Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1900-07-18
popuL1sr NATIONAL PLATFORM.

Proclalmed IN us Two prior platforms, and
calls upon all who desire to avert the sub
version of free institutions by corporate and
tmperialistic power, TO unite with it in bring
ing the government back to the ideals OF
Washington. jefferson, Jackson and Lincoln
1t extends to its allies in the struggle for the
financial and enconomic freedom assurance
of its loyalty to the principles which ami
mate the allied forces and the promise of
honest and hearty cooperation in every effort
for their success. To the people of the Unit
ed States we offer this platform As the express
sion of our unalterable convictions.
Resolved, That we denounce the act of
March Il. 1900, as the elimination of long
of their constitutional rights over the money
of the nation and relegate to a gigantic mon
ey trust the control or the finances, land hence
of the people. We denounce this act, first,
for making ali money obligations, domestic
and foreign, payable in gold coin or it's
equivalent, thus enormously increasing the
burdens of the debtors and enr1ehing the
creditors; second, for refunding .'coin" bonds
not to mature for years, into longtime gold
bonds so as to make their payment inprob-
able and our debt perpetual; third, for tax
Ing from the treasury over $4,000 900 in a
a time of war and presenting it at pre- MUM
TO bondholders to accomplish the refun.lin1
or bonds not due; fourth, for doubling the
capital oil bankers by returning to them the
face value OF their BONDS in current money
no ties, so that they may draw one in terest
from the government and another from the
people; NTH, for allowing banks to expand
and contract their circulation at pleasure
thus controlling prices OF all products; sly nh
for authorizing the secretary of the treasury
To issue new gold bonds to All unlimited
amount whenever he deems it necessary To re-
pienish me gold hoard, thus enabling usurers
To secure more bonds and more bank cnrren-
cy by drawing gold from the treasury, III ere
by creating an''endless chain, or perpetualIy
adding to perpetual debt; seventh for
Striki ng down the greenbnck in order to force
the people to borrow $3f6 000, 600 from the
banks. at an annual cost of over 81, OOO 0oO
Whiie barring out the money of the constitu-
t1on tins law opens the printing nints of the
treasury to the free coinage of bank paDer
money, to enrich the few and i'm poyerish The
many. we pledge anew the Peoples party,
never to cease the agitation until this eighth
financial conspiracy is botted from the stat
ute books. and Lincoln green back restored
the bonds all paid and ali cOrporation money
forever retired.
We reaffirm the demand for the reopen-
ing OF the minis of the United States TO the
free and unlimited coinage of silver and gold
at the present legal ratio of l6 to l. the i'm
mediate increase in the volume of silver coins
and certlhcates thus created to be substitute
ed, dollar for doltar, for the bank notes
issued by the private corporations under
special privilege granted by law of March a.
1901, and prior national banking laws, the re-
a.
placed with full legal tender government M
per money and its volume so controlled as to
maintain at all times ii stable money market
and stable price level.
We demand graduated income and in
heritance tax. to the end that aggregated
wealth shall bear its just proportion of taxa
ton.
We demand that postal saving banks be
established by the government for the safe de-
posit OF the savings OF the people and TO tn.
cilitate exchange.
With Thomas Jefferson, we declare the
iand, including Il Il natural sources of wealth.
the inalienabie heritage of the people The
government should so act as to secure homes
for the people and prevent land monopoly
The original homestead policy should be en-
forced and future settlers on the public do
main should be entitled to free homestead
while all who have paid an acreage price TO
the government under existing laws should
have their homestead rights restored
Transportation being means of change
and public necessity. the government
should own and operate the railroads. in the
interest OF the people and on a non-partisan
OASIS, TO the end that all may be ccorded the
same treatment IN transportation and that
the extortion, tyranny, and political power
now exercised by the great railroad corpora
tons, which result in the impairment il not
the destruction of the political rights and per-
sonar liberties OF the citizen, may be destroy
ed. such ownership is to be accomplished in
manner consistent with sound public policy
Trusts, the overShadowing evil of the age
are the result and elimination OF the private
ownership and control of the three great in
struments of commerce-money, transporta-
ton, and the means of transmission of infor-
nation; which instruments of commerce are
public functions and which our forefatSers
declared in the constitution should be CON
trolled by the people through their congress.
for the public welfare. The one remedy for
the trusts is that the ownership and control
be assumed and exercised by the people We
further demand that all tariffs on goods con-
tr0lled by trust should be abolished.
To cope with the trust evil, the people
must act directly, without the Intervention of
representatives who may be controlled or in
q II IL
lation, giving the people the law-making and
veto power under the initiative aud referen-
dunn. "A majority of the people can never he
corruptly influenced. -
Applauding the valor of our army and
navy in the Spanish war, we denounce the
conduct of the administra ton in Changing a
war For humanity into war for conquest.
The action of the administration in the Philip
pines is in conflict with all the precedents of
our national life, at war with the declaration
OF independence, the constitution and the
plain precepts of humanity. Muir Ter and ar
son have been our response to the appeals OF
the people, who asked only TO establish n free
government in their own land. We demand a
stoppage Of this war of extermination by the
assurance to the Philippines of independence
ana protection under stable government of
their own creation.
The declaration of independence, the con-
stitution and the American flag are one and
inseparable. The Island of Porto Rico is a
part of the territory of the United States and
by levying special and extraordinary customs
dues on the commerce of that island the ad-
~,
abandoned the fundamental principles of
American liberty and has striven to give the
lie to the contention of our forefatlIers that
there should be no taxation without rep
resentatiOn.
Out of the imperialism which would force
an undesirable domination on the people of
the philippines, springs the un American cry
Tor large standing army. Nothing in the
character or purposes of our people justifeS
us i'll ignoring the plain lesson of history and
putting our liberties in jeopardy by as
Stunning the burden of miliiarism which
is crushing the people of the old world. We
0euounce the administration tor it's sinis-
ter efforts to substitute a standing army
for the citizen soldiery which is the best
safeguard for the republic.
We extend to the brave Beers of South At
RIGA our sympathy and moral support in their
patriotic struggle Tor the right of self govern
menr. We are unaterably opposed to aliianc-
es, open or covert, between the United
states and any other nation, that tend to the
destruction of human liberty.
And further manifestation of imperial
ism is to be found in the mining districts of
Idaho. In the Occur d Alene district soldiers
nave been used to oyerawe miners striving
for measure OF industrial Independence and
we denounce the state government of Idaho
and the FEDERAL government to- abridee
the civil rights of the people and to enforce
an infamous permit system which denies to
laborers their Inherent liberty and compels
right before being permitted to seek employ-
ment. P'
The importation of Japanese and other Ia
borers under contract to servo msnopolstic
corporations is a notorious and fragrant viola
tlon or tho immigration laws We demand
that the feiera government shall take cooni
zance OF THIS menacing evil and repress il nm
der existing laws. We further pledoe our-
serves 10 strive Tor the enactment of more
slringept laws Tor the exclusionof MoDgolian
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