The Peoples Voice. (Norman, Okla.), Vol. 3, No. 41, Ed. 1 Saturday, May 11, 1895 Page: 1 of 8
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Rlfoui the law wit written down with
purrhi.MMit.ir w ith pen;
before the law made citUeu*. the moral
law in i.i - mm
Law kImimU for ITuOMM rlflfcta. bat wheu
it fails th< >m* right* to gtve.
Then let lawdie. my brother,hut let hu-
uian beiutf* live.
CIlC
peoples
oice.
"Our Republic can only exist
so Long as its citizens respect
anil obey their self imposed laws."
Labor Ts The Parent Of Capita/, Encourage Labor■ and You Build Up Capital-
VOL. 3.
NORMAN. CLEVELAND COUNTY OKLAHOMA. SATURDAY, MAY 11. i895
NO 41
Peoples Party Platform.
Adopted at Omaha, Nebraska,
on July 4.1891.
GROWS BETTER WITH AGE
A Wonderful Prophecy ami
Declaration that Has 15c-
come Historic.
Assembled upon the one hundred
and sixteenth anniversary of the Dec-
laration of Independence, the Peo-
ple's party of America in their first
national convention, invoking upon
their action the blessing of Almighty
God, puts forth in their name and
on behalf of the people of this coun-
try, the following preamble and de-
clarations of principles:
The conditions which surround us
best justify our co-operation. We
meet in the midst of a nation brought
to the verge of a moral, political
and material ruin. Corruption do-
minates ballot box, the legislatures,
the congress and touches even the
ermine of the bench. The people
are demoralized. Most of the states
have been compelled to isolate the
voter at the polling places to pre-
vent universal intimidation or bri-
bery. The newspapers are largely
subsized or muzzled, public opinion
silenced, business prostrated, our
homes covered with mortgages,labor
impoverished and the land concen-
trating in the hands of the capitalists.
The urban workman are denied the
right of organization for protection;
imported pauperized labor beats
down their wages; a hireling army,
unrecognized by laws, is established
to shoot them down, and they are
rapidly degjnerating into European
conditions. The fruits of the toil of
millions are bodly stolen to build up
colossal fortunes for a few, unprece-
dented in the history of mankind,
and the possesors of these, in turn,
despise the republic and endanger
liberty. From the same prolific
womb of governmental injustice we
breed the 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 burd-
ens of the people.
Silver, which has been adopted
as coin since the dawn of history,
has been demonetized to add to the
purchasing power of gold by decreas-
ing the value of all forms of proper-
ty, as well as human labor and the
supply of currency is purposely a-
bridged to fatten usurers, bankrupt
enterprise and enslave industry. A
vast conspiracy against mankind has
been organized in two continents
and is rapidly taking posession of
the world. If not met and over-
thrown at once, it forbodes terrible
social convulsions, or the establish-
ment of an absolute despotism.
We have witnessed for more than
a century the struggle of the two
great political parties for power and
plunder, while grievous wrongs have
have been inflicted on the suffering
people. We charge that the con-
trolling influence dominating both
these parties have permitted the ex-
isting dreadful conditions to devel-
ope without serious efforts to prevent
or restrain them. Neither do they
now promise us any substanial re-
form. They have agreed together
to ignore in the coming campaign
every issue but one. They propose
to drown the outcries of a plundared
people with the uproar of a sham bat-
tle over the tariff, so the capitalists,
corporations, national banks, rings,
trusts, watered stocKs, the demoneti-
zation of silver and the oppression
of the usurer may all be lost sight of
They propose to sacrifice our homes
Mammon; to destroy the mulitude
in order to secure corruption funds
from the millonaires.
Assembled on the anniversary of
the birthday of the nation and filled
with the spirit of the grar.d genera-
tion which established our indepen-
dence, we wish to restore the gov-
ernment of the republic to the
hands of the "plain people" with
which class it originated.
