methods resorted
to by the leaders of the republican par
ty in the late national campaign have
Justly alarmed the entire country. Their
fragrant acts Of bribery. intimidation,
colonization and deception, overawed,
and were intended to overawe, the cleo
torate, and thus prevented 4 free and
an honest expression of public opinion.
We affirm this to be a direct attack up
on popular government and declar-
alton of war against free institutions.
If submitted to without rebuke the
presidential Office will be permanently
under the domination of money and of
the corrupt influences which money con-
trolls.
Syndlcates Denounced.
The purpose of these high-handed and
criminal methods is evident from the
results following their success, the
trusts. the combines. the syndicates,
the corporations, all united to make the
government an agency for the promo
ton @: their special interests and well
fare. They contributed millions upon
millions to Mark Hanna's campaign
fund. and having triumpheS by the cor
rupt use Of these vast sums they are
about to recoup themselves from the
pockets of the people. The notorious
almost avowed, purpose of the tariff
bill now under consideration in the sem
ate is to repay the trusts, and the
mine, the mill, and the factory barons
for their pecuniary aid to Mckinley
the railroads are to be compensated by
a pooling law; and it IS on the program,
as announced by Secretary Gage, to re-
quite the banking corporations by retir-
ing the greenbac ks and Sherman treas
ury notes, and increasing the interest
bearing debt five hundred million dol
lars for their exclusive benefit The
prosperity which was promised was
prosperity to these special interests,
and not to the people at large. The
people have not realized it, and while
legislation is for the classes instead Of
the masses, they never will. 1t is to
further the ends Of those who Go not
produce, but absorb wealth. and legisla-
ton in whose behalf is rapidly seGresat-
ing society into the few very rich and
the very many poor, that Speaker Reed
arbitrarily refuses to permit the ma
tional house of representatives to lesis-
late, and denies to the American people
the representation in the government
to which they are entitled by the funda-
mental law.