Democratic Sentinel, Volume 11, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 March 1887 — THE NEW PARTY. [ARTICLE]

THE NEW PARTY.

Proceedings of the Convention Called at Cincinnati to Form a New Party. A Number of Women Delegates in At* tendance—The Platform Adopted. FIBST DAY. The Industrial Labor Conference was called to order at Cincinnati on Tuesday, Feb. 22, by B. S. Heath, of Chicago, Chairman of the Executive Committee, with all the States represented except six. Ten women were delegates, among them Miss Marion Todd of Battle Creek, Mich., Mrs. Heath of Chicago, and Mrs. Dr. Severance of Milwaukee. The conference was opened with prayer by the Rev. Mr. Lockwood, Baptist. Mr. Richard Trevellick was chosen temporary Chairman. The Rev. Mr. Lockwood made an address of welcome, in which he said he favored labor organization. The riot at Pittsburgh was the result of labor unorganized —the peaceful strike in New York was the result of labor organized. [Applause.] The convention by a rising vote gave thanks to the “minister who had the courage to speak as this minister had done.” At the evening session a letter was read from Gen. J. B. Weaver, of lowa, regretting his inability to be present. He suggested that the platform should, chiefly relate to land, money, and transportation. He favored the election of Senators of the United States by direct vote of the people of the States. He begged the convention to not put any new and startling principles in the platform. In conclusion he said: “Go ahead; strike hard. ‘ Thy people shall be my people, and thy God shall be my God.’ ” Mr. E. E. Haas urged the conference to declare for prohibition. If that was done the party would have the prayers of every woman in the whole country, and of every man and child who has felt the sting of the curse of the open saloon. His address was frequently and heartily applauded. E. P. Smith, in reply, said if this party should kill the Prohibition party it would drive 300,000 votes back into the Republican party. These permanent officers were chosen: President, A. J. Streeter, of Illinois; Vice Presidents, Richard F. Trevellick of Michigan, M. J. Kane of lowa, B. S. Heath of Illinois, J. H. Allen of Indiana, and others; Secretary, M. D. Shaw of Missouri; Assistant Secretary, W. D. P. Bliss of Massachusetts; Reading Clerk, George H. Lennon of New York. Mr. C. A. Power of Indiana asked the conference to favor the repeal of the present pension laws and the equitable adjustment of the soldiers’ claims, by which soldiers should be paid the difference between the paper they received and the value of gold, every soldiers’ discharge to be his pension certificate. A resolution favoring eight hours as a day’s work in all Government, State, and municipal employment was referred. Miss Marion Todd of Michigan made a speech in which she said that the laboring man had been disfranchised by the machinations of grinding monopolists and by the gross evils of the wages system .of this country. Plunder was not obtained through special legislation, through officials, through the militia, through the Pinkertons —“what shall I call them?” she asked. [Cries of “Assassins,” “Murderers,” “Murdering thieves.”] “I leave the saying of the bad words to the gentlemen,” said the speaker. She thought Henry George did not go far enough; that he did not see the evil of the money system. She was heard with intense gratification and given a rousing vote of thanks.

SECOND DAY. The business not being pressing, a delegate moved that a gavel be procured for the use of the chairman, and the vote was formally taken and carried. The Committee on Resolutions not being ready to report, Mr. G. L. Jones, of Wisconsin, got the floor by consent, and said the main question before the country was to get rid of the public and corporate indebtnoss of this country. He supported his proposition by citing facts to show the great burden on the people caused by the interest-bearing debt. The remedy he proposed was by law to reduce and to remove that debt. This included a graduated income tax, the lending of money by the Government to the States; the States to lend to the counties, and the counties to the smaller municipalities; the Government to lend at 1 per cent, the States at 2 per cent., and the counties at 3 per cent. On motion of Mrs. Severance, of Wisconsin, the rules were suspended and Mr. Crocker, of Kansas, was permitted to explain the Oklahoma movement, and to present a preamble and resolution in regard to that matter. Mr. Crocker proceeded to read a preamble reciting the action of Congress with reference to the acquiring of that ground, its grant to the railroad company, * and its subsequent forfeiture, and declaring that this land is now in the possession of a vast cattle syndicate by undue influence of the United States courts, the army and other officers, and closed by a resolution severely censuring the action of the present administration, and demanding the passage of the now pending Oklahoma bill, and jf this Congress does not pass this bill, then requesting the President to convene the next Congress in extra session to pass the bill. Mr. Crocker then, in an impassioned manner, went on to speak of the wrongs of the O.klahoma colonists. His point was that the railroad corporation and the cattle syndicate were holding possession of that country by the power of a military mob. He would not call it an army; it was a military mob. He pictured the peaceful purposes of the settlers, anxious to get homes, and the gross outrages inflicted on them—arrested, subjected to indignities; in one case resulting in death to the wife of one of these men seeking a home. He closed with the hope that his resolutions, when presented for action, would be adopted without a dissenting vote. Under the rules the resolution went to the.committee, but Mr. - Ridgely, of Kansas, moved to suspend the rules and adopt the resol utons, but upon vigorous protests he Withdrew the motion. Mrs. Severance, of Milwaukee, by request. addressed the convention. In her view, the condition in this country had produced two classes—the moneyed class and the wage slaves. She prophesed shortly the further slavery of the denial of free speech, unless the power of the great king monopoly is curtailed. Our Government now, she declared, was one of money —by money, for money. In conclusion,

