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The Commoner.
WILLIAH J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
Vol. 3. No. 39.
Lincoln, Nebraska, August 7, 1903.
Whole No. 133.
THE POPULIST flANIFESTO
Below will bo found the manifesto issued by
tho national committee of the united people's
party at its recent session in Denver:
"The manifest unrest which everywhere
appears in the nation demonstrates the dis
satisfaction of tho American people with tho
present management of government and ar
gues the necessity of tho reform forces coming
together in united action at tho ballot box to
obtain proper legislation, whereby tho right
of tho people in self-government may be had
for themselves and their posterity. Therefore,
we, the populists of the United States, having
this day, at the city of Denver, united forces,
with tho distinct understanding that all past
differences as to policy shall be and now aro
permanently settled, and experience having
demonstrated tho futility of any attempt to
secure the enactment of our principles either
through tho republican or democratic parties,
we believe the time is now at hand when tho
united people's party should declare itself
emphatically opposed to any affiliation with
either of these parties and unqualifiedly in
favor of national political action.
"Our fundamental principles are .known to
all populists and aro nowhero better stated
than in that immortal document enunciated at
Omaha, July 4, 1892. However? for the benefit
of the uninformed, we declare our adherence
to tho demands for (a) a money, whether
stamped on gold, silver or paper, to bo coined
and issued exclusively by the government and
made a full legal tender for all debts, both
public and private; (b) a system of transporta
tion and the transmission of intelligence,
owned by tho public and operated by the gov
ernment at tho cost of service; (c) land for
use rather than for speculation, and abolition
of alien ownership of land; (d) American ships
for American foreign commerce, without a
cent of subsidy.
"And as an open door for all economic re
forms, we urge tho rule of the people through
the optional referendum an'l initiative and tho
recall of derelict officials.
"Confident in the justice of tho principles
hero set forth, firmly confident that their tri
umph in government would bo for tho best
interests of tho people, we call upon tho
patriotic citizens of this country to join with
us in bringing about their enac4 .ent into law.
With these principles firmly established, equal
justice would prevail, special privileges would
be eliminated and ours would be, as patriots
everywhere desire, a government of the peo
ple, for the people, by the people."
It will be noticed that the committee not only
assumed to speak for tho party, but assumes to
be the party. It says: "We the populists of tho
United States, having this day at the city ofDen
ver united forces," etc. The first question that
arises is, What authority has a committee to de
cide, in advance of a delegate convention and
without instructions from the voters, the policy of
the party? ,
The committee declares that experience shows
tho futility of fusion and that "tho time Is now
at hand when the united people's party should de
clare itself emphatically opposed to affiliation
with either of these (republican or democratic)
parties."
Such a declaration would not be out of place
coming from a committee of the middle-of-the-road
populists, for that party so declared in the
last campaign, but the regular populists favored
fusion in the last campaign and they havo had no
opportunity to E.eak upon that question since. If
tho national committee of either of th old par
ties attempted to commit its party to a policy
diametrically opposed to tho policy of tho previous
campaign there would bo 'a protest from tho ranic
and file. Will tho rank and fllo of the populist
party bo less firm in their Insistanco upon a voico
in determining tho party's policy?
In tho second place, it will be noticed that tho
compromise is no compromise at all, but an open
surrondor of tho regular organization to tho mld-dle-of-tbe-road
organization. Tho united party
adopts in toto tho policy of thora who in 189G and
1900 bolted tho regular convention and, while
pretending great loyaTty to tho populist party,
gave what assistanco they could to the republican
party. In Nebraska the leader of tho middle-of-the-road
movement of 1900 demanded and re
ceived of the republicans a fodcral office as a re
ward. The bolters only polled about ono thou
sand votes in Nebraska and tho returns showed
that the movement was either insignificant, or
that tho men who talked middle-of-the-road pop
ulism voted the republican ticket Having helped
to defeat tho fusion ticket tho bolters now secure
from those who voted the fusion ticket a pro
nunciamento against further fusion.
The most noteworthy rart of tho new plat
form, however, is its failuro to deal with several
vital Issues of the day.
While it adheres to the party's position on tho
money question it fails to make specific mention
of tho trust question or tho question of imperial
ism. Surely the populists cannot Ignore Lho trusts
which aro practicing extortion without lot or
hindrance. And what a travesty to call upon the
reform forces to unite to "obtain proper legisla
tion whereby self-government may bo had for
themselves and posterity," and then pass over In
silence the assault that is being made on the doc
trine of self-government in tho Philippines!
Solicitude for our own rights will avail but little
if we ignore tho rights of others, and a party that
is willing to suppress an expression on so im
portant a subject in order to conciliate the men
who helped tho republicans carry out an imper
ialistic policy will not appeal very strongly to tho
friends of reform.
