Rensselaer Republican, Volume 24, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 July 1892 — WEAVER AND FIELD [ARTICLE]

WEAVER AND FIELD

Ajo the People’s Party Nominees for President and Vice President. Qreaham TCm Earnestly Desired but Abso0 lately Declined to be a Candidate—The Platform and Full Proceedings. The National Convention of the People’s party convened at Omaha, Neb,, July 2 and adjourned at 3a. m,, July 5. Saturday's proceedings were purely preliminary. The delegates were casting about for a PresidenUal candidate, and a largo malorityof them were anxious that Judge Valier Q. Gresham should be the man, Judge Gresham, however.refused to grant the use of his name., Many of the leaders felt that his declination had a string to it, , and if nominated by acclamation unanimously that he would accept. They finally went solar as to send a committee to see and confer with him, but botore the committee could reach him he again absolutely refused the use of his name. The lentiment then seemed to turn to Senator Kyle of South Dakota, but the Senator also refused the use of his name, . - The permanent oilieers were chairman, H. L. Loucks,ot South Dakota: Secretary, J. V. Hayes, ot New Jersey. Nir. Loucks made a brief speech in assuming the position. A gavef-made from Umbers from the first homestead entry in the United States was presented the chairman. , The committee on rules submitted their report. That part of it relating to ballot lug was rejected. At 10:30 a recess of nearly an hour was taken to witness the parade of citizens on account of the 4th. A storm was precipitated by Chairman Branch of the resolutions committee, offering irresolution calling attention to the fact “that, probably through some oversight, tire ticket agents off the lines of the Union Pacific rail way did not receive instructions to allow the delegates to the convention theusual reduction in fares,” and appointing a committee of three to communicate with the railroad officials to have the mistake rectified. A delegate moved that the Northern Pacific and Treat Northern roads be included in the resolution. Instantly Marion Marion Cannon of California rose to protest against the resolution asexhibiting a want »f independent spirit in the convention. His vehement denunciation of the roads brought the audience to its feet several limes and led 4o the liveliest seene-ofthe lay. “I wautlltis Convention to tinderlie, “that it is not by accident »r oversight the Pacific coast delegates have been overlooked. Our request for tustbmnry courtesy was denied delibertteiv and with insolence. I do not want this con vention,as far as California is conterned and so tar as 1 am concerned, to go Sack to that railroad company, cap in land, and ask for any privileges whatever (Tumultuous applause.] The Democrats (nd Republicans secured half fare, but we lot connected with railroads, but producits of the earth, have been refused equal kums. We can stand the refusal.” Cheer.]