We assert our purpose to be iden-
tical with the purposes of the nation-
al constitution—"To form a more j
perfect union, establish justice, in-
sure domestic tranquility, provide
for the common defence, promote
the general welfare and secure the
blessing of liberty for ourselves and
our posterity." We declare that
this republic can only endure as a
free government while built on the
love of the whole people for each
one and for the nation; that it can-
not be pinned together by bayonets,
that the civil war is over, and that
every passion and resentment that
grew out of it, must die with it; and
that we must be in fact as we are in
name, one united brotherhood of
freemen.
Our country finds itself confront-
ed by a condition for which there is
no precedent in the history of the
world—our annual agricultural pro-
ductions amount to billions of dol-
lars in value which must in a few
weeks or months be exchanged for
billions of dollars of commodities,
consumed in their production: the
existing currency is wholly inade-
quate to make this exchange; the
results arc falling prices, the forma-
tion of combines and rings and im-
poverishment of the producing class.
We pledge ourselves that if given
power we will labor to correct these
evils by wise aijd reasonable legisla
tion in accordance with terms of our
platform.
We believe that the powers of gov
ernment—in other words, of the peo-
ple—should be expanded (as in the
case of the postal service) as rapid-
ly and as far as the good sense of
an intelligent people and the teach-
ings of expereience shall justify, to
the end that oppression, injustice
and poverty shall eventually cease
in the land.
While our sympathies as a party
of reform are naturally upon the
side of every position which will
tend to make men intelligent, vir-
tuous and temperate, we nevertheless
regard these questions, important as
they are as secondary to the great
issue now pressing for solution, and
upon which not only our individual
prosperity, but the very existence of
free institutions depend; and we ask
all men to first help us to detirmine
wether we are to have a republic to
administer, before we differ as to the
conditions upon which it is to be ad-
ministered. Believing that the forces
of reform this day organized w.ll
never cease to move forward until
every wrong is remedied and equal
rights and equal privileges securely
established for all the men and wom-
en of the country.
We declare, therefore—
ist. That the union of labor
forces of the United States, this day
consummated shall be permanent
and perpetual. May the spirit en-
ter into all hearts for the salvation
of the republic and the uplifting of
mankind.
2d. Wealth belongs to him who
creates it, and every dollar taken
from industry without an equivalent,
is robbery. "If any will not work,
neither shall he eat." The interests
of rural and civic labor are the same;
their enemies are identical.
Wo tleumnd a graduated income tax.
Wo Ixilicvo that tin* money of the <• >untry
should be kept tut much ft* possible in the It unit
of the people, ami henc«« we demand that nil
s'ate and national revenue* idiatl lie limited l«
the neoeawry exiamses of the government
euonomically and honeetly administered.
We demand Unit postal saving'* hank* Ik' es-
tablished by the government lor the safe de-
posit of the earnings of the people and to fa-
cilitate exchange.
TltAN-sfOHTATION.
8boond—'Transportation being a mean* of ex-
change und a pubdc necessity, the government
should own and operate the railroads in the in-
terest Of the people.
The telegraph and telephone, like the post
office system, being a nivesslty for the trans-
mission of news, should !>e owned by the gov*
eminent in the luterest of the people.
LAND.
Tiiiup—1The land, including all the natural
sources of wealth, Is the heritage of the people,
and should not be monopolized for speculative
purposes, and allen ownership should be : re-
hihlted. And laud now held by railroads nod
other corporations In excess of railroads and
other corporations In cxcess of their act up]
needs and all lands now owned by aliensshoukl
be reclaimed by the government and held for
actual settlers only.
CITY KLKCTIOX.
lives and children on the altar of i t«o per capita.
FINANCE.
First—We demand a national currency} safe,
sould and flexible, issued by the general gov-
ernment only, a full legal tender for all debts,
public and private, and without the use of
banking corporations; a just, equitable means
or distribution to the people at a Uix not to ex-
ceed two per cent per annum, to be provided
as set forth in the sub-treasury plan of the
Farmer's Alliance, or a better system; also by
payments in discharge of Its obligations for
public improvements.
We demand free and unlimited coinage of
sUrer and gold at the proseut legal ratio of 10
to 1.
