LAD #23: The Populist Party Platform

A Populist Party nomination convention in 1890

In their Preamble, the Populist party lists increasing corruption, widening wealth gaps, and the growing power of the wealthy as causes for concern, as the country was degenerating to European conditions. They said that the usage of silver could help this issue but it was viewed as a bad thing by many people, and could put an end to the corruption of business and suffering of workers. They also believed that making these changes would restore the Republic to the hands of the "plain people".

Their party had three declarations: 1, the labor forces of the United States would always be unified, 2, wealth belongs to those who create it, and 3, the government should own all the railroads. The finance section of their platform demanded that there be free and unlimited coinage of gold and silver (at the legal ratio, 16:1), more money be put into circulation, a graduated income tax established, that state and national revenues be limited to what is necessary, and postal service banks be established for people to safely store their earnings.

They wanted transportation such as railroads to be controlled by the government because it was a public interest and necessary to travel anywhere, and the same applied to the telephone and telegraph.

The Populists felt that land owned by aliens or excess land owned by corporations should be reclaimed by the government and reserved for only actual settlers.

They wanted a free ballot, more power for the working class, the elimination of groups such as the Pinkertons, no national subsidies for private businesses, more direct voting, and a weaker executive branch of government.