she outlined the platform which should be adopted. Calls were made for Jesse Harper, of Illinois, and he appeared and made a ringing and characteristic speech, the chief burden being the wrong caused by the watered stock of the railroad and telegraph monopolies. He declared that the coming child of promise would swear by all the gods that there shall be no freight or passenger rates on watered stock. Mr. Waters of Illinois offered a motion that the chair shall apnoint a committee of five on permanent organization, to take charge of the organization of the new party throughout the country. The chair declared the motion out of order.

Mr. Eaton of Hlinois, by unanimous consent, offered a scheme for the organization es the new party, outlining a plan for local club organization, and accompanied it with explanations. Mrs. Elizabeth Culbertson of Michigan, and Mrs. E. V. Emery, also of Michigan, made addresses. Chairman Robert Schilling, of the Committee on Resolutions, presented the report of that committee. He explained the long delay in preparing it by saying that the many interests involved and the suggestions made, amounting to more than two hundred in all, necessitated much time in agreeing upon a platform. The reading was vociferously applauded. Following is the platform:

The preamble : 1. The delegates of various industrial and reform political organizations have assembled from thirty-one States and Territories on this anniversary of the birth of “The Father of his Country" to view the situation of public affairs and advise proper action. A general discontent prevails on the part of the wealth-producers; farmers are suffering from a po erty which has forced most of them to mortgage their estates and prices of products are so low as to offer no relief except through bankruptcy. Laborers are sinking into greater and greater dependence ; strikes are resorted to without bringing relief, because of the inability of the employers in, many cases to pay living wages, while more and more are driven into the streets. Business-men find collections almost impossible ; meantime hundreds of millions of idle public money, which is needed for relief, is locked up in the United States Treasury in grim mockery of the distress; land monopoly flourishes as never before, and more and more owners of the soil are daily becoming tenants. Great transportation corporations still succee d in extorting their profits upon watered stock through unjust charges. The United States Senate has become an open scandal, its seats being purchased by the rich in open defiance of the popular will. A trifling fisheries dispute is seized upon as an excuse for squandering public monev upon unnecessary military preparations, which are designed to breed a spirit of war, to ape European despotism, and to empty the Treasury without paying the public debt. Under these and other alarming conditions we appeal to tho people of this whole country to come out of old party organizations, whose indifference to the public welfare is responsible for this distress, and help us to organize a new political party, not sectional but national, whose members shall be called Commoners, whose object shall be to repeal all class laws in favor of the rich, and to relieve tho distress of our industries by establishing the following principles: 1. Lund—Every human being possesses a natural inalienable right to have sufficient land for self-support, and we desire to secure to every industrious citizen a home, as the highest result of free institutions. To this end we demand a graduated land tax on all large estates, especially those held for speculative or tenant purposes ; tho reclamation of all unearned land grants; the immediate opening of Oklahoma to homestead settlement; the purchase of all unoccupied Indian lands, and the settlement of the various tribes upon lands in severalty; also laws preventing corporations from acquiring real estate beyond the requirements of their business and alien ownership of land. The systems of irrigation in the States and Territories where necessary shall be under such public control as shail secure the free and equitable use of the waters and franchise to the people. 2. Transportation—The means of communication and transportation should be owned or controlled by the people, as is the United States postal system, and equitable rates everywhere established.

