The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1908-10-16
NO. IL.
WHAT 1T ALL MEANS
Tabloid History of the Peoples Party.
BY Gibson GARDNER.

Born of the hard times which
prevailed among the farmers In
iseg. the peoples party was aFis
lnaily loud and bitter protest
against existing things
AZ one time the peoples party
chose presidential electors In Col
orado. idaho. Kansas. North Ia
kotA and Wyoming elected nine
members pf the national house ~
Representatives and Ind two mem
hers Kansas and South Dakota
In the senate "a shr presidential
election Of 1884 the party pollrd
OCT .0gs votes
To-day the party is hardly more
than a rrminierwacr iu many
states lE has failed entirely 10 keep
up itE party Organization.
An important exception to this
rule u The state % Georgia One
% the most distinguished citizens
~ that state the Hon Thomas q
Watson ia there Hilli upholdimE
populiam. HAVING been nominated
AZ presidential candidate aud b.
Ing nos in the midst Of a hut can
vass Ia his state llia object
frankly stated. n 70 take Georgia
away from BryAn. a. q rrbnke %
Bryan Tor his deneFtion 81 tbs pop
ulisiic platform on which both
Watson and Bryan sieod together
Ia 1893
The first national convention ~
the peoples party was held IN
so in Omaha. Neb lsa first plat
form. there adopted. vas a spirited
or fiery message In its rhetoric
n reminds one 81 Hnuaeveiia mes
sage % January g. 1908 q stated
that already the nation has been
brought 10 the verge % moral -
lilicai ard material ruin. that
corruption touches even the er
mine 81 the bench. and that FROM
the aame prolific womb ~ govern
mental Injustice ~ breed the tao
great classes. tramps and million
aires The platform announced
the cause 20 be- vast conspiracy
0f manklnd. orEanized IN tNu coo
tinenia and ihsreupon aaegeftfd
remediea
General James n Weaver was
nominated for president
The decline Of the peoples party
began with IT, 'fusiou" with the
democrats Tho democracy ~ 1856
vas the democracy % the radicals
Who. under the leadership % By
an. captured the party convention
held AZ Chicago Bryan had In
isg2 been a popuiiat
Watson always maintained that
the party organization and Identity
should be maintained He urged
middle Of the road course in
1896. when he protested against
fusion on presidential electors. The
existence 81 the party name TO-DAY
ls due perhaps as much to Watson
~ 10 any other single Influence
In 1904 he again became the party
presidential candidate. and polled
III 900 votes The platform Of
1904 reaffirmed the essential prim-
clpica Of that ~ 1899. but left out
much Of the fiery preamble aud
some Of the suggested remedies
Lake many other movements
which have seemed % fail the
peoples party has rendered an un-
doubted service 20 the country
While the party wnned It's prln
ciples have wnKcd Some Of them
today are embodied In what the
people have indorsed 20 ummiatak
ably as the Roosevelt policies
others are embalmcd in the plat
form 81 the republicans adopted
at Chicago. the rest Tor nearly ail
the reaD have gone 10 make ul
the platform ON which democracy
seeks success What shocked tht
country -Or much OF the country
more timid element-lu 1892 anf
in 1896. aud we're denounced ai
crazy p0pullHm. has come 20 b.
accepted as the progressive poll
eies" which all the people waui
and are determined they shall have
A few things the peoples party
atiil holds by itself The tive
stronger parties have not set cm
braced the government ownership
ideas, az applied 10 railroads on
telegraphs. nor do they go viii
the popullHts In their demands thai
the national banking system be
abolished. or that paper money be
put out on the credit of the govern
ment or loaned to farmers on tn
security Of grain or cotton In N
warehouse The Initiative aud ref
erendum. which Is a plank In the
peoples party platform Of 1904. ap
peaia to Bryan. and has been Ia
dorsed by him personally; but not
by his party.
ContiOl of corporations, reatric
ton Of the Injunction, better hour
for labsH protection Of the child aud
woman In the factory. gogwnment
ownership Of g0yerRuasat aalii,ie
and postal savings saasai aSs
few Of the things TO wkic6 Cas oti
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