The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1898-10-06
PEOPLES PARTY STATE PLATFORM.

. l
The Peoples Party of North Carolina, in
9Th day of May. ISIS hereby afiirms
is unqualified allegiance TO the principles
IF the party and hereby approves the
platform OF the Peoples Party adopted at its
National convention held 10 the city OF 81
Louis, July y. 1896.
THE ELECTION LAW
We hereby reaffirm our fixed determine
ton to support and maintain free ballot
and a fair count in all elections held in
North Carolina. To this end We contend
that it Is of vital importance for each polit-
ical panty to have on all election boards,
OF their own selection. We
condemn the Republican party and those
who Joined with Il III the last legislature to
strike this just essential and vital provision |
from the election law of 1895: and we pledge |
ourselves to use our best efforts in the next |
legislature to re-enact this provision into |
law.
LOCAL SELF GOVERNMENT.
We are in favor of guaranteeing in the |
respective counties the Tight of local self |
government by the election Ut their county |
commissioners and justices Of the peace by
the vote OF the people, under proper safe
guards to guarantee the best possible gov
eminent to each county; and We pledge the
Peoples party 10 the continued support and
maintenance of that principle, and warn
the voters of the danger of electng MEM
bers of the General Assembly hostile there
to.
GOLD NOTES AND MORTGAGES.
We believe that all money demands should
be payable IN the lawful money of the Uni
ted States without preference or discrimina-
ton, and therefore favor the passage by the
General Assembly of law to prohibit the
taking or giving of gold notes bonds and
mortgages In this State, and to make all the
money demands sOlvabie in any kind of
lawful money of the United States.
DENOUNCE SPANS POLICY.
To avenee the Maine, to advance repub-
lican institutions. and in the interests of hu-
manity, tie brutal and treacherous Span
| iards should be driven from the western
| hemisphere and Republican form of gov
ernm-nt Established in the islands which
she has misgoverned, robbed, prosecuted
and plllaged.
| AGAINST ISSUING INTERKsT-BEARING
| BONDS.
| We condemn the present national admin.
istration Tor its efforts to fasten upon the
people M d future generations the burden of
interest tearing bonds and for endorsing
and carrying out the infamous bond and
monopoly policy of the preceding admins
| trath)n of Grover Cleveland.
We commend the acton of the Populists.
silver Republicans aid silver Democrats in
Congress for their wise, brave and patriotic
course in solidiy cooperating to strike out
the bond provision of the pending war rev.
enue bill and to substitute therefor an issue
of greenbacks and the coinage of the silver
seinOrage to carry on the war.
/ INTEREST.
We pledge ourselves to maintain the siz
per cent. interest law enacted by the
General Assembly of 1895.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
The action of the Peoples Party member.
of the last General Assem- blies has demon
strated, beyond question, that the Peoples
Party has been true to its antecedent plat
form declarations in favor of public educa
ton. We demand still further improving
and broadening the public school system Of
; the State as rapidly as a proper regard fol
the interests of the tax payers and the re-
!, sources of the State will permit. We alst
favor such revision of our present schvo
. system as N ay increase the efficiency of GU
public schools and insure the most com pc
tent and effective supervision.
NON-PARTIZAN JUDICIARY.
. Our Judiciary should be kept above tn,
plane of partisan politics. To this end W,
appeal to all good citizens to join US in gu
efforts to make non partisan judiciary ar
established and permanent feature of GU
State government.
REFORMATORY FOR YOUNG CRIMINALS
We favor the establishment of State in
stitution for the reformation of youn,
, criminals,
IL FREE PASSES.
We call attention to the interference O
I railroad corporations in. our politics as on
of the greatest sources of corruption in GU
= State and national governments. Free pass
es and other favoritisms and discrimina
tons are among the most poisonous and eff
fectlve weapons to corrupt politics and de
feat the will of the people in Legislative
halls. Therefore We favor law not Onl,
: forbidding the giving of free passes AM
also fOrbiddiDg anyone except the actua
employees of said corporations from re
ceiving the same.
ELECTION OF RAILROAD COMMISSIONER
. BY THE PEOPLE.
l No State has better railroad commission
2 law than North Carolina; but the public ha
4 not received the benefit the law was design
e ed to produce on account of the failure O
8 our railroad commissioners to do their dut
e under the law. As one remedy for this ev
e We are in favor of the election of railroa
: commissioners by direct vote of the PEG
+ pie.
REDUCTION OF FREIGHT AND PASsENGI..
al RATES.
: We favor a reduction of freight, expr .
o and passenger rates, telegraph and tee
general range OF prices of products has fan
+ en- under the gold standard. If the Rail
q way Comm ission continues to refuse to q
its duty in this respect We are in favor a
such reduction being made directly by tt
next Legislature.
l. NORTH CAROLINA RAILROAD LEASE.
. We condemn the lease of the North Cal1
q lima Railroad to the Southern Railws
d Company for ninety-nine years, not onl
bod hr,cs frov ~ ol, =
interest of the State amounting to the .arg
d sum of IS 600 600 invested in good payin
u pl perty yielding an income were sacrificed
!. but We also, in most emphatic terms con
j denim the hasty and secret manner in whic
8 it was done several years before the forme
) thirty gears lease, BY its terms, would hav
expired. We call the attention of the pee
. pie of the State to the fact that the mystel
l. ious power OF strong railroad lobby pre-
7 vented the last legislature from enactin
i the Necessary legislation to enable the Stat
3 to make an investigation through the prope
q legal channels, of the transaction, whic
, was so universally condemned by the pre-.
:, of the State and all tclasses of cit
zens, when it first became known. w
o therefore demand that the next Ger
q eral Assembly fully investigate thi
e interest of the State may be fully protecte
d as far as it can be done, such legisiativ
Y action shall be taken as to counteract. as ia
as possible, this unwise and secret tran.
q action.
l. REMOVAL OF CASES.
The removal of cases from the State court
to the Federal courts for trial and especiall
It wherein the plaintiffs are poor persons an
r the defendants are rich foreign corporation
on application of defendants, is q CROWN
Il evil in North Carolina, and in its practic,
ic operation frequently amounts to denial {
l. Justice to poor suitors, and therefore shout
10 be condemned. We demand, therefore, tbs
&c the next General Assembly shall pass such
is general statute on this subject including a
= alien law similar to the Wisconsin statut
SO as to take from such corporations doin
- business in this State the privileges of carr,