3. Money—The establishment of a National monetary system in the interest of the producer instead of the speculator and usurer, by which a circulating medium in necessary quantity and full legal tender shall be issued directly to the people, without the intervention of banks,or loaned to citizens upon ample security at a low rate of interest, to relieve them from the extortions of usury and enable them to control the money supply. Postal-savings banks should be established. While we have free coinage of gold we should have free coinage of silver. We demand the prompt payment of the national debt, and condemn the further issue of interest-bearing bonds either by the national Government or by States, Territories, counties, or municipalities. 4. Labor -Arbitration should take the place of strikes and other injurious methods of settling labor disputes; the letting of convict labor to contractors be prohibited; the contract system be abolished in public works ; the hours of labor in industrial establishments be reduced commensurate with the increase of production in labor-saving machinery; employes be protected from bodily injury; equal pay being given for equal work for both sexes, and labor, agricultural and co-operative associations be fostered and incorporated by law. The foundation of a republic is the intelligence of its citizens, and children who are driven into workshops, mines, and factories are deprived of education, which should be secured to all by proper legislation. We desire to see labor organizations extend throughout all civilized countries until it shall be impossible for despots io array the workingmen of one country in war against their brothers of another country. 5. Soldiers and sailors—ln appreciation of the services of United States soldiers and sailors, we demand for them justice before charity. The purposely depreciated money paid them during the war should be made equal in value to the gold paid the bondholders. The soldier was promised coin or its equivalent, and was paid in depreciated paper. The bondholder loaned the Government depreciated paper and contracted to take it back, but was paid in gold. (j. Income tax—A graduated income tax is the most equitable system of taxation, placing the burden of Government on those who can best ’afford to pay, instead ot laying it on the farmers and producers, and exempting millionaire bondholders and corporations. 7. United States Senate—The capture of the United States Senate by millionaires and tools of corporations who have' no sympathy with free inst.tutions threatens the very existence of the Republic. We demand a constitutional amendment making United States Senators elective by a direct tote of the people. 8. Chinese —State and National laws should be passed that shall effectually exclude from America the Mongolian slave and Asiatic competition. 9. Armed men—The employment of bodies of armed men by private corporations should be prohibited. 10. Equality—The right to vote is inherent in citizenship, irrespective of sex. 11. Temperance—Excessive wealth, resulting in luxury and idleness on the one hand and excessive toil and poverty on the other, lead to intemperance and vice. The measures of reform here demanded will prove to be the scientific solution of the.temporance question. THIRD DAY. The election of a National Executive Committee -was the principle, and about the only work accomplished by the Convention on the third and last day of its session. The Committeis constituted as follows: Alabama—J. J. Woodall. California—R. E. Davis. Dakota—J. 0. Dean. Illinois—J. B. Clark. Indiana—Thomas Gruelle. lowa—W. H. Babb. Indian Territory—M. N. Lovin. Kansas—W. D. Vincent. Kentucky—L. A. Wood. Maryland—Charles A. Mettie. Massachusetts—M. Johnston. Missouri—J. Nolan. Nebraska—E. Hull. New Hampshire—George Carpenter.

New Jersey—W. D. Dub jit. " New York—J. J, Hoyt. North Carolina—J. R. Winston. Ohio—Charles Jenkins. Oregon—E. W. Pike. Pennsylvania—John P. Zane. Rhode Island—Holmes W. Merton. Tennessee—J. R. Mills. Texas—Capt. Sam Evans. West Virginia— J. K. Thompson. Washington Territory—George N. Smith. When the committee was being selected,, Col. Winston, of North Carolina, said hi* delegation and that of Mississippi and Arkansas could not name members unless the convention would relegate to the States the adoption or rejection of certain parts of the platform. His desire was to make the sections of the platform relating to land, transportation, money, labor, income tax, and Chinese labor the national platform, and all of the different States to adopt or reject the other sections as they chose. His plan was adopted by the convention, thus relieving the Southern States from being committed to woman suffrage, which they had fought unsuccessfully hitherto. The convention elected Thomas M. Gruelle, of Indiana, Chairman of the National Committee; I. F. McDonald, of Springfield, Ohio, Secretary; and President Streator, of Illinois, Treasurer. The convention adjourned sine die. The Delegates Highly Elated at the Outcome o. Their Labors. [Cincinnati special to Chicago Times.] A mass ratification meeting was held at night in Music Hall, and was addressed by a number of the delegates. Less than two hundred delegates remained to-day, but they were, with very few exceptions, quite jubilant over their labors, and expressed themselves as most hopeful of the future. Mrs. Culbertson, of Michigan, declared that the platform was the best ever adopted by a political party, and predicted that it would surely carry in Michigan next fall. A Kansas delegate was certain it would have a majority there inside of two years. An Illinoisan and an Indianian felt sure the platform would take like wildfire in their sections. In fact, all the Western delegates were wildly enthusiastic. The Greenbackers are happy. Chairman E. H. Gillette, of the Greenback National Committee, said: “We will favor the uniting with the Union Labor party, but our National Committee will not disband. We will hold our organization, but I favor uniting heart and soul with the new party. ” A Western delegate said: “The bringing of the farmers into the Knights of Labor is looked upon with a great deal of favor by the leaders of that organization. Now, every district in the Knights of Labor is entitled to one representative in the general conference. It takes but ten members to make an assembly, and but five assemblies to form a district. Powderly and the conservatives have organizers forming the farmers into small assemblies and these into districts, so that when the next general conference is held it will be found that a large part of the farming portion of the country is formed into districts and represented in tee conference by a large majority of the delegates. This is Powderly’s scheme to outgeneral the socialists who are in the cities and in large assemblies, but represented in the general conference bv only one delegate each. In this way the anarchists will be robbed of power for harm.” .... The Executive Committee of the Greenback party held a conference and resolved to continue their organization, but will send an address to their party advising co-operation with the Union Labor party.