Upto this time Mr. Cannon showed ividence of hisJteeling. _by the increasing Of "his tones. Now ho p-Ow livid Avfflh passion, as he swung his lat in the air £ml declared in tones that Utig from end "to .end of the hall: We can ell those railroad companies that the » ople will own and operate those rpads ret? - Here the enthusiasm .and passion ts the speaker extended to the audience. Every member arose and cheers rent the dr, handkerchiefs were waved and it was everal moments before the speaker could on cl ude - , ■ ‘ . Mr. Dean, of New York, grasped the natter to make politic! out of it. There ras an interstate commission, and he aovcd that the resolution be' brought bebte that organisation, to see whether the aw permitted railroads to discriminate in avor of one national political convention • gainst another. “Let’s use this for the mrpose of a political campaign,’ he said. The motion to makecomplaint to the commission was carried- A recess was then aken until 2 o’clock. Mr. Carter, of California, read the Preamble and it was adopted. Mr. Branch, of Georgia, read the plat orm proper. The strong sentences, picuring grapically the ruin of the country ' '"Trlesw ?h V Te”waj i a ' reform, were' 'weirre- ’ eived, and met approbation. The rqadag of nearly every plank of the platform roper was received with some applause. Phe free silver plank was enthusiastically reeted with cheers, and the government wnershipof railroads plank again got a umultuous greeting in which it was noiceable that Nebraska, Georgia, Kansas .nd Texas led. Applause and cries of amen" from all parts of the house was he reception accorded the paragraph avoring government control of the telegraph and telephone lines. A regular iaptist camp meeting chorous greeted the and plank. The conclusion of the readng of the platform was warmly greeted, te adootion was instantly moved and hougha Mississippi delegate wasstrivng for some unknown purpose to get ecognition, it was put throrgh by unanimous consent, the whole convention rising n advance of the Chair and adopting the ilatform almost before he could move its tdoption. PLATFORM., Following is the preamble and platform is read and adopted: - S Assembled on the one hundred and sixteenth anniversary of the Declaration of .'ndapeadenc.e,-tha Peoples party ca. in their first National convention, invoking upon their action the blessing of Almighty God. put forth, in the name and »n behalf of the people of this country, ;he following preamble and declaration of principles: The conditions which surround us justi*y our co-operation. We meet in the midst >f a Nation brought to the verge of moral, political and material ruin. Corruption iominates the ballot box, the Legislatures, Congress, and touches even the ermine of the bench. The people are demoralized. Mostof the states have been compelled to isolate the voters at the polling nlaces in arder to prevent universal intimidation or aribery. The newspapers are largely sublidizedor muzzled; public opinion silenced; business prostrated: our homes covered with mortgages; labor impoverished; the land concentrating in the hands of the capitalists. The urban workmen are denied the right of organization for self-pro-tection; imported pauperized labor beats town their wages: a hireling standing army, unrecognized by our laws, is established to shoot them down, and they are rapidly degenerating into European conditions. The fruits of the toil of millions are boldlv stolen to build-up colossal fortunes j for a few, unprecedented in the history of mankind, and the possessors of these in turn despise the Republic and endanger liberty. From the same prolix womb of governmental injustice webreed two great classes—tramps and millionaires. The National power to create money is appropriated to enrich bondholders. A vast public debt, payable in legal tender currency, has been funded into gold bearing bonds, thereby adding millions to the burdens of the •people. Silver, which has been Accepted as coin since the dawn. * history, has been demonetized to add t*. the purchasing power of gold by decreasing the value of ail forms of property, as well as human labor, and the supply of currency is purposely abridged to fatten usurers, bankrupt enterprises and enslave Industry. A vast conspiracy against mankind has been organized on twq continents, and it is rap dly taking poss'-ssionoMhe would. If not met and overt hi own at once it forej'.

boles terrible social convulsions, thedestruction of civilization, the establishment of an absolute despotism. We have witnessed for more than a quarter of a century the struggles of two great parties for power and plunder, while grievous wrongs have been inflicted upon a suffering jieople. We>cbarge that the control ing influences dominating- both these parties have i>ermitted the existing dreadful conditions to develop without serious efforts to prevent or restrain them. Neither do they now promise jjisany substantial reform. They have'’agreed to ignore fn i the coming campaign every issue butane. They propose to drown the cries of a plundered people with tire roar of shambattle over the tariff&o that capitalists] corporations, national banks.rings, trusts, watered stock, the demonetization pt sil- i ver and the oppression of the insurers may all be lost signt of. They propose to sacrifice our homes and ehiidren on the altar of inamtnon.: destroy the multitude in order to secure corruption funds from the millionaires. Assembled on the anniversary of the birthday of the Nation, and tilled with the spirit of the grand generation who established our hidependance, wa seek to restore the government of the Republic to the “plain people,” < with whose class it originated. We assert our purposes to be identical with the purposes of the national Constitution: to form a more perfect Union, establish justice,; insure domestic tranquil!! ty, prov tho common-de-fense, promote the welfare and secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity. We declare that this Rep.ubHw can only endure as a free government while built upon the love of the whole people for each other and for the Nation; that it cannot be joined together by bayonets; that the civil war is over, and that every passion and resentment whiefe grew out of it must die with Lt, and that we must be in fact, as we are in name, one united brotherhood of free men Onr country finds itself confronted by for which there is no precedent in the history of the world. Our annual agricultural production amounts to billionsof dollars in value, which must, within a few weeks or months, beexchanged for billions of dollars of commodities consumed in their production. The existing currency supply is wholly inadequate to make this exchange: the results are falling prices, the formation of combines and rings and the impoverishment of the producing class. We pledge ourselves that if given power we will labor to correct these evils by, reasonable legislation in accordance with thb terms-of. our platform. We believe., that the powers of government, in other words, of ths people. Ahatt be expanded fas in the case of the postal service) as rapidly and as far as the good sense of an intelligent people and the teachings of the Scriptures shall justify, to the end ‘that oppression and injustice shall eventually cease in the land.

