The Platform
of the Populist Party, Adopted at St. Louis, July 24th, 1896.
The People's
party, assembled in National Convention, reaffirms its allegiance to the
principles declared by the founders of the Republic, and also to the fundamental
principles of just government as enunciated in the platform of the party in
1892. We recognize that, through the connivance of the present and preceding
Administrations, the country has reached a crisis in its national life as
predicted in our declaration four years ago, and that prompt and patriotic
action is the supreme duty of the hour. We realize that, while we have
political independence, our financial and industrial independence is yet to be
attained by restoring to our country the constitutional control and exercise of
the functions necessary to a people's government, which functions have been
basely surrendered by our public servant to corporate monopolies. The influence
of European money changers has been more potent in shaping legislation than the
voice of the American people. Executive power and patronage have been used to
corrupt our Legislatures and defeat the will of the people, and plutocracy has
thereby been enthroned upon the ruins of Democracy. To restore the Government
intended by the fathers and for the welfare and prosperity of this and future
generations, we demand the establishment of an economic and financial system
which shall make us masters of our own affairs and independent of European
control by the adoption of the following:
Declaration of
Principles.
FIRST. We demand a national money, safe and sound, issued by the General
Government only, without the intervention of banks of issue, to be a full legal
tender for all debts, public and private; a just, equitable, and efficient
means of distribution direct to the people and through the lawful disbursements
of the Government.
SECOND. We
demand the free and unrestricted coinage of silver and gold at the present
ratio of 16 to 1, without waiting for the consent of foreign nations.
THIRD. We demand the volume
of circulating medium be speedily increased to an amount sufficient to meet the
demands of the business and population and to restore the just level of prices
of labor and production.
FOURTH. We denounce the sale
of bonds and the increase of the public interest-bearing debt made by the
present Administration as unnecessary and without authority of law, and demand
that no more bonds be issued except by specific act of
Congress.
FIFTH. We demand such
legislation as will prevent the demonetization of the lawful money of the
United States by private contract.
SIXTH. We demand that the
Government, in payment of its obligations, shall use its option as to the kind
of lawful money in which they are to be paid, and we denounce the present and
preceding Administrations for surrendering this option to the holders of
Government obligations.
SEVENTH. We demand a
graduated income tax to the end that aggregated wealth shall bear its just proportion of taxation, and we regard the recent
decision of the Supreme Court relative to the Income Tax law as a
misinterpretation of the Constitution and an invasion of the rightful powers of
Congress over the subject of taxation.
EIGHTH. We demand that
postal savings banks be established by the Government for the safe deposit of
the savings of the people and to facilitate exchange.
Transportation.
FIRST. Transportation being
a means of exchange and a public necessity, the Government should own and
operate the railroads in the interest 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 tyranny and political power now exercised by the great railroad
corporations, which result in the impairment if not the destruction of the
political rights and personal liberties of the citizen, may be destroyed. Such
ownership is to be accomplished gradually, in a manner consistent with sound
public policy.
SECOND. The
interest of the United States in the public highways built with public moneys
and the proceeds of extensive grants of land to the Pacific Railroads should
never be alienated, mortgaged, or sold, but guarded and protected for the
general welfare as provided by the laws organizing such railroads. The
foreclosure of existing liens of the United States on these roads should at
once follow default in the payment thereof by the debtor companies; and at the
foreclosure saless of said roads the Government shall
purchase the same if it becomes necessary to protect its interests therein, or
if they can be purchased at a reasonable price; and the Government shall
operate said railroads as public highways for the benefit of the whole people
and not in the interest of the few under suitable provisions for protection of
life and property, giving to all transportation interests equal privileges and
equal rates for fares and freights.
THIRD. We denounce the
present infamous schemes for refuding these debts,
and demand that the laws now applicable thereto be executed and administered
according to their interest and spirit.
Telegraph.
The
telegraphic, like the Post-office system, being a necessity for the
transmission of news, should be owned and operated by the Government in the
interest of the people.
Land.
FIRST. True policy demands
that the National and State legislation shall be such as will ultimately enable
every prudent and industrious citizen to secure a home, and, therefore, the
land should not be monopolized for speculative purposes. All lands now held by
railroads and other corporations in excess of their actual needs, should by
lawful means be reclaimed by the Government and held for natural settlers only,
and private land monopoly as well as alien ownership should be prohibited.
SECOND. We
condemn the frauds by which the land grant Pacific Railroad Companies have,
through the connivance of the Interior Department, robbed multitudes of actual
bona fide settlers of their homes and miners of their claims, and we demand
legislation by Congress which will enforce the exception of mineral land from
such grants after as well as before the patent.
THIRD. We demand that bona
fide settlers on all public lands be granted free homes, as provided in the
National Homestead law, and that no exception be made in the case of Indian
reservations when opened for settlement, and that all lands not now patented
come under this demand.
Direct
Legislation.
We favor a
system of direct legislation, through the initiative and referendum, under
proper constitutional safeguards.
General
Propositions.
FIRST. We demand the
election of President, Vice-President, and United States Senators by a direct
vote of the people.
SECOND. We
tender to the patriotic people of the country our deepest sympathies in their
heroic struggle for political freedom and independence, and we believe the time
has come when the United States, the great Republic of the world, should
recognize that Cuba is and of right ought to be a free and independent State.
THIRD. We favor home rule
in the Territories and the District of Columbia, and the early admission of the
Territories as States.
FOURTH. All public salaries
should be made to correspond to the price of labor and its products.
FIFTH. In times of great
industrial depression idle labor should be employed on public works as far as
practicable.
SIXTH. The arbitrary course
ofthe courts in assuming to imprison citizens for
indirect contempt, and ruling them by injunction, should be prevented by proper
legislation.
SEVENTH. We favor just
pensions for our disabled Union soldiers.
EIGHTH. Believing that the
elective franchise and an untrammelled ballot are
essential to government of, for, and by the people, the People's party condemn
the wholesale system of disfrachisement adopted in
some of the States as unrepublican and undemocratic,
and we declare it to be the duty of the several State Legislatures to take such
action as will secure a full, free and fair ballot and honest count.
NINTH. While the foregoing
propositions constitute the platform upon which our party stands, and for the
vindication of which its organization will be maintained, we recognize that the
great and pressing issue of the pending campaign, upon which teh present election will turn, is the financial question,
and upon this great and specific issue between the parties we cordially invite
the aid and co-operation of all organizations and citizens agreeing with us
upon this vital question.