We demand that tho amount of circulating I i i i
medium be speedily increased to not leas than 311 scavenger-
The Silver Party.
The People's Party is the only
straight silver party in existence.
Had it not been for the devoted, un-
selfish labors, of its 2,000 newspap-
ers, 10,000 orators, 2,000,000 voters,
the cause of silver would have been
forever lost. During all the time
that we have made this fight without
a dollar of aid from any source, ex-
cept the contributions of the people,
we have been constantly opposed,
ridiculed and vilified by some of the
men and organizations claiming to
represent the very essence of the
silver cause. While they have squan-
dered thousands of dollars in useless
efforts, they have, by adhering to
the two old parties, or trying th cre-
ate a new one, thus divided the sil-
ver forces and been a constant hin-
drance to our progress.
The mass of our voters are not
mine owners. They represent the
industrial classes, and have lost more
in one day by the demonetization of
silver than the mine owners do in a
year. By Senator Jones estimate,
the wheat growers lose *100,000,000
a year, the cotton planters $250,000,-
000 and the wage workers, since
1873, enough money to build and
equip all the railroads in the United
States. We will continue the battle
for free coinage of gold and silver at
the ratio of 16 to 1, without consent
of any foreign nation on earth, and
we extend fraternal greeting and the
warm hand of fellowship to all who
advocate the vital doctrines of the
People' Party on the money question
and invite them to join with us in
this great struggle, with the full as-
surance that the People's Party fet-
ters the conscience of no human
being, that we are simply moving on
educational lines until we can all
meet in 1896 and prepare a line of
battle to meet the enemy. There is
nohope from either of the old parties.
The People's party polled the second
highest vote in twenty-two states.
The Democratic party is dead in the
West. It is reeking with fraud and
odious with ballot box stuffing, and
if we had an honest election it would
not carry a Southern State.
It deserves to die, and both it and
the Republican party, as represent-
ed by their leaders, are in the grasp
of the money power, and each wants
to preserve the clutch of the banks
over the nation. If 4,000 national
banks were not fighting silver the
battle would soon be won. Their
power to issue notes must be destroy-
ed, and on this line that the govern-
ment shall issue the money, we will
wage the battle, inviting all the for-
ces who favor this doctrine to un-
ite with us.—Advance Thought.
The City election of Norman is
now a thing of the past. That it
was a genuine surprise to a great
number of citizen's goes without
saying. The entire Citizen's ticket
was elected with the exception of
two. The two previous City elections
were alike in that all the candidates
on one ticket were elected save and
except two: but unlike in this respect
that in the two previous City elec-
tions the saloon power of this city
was routed, in this election the ticket
to which they gave their support won.
We attribute the defeat of the Nor-
man City ticket largely to the fact
of the rigid enforcement of the Anti
Gambling and Sunday closing law.
It would seem that the majority of
the people of this City do not ap-
prove of enforcement of this law by
Sheriff Newblock and T. E. Berry
the County Attorney. In the future
in all probability, these County offi-
cers will await the filing of informa-
tions for the violations of these laws
by the city Marshal or other citizens
before they take cognizance of the
violation of the same. The citizens
of this town have city officers who
are primarily responsible for the en-
forement of the law in the city and
we feel quite certain that the county
attorney and sheriff of this county
have no over-weaning desire to as-
sume duties which rightfully belong
to the city officers.
It was only because of the flagr-
ant violation of these laws, without
complaint from the city officers,
who were derelict in their duty for
not lodging complaint, that the
sheriff and county attorney inform-
ed the men violating these laws that
they would take an active part in
the enforcement of these laws by
placing deputy sheriffs on guard.
