Wednesday, January 2, 2013

LAD:Blog #23: The Populist Party Platform

Populist Party 1892 Campaign Buttons.  Campaign buttons for the Populist Party candidate, James B.Weaver, in the presidential election of 1892.
The Populist Movement began in the 1870's and 1890's. The Populist Party appeeared as a third party as a repsonse to the growth of industrialism, opposing the "concentrated capital" The Populist believed that there was alot of corruption in concerns to voting. Arguing that people do not truly have a voice and the working men are denied basic rights. The believe that silver should be accpeted as money and that the supply of currency is purposely limited. Claiming that there is a conspiracy against mankind. They stated that "
We seek to restore the government of the Republic to the hands of the "plain people." " Populist want the government to expand and to end oppression. Their platform included various ideas concerning a maintence of labor forces, finance, and transportation. With finance they hoped for free and unlimited coinage of silver and gold. They wanted the government to own and operate the railroads. Also, they stated that the land should not be monopolized. They included an expression of sentinments that demanded a free ballot, revenue derived frome income tax and opposed national aid to any private corporations.

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