The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1898-08-18

PEOPLES PARTY STATE PLATFORM.
The Peoples Party of North Carolina, in
co yentiOn assembled >. Raleigh, on the
18th day Of May, 1898. hereby atiirms
lis unqua Lifted allegiance 10 the principles
OF the party. ana hereby approves the
platform OF the Peoples Party adopted at its
National convention held l. the city or st.
Louis, July Y, 1856.
THR ELECTION LAW
We hereby reatfiIm our fixed determine
ton to support and maintain a free ballot
and fair count in all elections held in
North Carolina. TO this end we contend
that it IS of vital importance for each polit-
lcal party to have on all election boards,
representatives of their own selection. We
conCemn the Republican party and those
who Joined with it in the last legislature to
strike this just, essentia! and vita. provision
from the election law Of 1895; and we pledge
ourselves to use our best efforts in the next
legislature to re-enacti this provision into
law.
LOCAL SELF GOVERNMENT
We are in favor of guaranteeing in the
respective counties the right of local self
government by the election Of 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 to the continued support and
maintenance of that principle, and warn
| the voters o. the danger of electing 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 a law to prohibit the
| taking or giving of gold notes, bonds and
| mortgages i'll this State, and to make all the
| money demands solvable in any kind of
lawful money of the United States.
DENOUNCE SPANS POLICY.
To avenge the Maine, to advance repub-
| llcan institutions. and in the interests of hui
| manity, the brutal and treacherous Span
| iards should be driven from the western
| hemisphere and a Republican form of gov
eminent established in the islands which
| she has misgoverned, robbed prosecuted
and pillaged.
| AGAINST ISSUING INTERKsT-HEARING
BONDS.
We condemn the present national admin.
| lstratiOn for its efforts to fasten upon the
people and future generations the burden of
interest bearing bonds and for endorsing
and carrying out the Infamous bond and
monopoly policy of the preceding admins
tratiDn of Grover Cleveland.
We commend the &C ion of the Populists,
|
| Cong 'ess for their wise, brave and patriotic
course in solidly 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
selnorage to carry on the war.
INTEREST.
| We pledge ourselves to maintain the six
per cent. interest law enacted by the
General Assembly of 1895.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
The action of the Peoples Party members
of the last General Assemblies 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 for
the interests of the tax payers and the re-
sources of the State will permit We also
system as nc ay increase the efficiency of eul
public schools and insure the most compe-
tent and effective supervision.
| NON-PARTIZAN JUDICIARY.
| Our judiciary should be kept above the
plane of partisan politics. To this end we
appeal to all good citizens to join US in our
| efforts to make non bipartisan judiciary an
established and permanent feature of ouI
| State government.
| RETURN AIORf FOX YOUNG CRIMINALS
We favor the establishment of a State in.
stitution for the reformation of young
| criminals
| FREE PASSES.
| We call attention to the interference of
railroad corporations in our politics as one
of the greatest sources of corruption in ouI
State and national governments. Free pass
| es and other favOritlsms and discrimina-
tions are among the most poisonous and eff.
fective weapons to corrupt politics and de-
feat the will Of the people in legislative
halls. Therefore We favor law not only
forbidding the giving of free passes and
other favoritisms ana determinations, but
| also fOrblddlng anyone except the actual
employees of said corporations from re-
ceiving the same.
ELECTION OF RAILROAD COMMISSIONERS
BY THE PEOPLE.
No State has better railroad commission
law than North Carolina; but the public has
not received the benefit the law was design
ed to produce on account of the failure OF
our railroad commissioners to do their duty
under the law. As one remedy for this evil
we are in favor OF the election of railroad
commissioners by direct vote of the peo-
pie.
REDUCTION OF FREIGHT AND PAssRNGE B
RATES.
| We favor a reduction of freight, express
and passenger rates. telegraph and tele-
phone tariffs to the same level to which thu
general range OF prices of products has fall
en- under the gold standard. If the Rail
way Comm ission continues to refuse to de-
its duty in this respect, we are in favor OF
such reduction being made directly by the
next Legislature.
NORTH CAROLINA RAILROAD LEASE.
We condemn the lease of the North Caro-
lima Railroad to the Southern Railway