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, 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 sue
| cessful insurrectiOn of the poor; and was
| adopted by the great, only after 1t had en-
braced the great body of the people 1t
gradually abolished slavery, mitigated the
evils of human selfishness 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 a 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
continent for an arena, surrounded by the
glorious effulgence of universal prosperity.
| All who stood before 1t went down. and
resistance was but a stepping stone to
nODlef nelSuCS u ueNeIOpnenC. Inc dream
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 respondent 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-
tatons.
The census of 1890 showed that one-fourth
Of the jewellers in this land of free hOn1e.
had become tenants. While population had
in 10 years increased Is per cent and wealth
As per cent the mortgage indebtedness on
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 2za per cent; while the
tenants of land had increased 4012 per cent
1t was shown by that census that 4,G47
families owned $4,000 200 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 beyond all precedent.
These facts struck terror to the souls Of
all thinking people.
! They asked themselves if less than 100
years of national strtTe, starting from an
ideal condition Of eauaaty, under the noblest
~ hr16
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 times-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 boundess power. They saw 1t Use
| in a few generations from nothingness 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 a 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 eartn 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-Christian slaV-
| ery. To the evil-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.
| Anpalled bv the revelations of the census
| of $780, the friends of mankind assembled
in this city of Cincinnati on he 18th and
| goth DAYS of May, 1891 in a convention of
| 141S delegates from 90 states. and with vast
| enthusiasm and complete unanimisy, estab-
| lshed the Peoples Party OF the United
| States.
They adjourned until Feb. p 1872, 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 1890, and the Omaha assembly
| of the Northwestern Alliance held in 1871
| 1t was there unanimously resolved that
| new party should be established, and call
| was issued for a delegate convention to be
| held at Omaha on the 4th of July. 1892, tC
| place in nomination candidates for the pres
| idency and vice-presideney.
The slowly gathering discomfort extend
ing over many years, found voice at last
4 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 nm VINO creates II
| and that every dollar taken from industry
| without an equivalent is robbery" They
| announced that 1.-THE interests of rural an6
! civic labor are the same; tnclr enemies
| IDENTICAL.
They declared:
| The conditions which surround us justi-
fy our cooperation; we meet in the midst
| of a 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 OF
the bench. The people are demoralized and
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 SUBSIDIZED
public opinion silenced, business prostrated
our homes covered with mortgages; labor
impoverished and the land concentrating In
! the hands of capitalists. The urban workmeT
are denied the right OF organization foi
self-protection: imported pauper1zed labor
IlEVr rRR 1uF1RMARYI