While our sympathies as a party of reform are naturally upon the side of every? proposition whtfch will, tend to mako. men intelligent, virtuous and temperate, we nevertheless regard these questions, important as they are, subordinate to the great issue now pressing for solution and upon which not only individual prosperity.—but the very existence of free institutions de pends, and we ask men to help us, and determine whether we are to have a Republicto administer before we differ as to the conditions upon which it is to be administered. Believing, that the forces of reform this_day:set In motion will never cease~to move forward until every wrong is remedied. equal rights and equal privileges established for ail the men and women of the country, we declare, therefore, -•First—That the union of the labor forces of the United States this day consummated shall be permanent and perpetual. May its spirit enter into all hearts for the salvation of the Republic and the uplifting of mankind. — Second—All wealth belongs to him who creates it. and every dollar taken from individuals without an equivalent is robbery. “If any will not work, neither'shall he eat.” The interests of rural and civic labor are the same; the enemies afe identical ’ Third—We believe that the time has come when the railroad corporations will either own the people or the people must own the railroads, and should the government enter upon the work of owning and managing all railroads, we should favor an amendment to the Constitution by which all persons engaged in lhe government service shall be placed under a civil serv ice reg ula 11 on o f the most rig i d char acter. so as to prevent the increase of the power of the national administration by the use of such additional government employes. We demand a national currency, safe, sound and flexible, issued by the general government only; a full legal tender for all debts public and private.and that without the use of banking corporations; a just, equitable and efficient means of distribution direct to the people, at a tax not exceeding 2 per cent, per annum, to be provided as set forth in the sub-treasury plan of the Farmers' Alliance, or a better system; also by payments in discharge of its obligations for public improvements. We demand free and unlimited coinage of silver and gold at the present legal ratio of 16 to 1. We demand that the amount of the circulation medium be speedily increased to not less than 250 per capita. AVd demand a graduated income tax. We believe that the money of the country should be kept as much as possible in the hands of the people, and hence we demand that all state and national revenues shall be limited to the necessary expenses of the government, economically and honestly administered. = Wedemand that postal savings banks be established by the government for the safe deposit of the earnings of,,the people and to facilitate exchange. “ Transportation being a means of exchange and a public necessity.the government should own and operate the railroads in the interest of the people. The telegraph and telephone, like the postoffice system, being necessary for the transmission of news, should be owned by the go Vermont in the interest of the people. land, including all the natural sources of wealth, is the heritage of the people and should not be monopolized for speculative purposes, and alien ownership of land should be prohibited. All land now held by railroads and other corporations in excess Of their actual needs, and all lands now owned by aliens should be reclaimed by the government and held for actual settlers only; At once on the adoption of the platform the convention broke over all restraint and went wild in a demonstration that had a likeness to descriptions 4 ©! enthusiastic bastite demonstrations in France. The whole convention, delegates and audience, rose to their feet and the first platform of the People’s party was ushered into the I world with a scene of enthusiasm, though not in absolute length, almost equaling the cyclonic demonstration which greeted the mention of the name of James G. Blaine at Minneapolis. That scene lasted thirty-one minutes, and this scene between twenty and twenty-five minutes. It began by the convention rising In their chairs, cheering, swinging coats that had been taken off on account of the beat, waving hats and fans and throwing things in the air. All the delegates were on their feet and the stage was crowded .’with members of the committee on resolutions. Several delegates seized Branch of Georgia, tbe chairman, and trotted him > up and down the main aisle on their shoulders. The uproar continued tremendously. Ak if by a flash a number of delegates seized the uprights used to bold placards designating the place of State delegations tn the hall and rushed with them to the platform, forming a cordon about the whole platform. Banners were also borne

