Willmar tribune., 1900-05-16
PEOPLES | NlTl0EAL CONVENTION. mi N
Concluded from First Page.

pies In all directions, does hereby reafirm its
adherence to the fundamental principles pro
claimed In its two prior platforms and calls
upon oil who desire to avert the subversior
OF free institutions by corporate and imperial
istic power to unite with it in bringing the gov
eminent back to the ideals OF Washington, JET
ferson and Lincoln
IL exeends to It's allies in the struggle for e.
nanclal and economic freedom assurances o1
It's loyalty to the principles which animate the
alheo forces and the promise of honest and
hearty cooperation in every effort for their
success.
10 the people of the United States we offe,
Tue 1olow1ng platform as the expression Of ou1
unalterable convictions:
Resolved, That>we denounce the act of Mar
49, lsoO, Us the elimination of long series OF
consplracies to deprive the people of their
constitutional rights over the money of the
natlon and delegate to gigantic money trust
sne control of the purse and hence of the peo.
ple We denounce this act:
First, for making all money obligations, dom
estlc or foreign, payable in gold coin or it's
equivalent, thus enormously increasing the
nuroens OF the debtors and enriching the cred
Second for refunding 'coin, bonds not to
mature for years into long time gold bonds so
rs 60 make their payment improbable and our
debt perpetual.
~, Third, for taking from the treasury over $780,
UOuo IN tlme OF war and presenting it aS q
premium to DOnd holders to accomplish the re-
tundlng OF bonds not due.
Fourth, for doubling the capital of the bank
ers 6Y returning to them the face value Of their
Donos IN current money notes so that they may
draw one interest from the government and
another from the people.
Filth, Tor allowing banks to expand and con-
tnel sraGt tnelr circulation at pleasure, thus con-
trolling prices of all products.
sixth, for authorizing the secretary of the
treasury to issue new gold bonds to an unlimi-
leo amount whenever he deems it necessary
to replenish the gold hoard. thus enabling ;usu-
rency by drawing gold from the treasury. there
Dy creating an 'endess chain for perpetually
addlng to perpetual debt.
Seventh. for striking down the greenback in
$2O,0OOO OOO.
While barring out the money of the cOnstitu-
tion, this law opens the printing mints of the
treasury to the free coinage of bank paper
money, to enrich the few and lmpoversh the
many.
We pledge anew the peoples party never to
cease the agitation until this eighth financial
conspiracy is blotted from the statute books,
the Lincoln greenbacS re stored, the bonds all
paid and all corporation money forever retired.
we reafhrm the demand for the re-opening
of the mints of the United States to the free
and unlimited coinage of silver and gold at the
present legal ratio Of Is to /, the immediate in
crease IN the value of silver coins and certf-
Gates thus created to be be substituted, dol
lar for dollar, for the bank notes issued by pr-
vate corpol atiOns under special privileges
granted by law OF March IL, 1900, and prior to
natlonal banking laws, the remaining portion
or the bank notes to be replaced with full le-
gal tender government paper money and it's
volume to be so controlled as to maintain at
oil times stable money market and stable
price level.
We demand graduated income and inheri-
tance tax, to the end that aggregated wealth
shall bear it's just proportion Of taxation.
We demand that postal savings banks be es-
tablished by the government for the safe de-
posit of the savings of the people and to facil-
itate exchange.
With Thomas Jefferson we declare that the
land including all natural sources Of wealth the
1nalenable heritage of the people. Govern
ment should so act as to secure homes for the
people and prevent land monopoly. The orig
1nal homestead policy should be enforced and
future settlers upon the public domain should
be entitled to q free homestead while all who
have paid an acreage price to the government
under existing laws should have their home
stead rights restored.
Transportation being a means of exchange
and public necessity, the government should
own and operate the railroads in the interests
of the people and on a non-partisan basis, to
the end that all may be accorded the same
treatment in transportation, and that the ex-
tortion, tyranny and political power now exer-
cised by the great railroad corporations, which
result in the impairment, if'not destruction of
the POLITICAL rights and personal liberties of the
citizen, may be destroyed. Such ownership
is to be accomplished in q manner consistent
with sound public policy.
Trusts, the over-shadowing 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-
tion and the means for the transmission of in
formation-which instruments of commerce
are public functions and which our fore-fath-
ers 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
controlled by trust be abolished
To cope with the trust evil the people must
act directly without the Intervention of repre-
sentatives who may be controlled or influenced.
We therefore demand direct legislation, CIV
ing the people the law-making and veto power
under the initiative and referendum. A ma
jOrity of the people can never be corruptly in
iuenced.
Applauding the valor of our army and navy
In the Spanish war, we denounce the conduct
OF the administration in changing war for hui
manity into q war for conquest. The action of
the administration in the Philippines is in con-
hct with all the precedents of our natural life;
at war with the Declaration OF Independence,
the Constitution and the plain precepts of hui
manity. Murder and arson have been our re-
sponse to the appeals of the people who asked
only to establish free government in their
own land We demand the stoppage of this
war OF determination by the assurance to the
Filiplnos of independence and protection under
stable government OF their own creation.
4 The Declaration of Independence, the Con-
3stitution and the American flag are one and in
seperable. The island of Porto Rico is a part
of the territory of the United States and by
levying special and extraordinary customs du-j
ties on the commerce Of that island, the ad-
ministration has violated the Constitution,
abandoned the fundamental principles of Am
erican liberty and striven to give the lie to the
contention OF our forefathers that there should
be no taxation without representation. -.
4 Out of the Imperialism which would force an
undesired domination on the people Of the
Philippines, springs the un-American cry for a
large army. Nothing in the character or purts
poses Of our people justifies us in ignoring the
plain lessons Of history and putting our liberties