Now we would have 110 one infer
that we hold aught against a sin-
gle individual elected at last Tues-
day's election. We hold each and
every one of them in high esteem,
neither do we hold that they are
in any less worthy of the trust con-
fided in them by the voters of Nor-
man, than the canditates they defeat-
ed. We do not infer that because the
saloon vote of this city was cast for
them that they will feel under ob-
ligations to that element of our so-
ciety to the extent of permitting a
loose reign to dangle in the perfor-
mance of their duty, neither do we
apprend that the saloon men of this
city will term the election as a loosen-
How strange! men will suffer, will
worry and starve, but will refuse to
look for the cause or rally around
those brave, unselfish souls who rise
,i,„ „...k tl 1 in fullness of their power for the
ing of the cu b. rhe men engaged sacred rjghts cf t]Jr fe]]ow mcn
in the saloon business in this city How stupid, how ungrateful work-
are as law abiding men as we have [ ingmen are as yet! Business men
was a reasonable anil just charge
and so amended our bill. When it
came up for allowance however Kel-
ley and Illake still opposed it not-
withstanding the fact that Kelley
had sent a man to Oklahoma city
to get the affidavits of printers as to
what would be a reasonable and just
compensation for the work and
which affidavits he refused, though
earnestly requested, to show the
other members of the council. An
Aye and Nay vote was taken on the
allounance of the bill, Kelley and
lilake voting Nay, and Perry, Fox,
Scott and Choate voting Yea, with
the following explanation. For the
reason that a member of the coun-
cil had m his possession affidavits
from printers in Oklahoma city as
to the reasonable worth of the work.
The reason that Kelley would not
show the affadavits he had secured
from Oklahoma City is patent to
every one. The affidavits he held
showed that our bill was less than
the affidavits showed the work was
worth, else he would have quickly
shown them and proved the accusa-
tions of the Transcript and State-
Democrat to be true.
Kelley kicked very strongly at
Choates explanations being spread
on the city records: but Choate in
sisted, and on record it went. In
futures years it will be interesting
reading when the people scan through
the proceedings of the late council.
Populists; gird up your loins for a
Republican and Democratic fusion
in the next county election. They
have set the ball rolling in Norman
and won by a scratch. They have
prated to you a great deal about
their principles and feigned to pride
themselves in them: but it is all for
effect. They have charged your
party with being spoil seekers only;
but just observe how the twins act
when the other fellow is about to
get the offices. They are not spoil
seekers, Oh! No! They are men with
firm principles when the other fellow
is distant from the spoils. When he
gets close up their principles become
shaky and even suffer a clean knock
out. It would be a very proper
thing for the demorats of Norman
at this time to take an inventory of
their principles and a general survey
just to ascertain how they "stand"
and "where they are at."
kkdkmctiox.
Of honor and truth In there any?
^ Jstili liv't's there a hope thut wo knew,
Kre thn land that was meant for the
many,
Was cursed and botrnyed by the few,
Is it homage or habit that binds us
To justice We know lull In dreamt?
Do we grieve for the glories behind us
Or is it a sorrow that seems?
Aye! all that made manhood so regal,
cherished as fondly as when
The mandates of right still legal,
Not alone with the Lord, but with
men.
God lives and he rules in his dealings,
Between mighty and meek of his triba
Nor heeds llo the mocko;-s appealing
From temples they've builded to bribe
In the might of His wrath I10 will
seourage them.
They have trampled His law in the
dust.
Who are deaf to the million that ur 1
lli.m.
In vain for a rule that is just.
Hut tiie dawn of a redemption is break-
lug.
Th© sun-burst of freedom Is nigh.
For the vassals that slumbar'd are
waiting,
And girding to do, or to die.
By the gift of the wars that have
thunder'd,
By the love for the heroes that sleep
By the deep mutter'd curse of the
plundrer'd
There's a reckoning for robbers that
roap,
No longer the hand of false creedmen
Shall iead the blind bondmen they've
made,
for the bugle-voiced ballots of freed-
men,
Are recalling their comrades bs-
trayed.
Prom heights were etorm-kings are
keeping
There revels in mansions of snow;
From low lands where nature is heap-
ing
Her bounties for man to bestow;
In the might of the right they are
springing
To tiie rescue of motherland dear,
While Hope's holy hymn that is ring-
ing.
Proclaims HER REDEMTION is near.
NKMO.
The newly elected city council
met Wednesday morning and organ-
ized for business by electing D. L.