there. The New Yorkers seized old nu Lloyd, of New York, whose beaming, ruddy face, long white locka and beara gave him a Rip van Winkle appearance, and, bearing Kim on thejr shoulders, placed him in the very ’front of the phalanx on the stage, where he was handed a baton and enthusiastically beat time to the wild cheering of the crowd. .The enthusiasm continued as great as ever and each new banner was warmly greeted. -Frontier county, Neb., bore a placard Inscribed: “What is home without a mortgage? 'Don’t a|i speak, at Once.” A picture of a settler s cabin was part of it, and on the reverse side on a big gold piece was inscribed: "Tventy tollar, 1892,” the portrait device on the coin being that of a money lender, with long, avaricious nose and noticeable lack of chin.

Tennessee’s banner pledged 80.000 votes to the new party—, Virginia-had George Washington for its exemplar. Brown of Massachusetts seized the silk blue banner of the old Bay state with its motto, “The 1 spirit 0|1?76." and a cold black negro delegate putting his silk‘beaver aiid an American flag-on his cane the two sprang to the side of Old Mau Lloyd, the baud leader, and the three formed an apex at -the center of the stage around which all hands gathered. The shouting bad lasted fifteen minutes and it was hot and tiresome. A new freak sir This moment seized an almost delirious delegate and gave fresh' vent to the feelings of the excited mammoth assemblage. The banners and placards were rushed down from the stage and an impromptu procession to which new adherents were constantly received was started around the body of the hall in which the delegates sat, a band of drummers heading the marchers.• -Uontiectlcut’s banner said: “Congress and not the people, be damued. Shyluck’s twins; Grover and Ben.

The crowd broke forth again in applause and the women joined In tire movement and-getting in line marched wi th the male associates shouting encouraging cries of “Right, sister.” The enthusiasm showed itself In countless eccentricities.—Texas had a cuffed can supposed.to represent a tin pail on end of itspoleand women’s hats, a silk tile and other headgear adorned others. The leaders finally concluded to stem the tide and with vigorous efforts endeavored for a long time by pushing and hectoring their delegates tb secure order, but it took some minutes to accomplish this. The remarkable demons and forming in the center of the hall the band played “Yankee Doodle’’ and “Dixie,” while the effervescence’ of tho audience continued to expend itself involcanic cheering. ,/ S. M. Scott, state lecturer of the Kansas alliance, when he got an opportunity, aided by other singers oil the state started up: “Gobd-bye old party, good bye,” Hie delegates joining in. "My C<vinxfy. ’Tis of Thee" played by a second band closed the extraordinary Fourth of July celebration of the new party. — Now came a marvelous climax. Taubeneck. of Illinois, the chairman of the National committee, had,during, thelast part of the Scene on the adoption of the platform, been despairing of making himself “Beard. Ho was on his.chaur wildly waving a telegram just received. The surmise “that it was from Gresham spread like wildfire, and from all over the hall people ran to get information from Taubaneck, while others became excited and added to the confusion by holding down their neighbors. The people on the stage wore the noisiest and Ingersoll, of Kansas, regardless of the rapping.of the chairman’s gavel, excitedly rushea up and vehemently warned them to keep quiet.» *• - •

