The Advocate and news., 1898-01-12

a North American Review, entatled Ihe
Passing OF the Peoples Party" Mr..
PETER says:
That the Peoples party is passing must
be evident to all observers why II ID
going and where, are obviously questions
of present public concern.
The party has q good and sufficient ex-
cuBe for It's existence. With our great war
old issues were overshadowed and new
forces came into play. The suspension OF
specie payments forced the government 20
adopt new monetary policy, ana the
Ignorance and prejudices OF lawmakers
Afforded bankers a tempting opportunity
OF which they promptly avalled them
selves to use the public credit for pur-
poses OF speculation. Our currency was
converted into coin interest-paylng bonds,
the word "cOin" was construed to mean
gold, and the Tninting OF silver dollars
was discontinued. The general level OF
prices fell to the cost line or below 1t, and
the people were paying 7 to 10 per cent
annual interest on an enormous private
dept Personal property In towns ana
cities was rapidly passing beyond the view
OF the tax-gatherer. Agriculture was pros
trate. Farmers were at the mercy or spec
= UlatOrs the earth had come under the do
minion OF landlords forests and mines were
owned by syndicates; railway companies
we're In combination; wealth and social IN
fiuence had usurped power, ana the seat
street. il sG'V'"''"' was
These abuses were fruits Of our legis-
latiOu. Congress had forgotten the people
and turned their business over to the
mOney-changers Both Of the great poHt-
ical parties then active were welded to
t, these vicious policies which were despoil-
\ Ing the farmers and impoverlshing the
working classes generally. Gold was king
and new party was needed to shorten
And hence it was that the Peoples party
was born. 1t came into being that gov
ernment by the people might not perish
from the earth.
Charges for services rendered by private
persons or corporations entrusted with
public functions-such as railroading ana
banking-had never before attracted much
attention among the common people; and
as to interest for the use OF money and
rent for the use Of land they had been
looked upon as things In the natural order,
and therefore, being unavoidable, had to
be endured. But the gold standard regime
had driven the people to thinking. They
saw that while they were paying from ten
70 hundred per cent, according to the
pressure Of their necessities, for the use
OF money, the annual Increase OF the Goun-
trys taxable wealth had but little ex-
ceeded per cent, including the advance
OF values by reason Of settlement and
labor. And rent, they saw, was the same
thing as interest on the estimated value OF
the property. II all the people working
together as one can not save more tnan
per cent. per year, when In possession of
than cents an acre, Is 1t cause for won
der that they did not thrive when paying
three or four times that rate for the use
money!
Forests are diminished and coal is used
for fuel. But the coal is found In great
beds under the earth's surface, and these
sources Of fuel are monopolized by a. few
men. and the rest Of us are forced to pay
them not only a price for the coal but
for rent of the land and interest on q
fictitious capitalization OF corporate fran
chises. BY what authority Is one man
allowed to take and possess more Of the
resources Of nature than are sufficient for
mis- own use and then demand tribute
from others who are equally with him en-
titled to share them? And why shall one
man or company of men be permitted to
shall receive for the labor they perform?
And why should an employer be favored
BY the law rather than the person whom
he EMPLOYS? And by what rule OF law or
10 use nOn-legal tender money In their
daily business affairs, while the primary
money Is kept In reserve for the special
use OF the specializing classes? Why have
one kind Of money for the rich and an
other kind for the poor?
Questions like these were suggested by
conditions present when the Peoples party
was formed, Il was the first great body Of
men, organized for political purposes, that
N took up these matters and put them in
Y, issue before the country with the view OF
N ultimately securing relief through legisa-
ti0n. Its principles were essentially differ
ent from those Of the other great parties
ON every fundamental proposition Re-
pubilcans and Democrats were given 10 old
ideas in politics and law. Formed for
i altogether different purposes, they did
not take kindly to any of the proposed re-
GorIns that would change established pol
tCles.
This new party proposes to get the peo-
pie In the saddle. Summarized it's party
platform wag this: Equal rights and OPP
portunities to all; let the people rule. On
that 1t went to the country and received
more than q million votes.
more earnest, enthusiastic, sincere, and
dislnterested campaign was never entered
upon or waged than that Of the Populists
In 1892, and although the work was done
under a continuing fire of rldlcule on the
part Of Republicans and Democrats alike
not before equalled in the history Of Ameri-
can politics, the new party made a profound
Impression on the voters.
IN ala Iva MO on