Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1898-10-26
PEOPLES PARTY PLATFORM.
Adopted at Topeka. Kansas, wedne
day, June l5, 1898.


We commend the state administers
ton for its patriotic and vigorous de-
fense of the rights of the people and
its efficient and economical conduct
of state affairs. We commend the &C.
ton of Populist members of the last
legislature in passing laws that have
saved hundreds of thousands of dol
lars to the people of Kansas. We
a.so commend the course OF our sen-
ator and repro sentatives in congress
for their opposition to issuance of in
terestI1ea rrng bonds and the en-
croachEnents of corporate power upon
The rights OF the people, and their
rig'ilant devotion to the interests Of
their constituents.
We demand that the initiative and
referendum be embodied in our state
constitution. and favor proportional
represen ia ton.
We favor the public ownership of
all public utilities and demand the
public ownership and operatio of all
monopolies.
The state laws regulating the stock
yards charges having been resisted,
we demand that the state OF Kansas
shall provide adequate market facili-
ties by purchasing land and con-
structFng necessary buildings. yards
ard other convniences 10 furnish
the people al open public market and
under such rcSula tons as will pre-
vent combination of buyers and
commission men from controlling or
regulating prices. Charges for such
enr -
alton and repairs only.
We demand that the state of Kan
sas shall provide insurance protec-
ton, both fire and life, as a state
function, at cost. these being in op-
position to the eN:sting constitution
of the state, we demand constitu-
tional convention TO the end that they
may be made effectual and that other
defects that now exist in our state
constitution may be remedied.
We demand the enactment of
freight rate law giving to a court of
railway commissioners, to be elected
by the people, the power 10 AK rates
and classification of railways and
the further power to compel the rail-
ways to make full reports with refer
ence to their bus.
Recognizing the great saving and
benefits to the people from the text
book law passed by a Populist legis-
lature and put into operation by q
Populist administration we favor it's
extension along the same general
Lines to include all textbooks aud
school supplies as far as possible.
We demand the enactment of the
labor laws necessary for the public
veal: First-A law making county
clerks offices free public employment
agencies, the state labor bureau to
constitute a general clearing house
for the surplus applications of the
counties. Second-A law making the
bureau of labor and industrial statis-
tics AN independent department. OF
the state government. Third-A law
completely revising the mining laws,
to the end that it may be safer for
Che miners TO work and more dam
gerous for the operators to disobey.
Fourth-A law taxing as costs in ac-
tions for the recovery Of wages .
reasonable attorneys fee for the coll
lection of the same and providing
that in case OF an employers assign
ment or insolvency, wages shall be
prior lien TO all attachments ana
mort@a ges. Fifth-WhiIe the law Of
1897, under the opera ton OF which
all profits accrued to the state rather
than to the middle man under the
gulse of a contra actor was an i'm
provement on the old contract law.
we declare for a law that will onfine
the output of the penitentiary mine
to the needs Of the state Institutions.
to the end that these institutions
shall not in the future be placed at
the mercy of combination of pri-
vate corporations
We demand the free and unlimited
coinage of gold and silver at the
ratio OF sixteen of silver to ore of
gold and the issue of legal tender
notes for all debts in preference to
the issue of interest-bearing bonds.
We oppose the issuance of adj bonds
and we condemn the Republican par
ty for its action in fastening upon
the people large bonded debt osten-
sibly for war revenue, out in reality
for the perpetua ton Of the national
banking system
unteer soldiers our high appreciation
OF their patriotic devotion to the
country and every facility be extend
ed to them to vote at the comm 2
elections and that their pay be in
creased to $40 per month.
We favor service pensions for all
survivors of the Union armies of the
civil war.
We demand the immediate abolition
of the metropolitan police system.
We denounce the Republicans io
both houses of congress for the unan-
unity with which they have followed
the dictates of foreign and domest,c
bondholders in voting against an in
come tax and the one-fourth of one
per cent tax on railroad corporations
which are being enriched by goveru-
Tnent contra cts, and also their re-
fusal to tax Wall street transa ctsons.
And we also denounce as unpa tri-
otto the action of the Republican
party in following the dictates of
those who would speculate and make
gain out of our present war while our
brave volunteers risk their fortunes
and lives in defense of our flag and
hlirp anitv.
The following resolution was aiso
adopted:
We are opposed in the crisis of our
trobbles with Spain to the talked of
allfa nee with Great Britain. 1t is ua-
necessary. unpatrotic and un-Amsr-
iran If ha< ire