Populist Party Platform

Populist Party Platform,

July 4, 1892

The motto of this was “down with monopoly” and to elect honest men to help elect into the Populist Party platform. This was formed by a coalition of groups that were sick of the democrats and republicans and came together to fight for the change they wanted. Frances Willard who was committed to temperance and suffrage and was defeated in the other party decide to try and elect a presidential candidate that might commit to the same concerns she had.  The St. Louis gathering by this group makes a milestone in US history. The people’s party challenged the laissex-faire economics.  The farmer’s alliance gave birth to the peoples party which in return launched the populist movement.

Populism was more than a set of demands and complaints. The society was looking for change and action. The populists demanded currency reform, economic democracy, and land reform.

The Peoples party platform preamble comes from Ignatius Donnelly who was a speaker at the populist convention in St. Louis in 1982. In his speech he talks about the nation being corrupted at the ballot box and the people demoralized. The statement I liked the most of his speech was the ending line- “We breed the two great classes- tramps and millionaires.” It says a lot.