The new platform also fails to emphasize tho
demand for the election of senators by the people.
This Is a reform which has grown constantly for
thirty years and is tho gateway to other re
forms. Until tho senate is mado dependent upon
tho will of tho voters it will bo impossible to se
cure a single national reform for which the pop
ulists contend.
How can they hope to secure a money issued
exclusively by tho government so long as the na
tional bankers control the senate? Today both of
tho senators from. Nebraska aro national bankers
and pecuniarily interested In the Issue of bank
notes and yet the united people's party Is opposed
to fusion with tho democrats on candidates who
are opposed to bank currency. Fusion gave to
Nebraska the only senator wo have had in recent
years who defended the interests of the people,
and yet we are deliberately informed that thcro
must be no more fusion.
The Commoner has favored fusion because fu-a
sion offered the best prospect of securing those re
forms upon which democrats and populists agree.
If tho democrats had preferred certain defeat un
der independent action to a promise of victory by
co-operation they would have been justly charged
with putting party above principle. Have not tho
united populists put party a ove principle? If wo
have failed to secure the success which wo had
hoped for, Is it not certain that wo would have
been defeated even more disastrously had we re
fused to act tngether. If some of the populists
voted the republican ticket because of fusion, did
It not show a lack of interest in reform?
Some populists seem to think that uie success
of their party depends upon the breaking up of
tho democratic party; some of them bave not for
given tho democratic party for having Indorsed
some reforms first advocated by tho populists. In
stead of rejoicing that a great party organization
had espoused tho Income tax, tho olcctlon of sena
tors by popular voto and direct legislation, tioma
of tho populists wero jealous enough to complain
that we had stolon their platform. If theso re
forms wero urged by tho populists merely as a
means of winning a party victory thoro might bo
some excuse for a dcslro to monopolize tho advoc
acy of them, but If they wero advocated because
they were good for tho people, then tho friends of
thoso reforms ought to havo wolcomed indorse
ments from every source. If tho republicans would
reform tho tariff and restore bimetallism, destroy
tho trusts and abandon imperialism, they would
gain a party advantage over tho democrats, but
what loyal democrat could complain If the' repub
licans did for tho country what tho democratic
party is trying to do?
The manifesto Issued at Denver will, if In
dorsed by the rank and file, 'put tie united pop
ulists just where tho middle-of-the-road populists
bavo been for seven years; it will, if Indorsed by
tho rank and file, direct tho populist fight against
tho democratic party instead of against tho re
publican party, for to justify their action tho
members of the populist party will havo to em
phasize tho differences between themselves and
tho democrats, whereas in recent campaigns the
regular populists bavo emphasized tho differences
between themselves and the republicans. The
fight which will then ensue will provoke bitter
ness on the part of tho democrats and the real
friends of reform will bo divided Into warring fac
tions, each faction distrusting tho other.
How can the situation be mct7
First, by an appeal to the members of the
populist party. They did not authorize tho com
mittee to issue such a declaration of war against
the democrats and should not Indorse It Let
them exercise their right to self-government and
Insist upon being heard before tho populist party
is converted into an assistant republican party,
for the natural and necessary result of the com--mittee'8
action Is to make the populist party the
secret ally of the republican party In the next
campaign just as the gold democratic party and
the middle-of-the-road party were secret allies of
tho republicans in 189G and 1900.
As a matter of fact, the committee's action
was based, not so much on the failure of fusion in
tho past as upon tho fear that the reorganizers
'will regain control of tho democratic party. Tho
action of tho populist committee was a groundless
assumption and will naturally encourage the re
organizers who will assume tha', the populist com
mittee speaks for tho voters of the party It will
be an easy assumption, too, because tho leaders
of the reorganizers aro always assuming to speak
for the whole democratic party. But the Kansas
City platform democrats need not bo discour
aged. The reforms advocated in the platforms of
189C and 1900 were advocated because they were
right and not merely to catch populist voUs. Let
the party stand by Its principles and then if the
populists attempt to help tho republicans defeat
thoso principles the earnest reformers In the
populist party will, as individuals, co-operate with
tho democratic party. Even some of those who
signed the manifesto will hesitate to follow their
own advice when they see tho logical and Inevit
able result of their middle-of-the-road policy.
The reforms for which the Chicago and Kan
sas City platforms declared are too important to
bo jeopardized by divisions among reformers and
tho democratic party can well afford to allow the
populists to bear the blame if thoso divisions
arise, but until the rank and file of the popull3t
party declares against fusion, The Commoner will
refuse to believe that tho committee spoke for
the party.
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