The chairman attempted to direct the convention to other matter®, and a Mr. Wadsworth followed him with a weary speech At this point the impatient delegates would brook no further delay and Mr. Taubeneck was giyen the floor. He had a telegram from Dr. Houser, of Indiana, to the effect that if Gresham was nominated unanimously he would not decline . , The effect of this telegram was electrical. Thousands of people sprang instantly to their feet and thousands of voices cheered again and again for Gresham. There seemed no doubt that among those wildly cheering enthusiasts were a majority of the delegates whether their enthusiasm was an evidence of their con victions or not. Immediately after the reading of this dispatch by Chairman Taubeneck, Mr. Brown of Massachusetts took- the... stage,—“EquaL. rights, to -all. special privileges to none,” he said. [Loud cheersj “The chairman has made the announcement that Gresham will accept if nominated unanimously. [Cries of ‘that’s right,’ and cheering.] I hold in my, hand a letter from Mr. Mann Page, chairman of the Virginia State Alliance, in which he says that his name may go before this convention for the Presidential nomination, and after a full, free and fair expression of the will of the convention he is prepared to abide by the result. [Faint cheers and laughter.]That is just a little Wler than Mr. Gresham who wants It Here the audience arose en-masse. “Gresham,” “Gresham,” “three cheers for Gresham,” “hurrah for Gresham,” rang through the hall for several seconds and the words were accompanied by wild manifestations of enthusiasm. “Keep cool,” Shouted Chairman Loucks “and listen to the speaker; every man will have his turn.” Brown fairly yelled. “I don’t propose to attempt to stampede the convention hall with the aid of the gallery. That is an old party trick.” A volley of hisses, loud and long continued, greeted this statement, and again the chairman Interfered, shouting: Instantly Robert Schilling of Wisconsin sprang to his feet. “No B »ntleman has a right to insult the chairman of our National convention and our first convention,” he said, amid ringing cheers. “No one has a right to insult us by making charges and fraudulent insinuations about the party’s chairman.” [Wild cheers.] From this time until adjournment at 8 o’clock it was a contest between the Gresham and anti-GroUham people, in which Greek met Greek. Some sarcastic words were spoken, with honors about even__. '. ..-.--A _—- At the evening session a resolution boycotting Rochester clothing manufacturers was adopted. The naming of candidates was finally reached. Gen. James B. TVeavsr was nominated by J. S. Manning. Senator Kyle of South Dakota was nominated by S. F Norton Ex-Senator Van Wyck of Nebraska. on. James Field of Virginia. Ignatius Donnelly of Minnesota, and Mann Page of Virginia were also nominated. When the voting began Page’s nams waa withdrawn. The vote resulted In the nomination of Gen. Weaver by the following vote: For Weaver: Alabama 43, Arkansas 12, California 25, Colorado 6.,Connecticut 8, Delaware 1. Florida 16, Georgia 13. Idaho ' 12, Illinois 41, Indiana 54, lowa 52, Kansas 40, Kentucky 40, Louisiana 32, Maine 6, Massachusetts 9, Michigan •”>. Minnesota 27, Mississippi 27, Missouri 61, Nebraska 23. New Jersey 4, New York 59, North Carolina 20, North Dakota 11. Ohio 30. Oregon 16, Pennsylvania 29, South Dakota. 1, Tennessee 48. Texas 60. Virginia 48, Washington 16, West Virginia 17, Wisconsin 7, Wyoming 9, District Columbia 8. OklaI homa-8. total 995,- - For Kyle: Arkansas <o.' Colorado 10, Connecticut 2. Georgia 39, Illinois 42. Indiana 5, Maine 2. Massachusetts 13. Minneasota 9, Missouri 7. Montana 12, Nebraska 8. Nevada?, North Carolina 5. North Dakota 1, Ohio 22, South Dakota 18. Wiscon sin 31. total 265. ' For vice-president Gen. Jamvt G. Field of Virginia and Ben Terrel of Taxa* were placed in nomination. > Field won on the Ont hallos.