El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-09-06
THE pOpULIST EFPACEMENT.
The Absorption of Democracy By
popuIism Complete After Ten
Years.

years.
The substitution OF Stevenson for
Towne for vice presid emit on the popu-
list presidential ticket, contaminated
10 Chicago on Tuesday, completes The
effacement of the populist party as such
and marie It's final absorption OF the
democracy after less than ten years OF
separate existence, says a Washington
dispatch. The populisS party, out
growth OF the Farmers Alliance,
originally local union OF Texas farm
ers TO defend its mem oers against the
depredations of cattle thieves, wac
established as political organization
10 December, 1890, less than ten years
ago, at Ocala, Florida, by deleRs
from the several "grangers" unions,
leagues and alliances. The original
declaration of purposes was made on
Dec S at Ocala, with much solemnity.
The original conditions of member
ship in the populiss party were thus
prescribed at that time:
mo person shall be admitted as
member, except q white person over
l6 years of age, who IL believer in the
existence of q supreme being and has
resided in the state more than six
months and IL, either, fret, q farmer
or q farm laborer; second, mechanic,
q country preacher, school teacher
or q country doctor; third, an editor oil
a strictly agricultural paper. Each
state and territory shall have the right
to prescribe the eligibility OF applicants
provided that none but white men
shall be elected as delegates TO the
supreme council"
The demands of the farmers and
farmer representatives In the Ocala
convention we're as follows: First, the
sbClition of national banks; second,
the establishment of sub-treasuries In
the several states 10 loan money ~
the people at q low rate OF interest
loot to exceed 2 per cent.), farm
products to be accepted IS collateral;
tnird, the circulating medium nos to
be lees than $50 per capita; fourts, no
trading in futures" and penalties
for such trading; fifth, free and I'M
limited coinage of silver; sixth, nc
alien ownership OF land: seventh, gene
raj tariff reduction; ighth, an income
tax; ninth, government ownership
of means OF communication and trans
portation, and, tenth, the popular
election of United States senators.
At that period the populiss party
was q veritsble organization OF farmers.
II included few politicians, few labor
seitators and few lawyers. Its lead
ers we're impressed with the import
ance of the new party, and their nrss
national convention held at Omaha on
July 4, 1892, prefaced it's platform with
this declaration:
Assembled upon the 116th An
niversary of the Declaration
of Independence, the PEG
Piles party of America In their
drst national convention, invoking
mighty God, puts forth, in the name
and on behalf of the people OF this
country, the following preamble aud
declarsti Of principles"
This convention WAS participated
In by 1880 delegates. IL nominated
Gen. Weaver OF Iowa for the presiden-
cy and Gen. Field OF Virginia for vice
president. He ran against Adlai
Stevenson, recently Endorsed for the
ceived LOSS. 900 votes and obtained
twenty-five electors, ten from Kansas
four from Color ado, three from Idaho,
three from Nevada and one each from
Oregon and North Dakota
Between 1892 and 1896 the impreg-
nation of the democratic party with
populism steadily continued. One
after another OF the popullst demands,
most uota oily free silver coinage, the
ibcome tax AID the election OF sena-
tors by popular vote, were taken up
by the democrats and at the democra
tic national convention OF 1896
veritAble populist platform WAS
adopted aud q populist nominated up
on It, course ratified by the
subsequent populist national conven-
tion on July % In St. Louis. This year
the popullsts did not wait for the
action of the democrats, but nominal
ed Bryan as populist candidate for
president on May at SIOUX Falls and
the formal acceptance Of Stevenson
ssvice presidential candidate in place
of Towne finally effaces the populiss
party from consideration. The absorp-
zion of the democracy by the popullsts
lie complete.