The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-09-14

pressed and servile class. It's founder was
| a mechanic; his apostles fishermen. 1t
| preached to the multitude equality and
universal brotherhood;3 the immortality of
| the soul and the love-of a heavenly Father.
| 1t scourged the money changers out of the
| temple and consigned the wicked rich to the
| tOrtures of an eternal he'll.
| The growth of Christianity was a sue
| cessful insurrection of the poor; and was
adopted by the great, only after it had en-
| braced the great body of the people, 1t
| gradually abolished slavery mitigated the
evils of human selfshness and lifted up all
| mankind.
| The next great step in this pre- ordained
! advancement was the voyage of Columbus;
and the transfer of the best blood of the
| old world to the shores of the new. A flood
| of poor, hungry men struggled across the
Atlantic, and on terms of perfect equality,
| and filled with the positive demands Of lib
erty, spread themselves over the virgin
| land; kept void of inhabitants therefor by
| the providence Of God.
Then began process of splendid develop
| ment for which the previous experience of
| mankind had afforded no parallel. The
genius of humanity cast away its chains,
and stepped forward into the light with a
continent for an arena, surrounded by the
glorious effulgence of universal prosperity.
All who stood before it went down. and
resistance was but stepping stone to
| nODler ne1SntS OIL UeNeIOpment. Inc cream
of the poets and sages of antiquity We're
realized, and a government of equal rights
and human brotherhood, enlightened by
| universal education, rose like a mountain
before the gaze of the astonished world.
From the Atlantic to the Mississippi the
forests were brushed away and endless gar
dens and magnificent cities covered the
land.
The bodies and the minds of men were
enlarged to nobler proportions, and all the
magnificent qualities of the human soul
shone forth with resplendent luster.
But the width of the Atlantic had not
changed human nature. Into this paradise
the old serpent of injustice intruded him
self He took possession Of the garden and
drove the tOiler from beneath his vine and
fig tree. He changed the lovely scene into
an abode of unhappiness, filled with lamen-
tations.
The census of 1890 showed that one-fourth
Of the dwellers in this land of free hon,Dg,
had become tenants. While population had
in 10 years increased 25 per cent and wealth
As per cent the mortgage Indebtedness Oh
the homes of the people, had in the same
period advanced 1856 per cent. The farm
owning families, despite the homestead law,
had increased but 213 per cent; while the
tenants of land had increased 401a per cent.
It was shown by that census that 4,047
families owned 1900 00o 900 of the wealth
of the whole country! III other words three
one-hundredths of l per cent of the people
owned one-fifth of all the wealth. Nine per
cent of the people owned Il per cent of the
entire property of the country; while the
remaining 81 per cent, owned but 20 per cent
of the wealth. Bankruptcy. suicide and in
sanity had grown beybnd all precedent
These facts struck teiror to the souls of
all thinking people. 4
.. They asked themselves if less than 100
years of nationa, strife, starting from
ideal condition Of eauaaity, under the nobest
,,oA 10 tS,1
duced these terribleS results, what would
another hundred years bring forth?
They perceived that the great American
people were rapidly becoming landless,
homeless and hopeless.
They beheld the birth Of that product Of
modern tmes-the corporation; an artificial
creature, unknown to the ancient world; A
demon possessed Of all the attributes Of
Gods creatures, but clothed with immortal
life and boundless power. They saw it r.se
in few generations from nothlngnesS to
the control of congress, state legislatures,
municipal governments, the avenues Of pub
lie opinion and all the instrumentalities Of
production and distribution. They saw
in it government within a government
levying taxes and collecting revenues never
voted by the people. They saw 1t lessen
ing the opportunities of labor driving the
farmer from his farm and the workman
from his bench concentrating the elrtn's 5
surface in the hands Of few, and consign-
ing the toiler to chains and starvation.
Thoushtful men looked down the vista Of
the future and saw the people returning to
the awful conditions of pre-ChriStlan slaV-
ery. To the evi-rich Christ had become
but a name, and the horrid image Of Moloch
displaced the gentle Nazarene in the hearts
of the rulers Of the world.
Appalled by the revelations of the census
of 1880, the friends OF mankind assembled
in this city of Cincinnati on he 18th and
Goth days of May, 1891, in a convention of
/ AIS delegates from 81 states and, with vast
enthusiasm and complete unanImity, estab-
| llshed the Peoples Party OF the United
States.
They adjourned until Feb. %, 1892, to meet
| at st. Louis in a great assemblage, repre-
senting all the extensive labor organizations
! of farmers and mechanics, including those
! which met in st. Louis in 1889, the Ocala
| conference of $780, and the Omaha assembly
| of the Northwestern Alliance held IN 1891.
! 1t was there unanimously resolved that a
| new party should be established and a call
was issued for a delegate convention to be
| held at Omaha on the 4th of July. 1892, to
| place in nomination candidates for the pres
| idency and vice-presideney.
| The slowly gathering discomfort, extend
ing over many years found voice at last
1 in the preamble and resolutions of that con-
Vention.
| They built the new party upon the broad
est and grandest principles. They declared
! that wealth belongs to MIN VINO creates IL
| and that "every dollar taken from industry
| without an equivalent is robbery They
| announced that "the interests of rural and
| civic labor are the same; tnec enemies
| IDENTICAL
| They declared:
The conditions which surround us justl-
| fly our co-operation; we meet In the midst
| of nation brought to the verge of moral,
| political and material ruin. Corruption DOM
| mates the ballot box. the legislatures, the
| congress, and touches even the ermine or
the bench. The people are demoralized, ana
most of the states have been compelled
| to isolate the voters at the polling places
| in order to prevent UNIVERSAL INTIMIDATION
! or bribery. The newspapers are subsldlzed'
| public opinion silenced business prostrated;
1 our homes covered with mortgages; LABOR
Impoverished, and the land concentrating IN
! the hands of capitalists. The urban workmen
! are denied the right Of organization for
| self-protection: imported pauperlzed labor
A2"H n