I.arsh president or (Mayor) of the
board. Ben Clay was selected for
night watch E. E. Hennessy city at-
torney and H. R. Mayes city scaven-
ger. Mayes we understand is a dem
ocrat. The politics of the members
of the new city regime of officers
are republican with the exception of
Trustee from 1st, and 6th, ward,
They are still
Democrats we believe.
ever met engaged in the same bus-
iness. The defeat of the ticket we
supported has in no wise soured our
desposition towards any one.
We are firm believers in the major-
ity rule and not affected with that
garralous disposition thatleadsoneto
try and make it as uncomfortable
for them to rule as possible. We
had much rather assist
obstacles from the way, than in put
ting them in the way. The lofty
aim of our contemporaries,the Trans-
cript and the State-Democrat, seems
to be obstructionist. There is noth-
ing that seems too low for them to
stoop to if in so doing they thought
they could make a point against the
opposition.
In the matter of the printing of
the city ordinances, where they al-
leged that we bilked the city or over
charged for the same, clearly illus-
trates the depths to which they will
are no better! Like hypnotic vie
tims they cling to their bidding at
the polls like so many brainless, in-
experienced children, making their
conditions more unbearable every
time. When suffering • they will cry
and grumble; but one magic glance,
one word from the master will quiet
them into submission. O, shame!
The two old parties are again try-
ing to deceive the people on the sil-
ver question. They are both feign-
ing to espouse the cause of silver.
By international agreement they
think is the only method to secure
its free coinage and they are for the
white metal provided England i s
willing.
They are well aware of the fact
that England will oppose: but they
think the American people are such
chumps as not to be aware of this
fact. The Constitution of the Un-
ited States says "That Congress
shall have power to coin money and
regulate the value thereof and of
foreign Coins;" but the two old
parties are willing to give this Con-
stitutional power over to a mone
tary commission composed of
foreiegn powers. Things have come
to a pretty pass in the American
Republic when its statesmen (?) are
willing to submit to dictation from
foreign powers. Our fore fathers
rebelled against such dictation; but
our statesmen of today invite it.
Verily America is an independent
nation in name only.
The Cow made a high leap last
Tuesday: but the moon was a little
too high. She just succeed in jump-
Why not be men, true decendants of j ing over the lower corner of it.
clearing j a creative Godhood, who is no re-j
spector of persons. Why not rally j
under the lofty banner of justice
free and bold and gather around
your friends who sacrifice time
money, yes, even lift-, for the cause.
Wake up, you sleeping toilers!
There is work for you to do—it
must be done ere night sheds its plu
tonian gloom upon you. Stand up
like men to principles and support
with all your might its advocates.
Give your spare money for refor
literature and help the struggling
I papers that have raised the banner
go. Our bill $64.00 for the work of right, justice and reform to a solid
and against which they took excep
tion was withdrawn and we put in a
new bill for JSo.oo for the same
work and it was allowed. The
reason that we added Si6.00 to the
bill was the assurance tnat Kelley
and Blake, (the councilmen who were
most active in
existence. You can do it like a top.
Just drop your plutocratic sheets,
which have so long in a shameless
manner deceived you and assist that
which promulgates your welfare.
If you don't then you deserve just
what you are getting and more of it.
reventing it allow- Bondage and slavery, hunger and
ance on the ground that they deem- J destitution stand without ready to \ him to do but to vote the republi
ed it exorbitant,) gave us that they annihilate the last vestige of noble ! can ticket. Gov. McKinley has
were perfectly willing to allow what manhood. Will you invite that j made the same threat as to the re
was reasonable and just compensa-1 ghastly fiend by stupid and inactive publicans. If both conventions
tion for the work and no more. We | slumber? O, men! beware!—Indus- adopt such a plank where will these
were Aware that $80.00 in city script, try j renowned statesmen go?
You should huntup the cow in this
issue. She is not dead; but pawing
the air in an endeavor to get back
on her feet to make another attempt.
She is a firm believer in the old
adage: "If at first you don't succeed
Try, Try, Again."
The recent decision of Judge
Bierer relative to Probate Judges, if
it is sustained,will cause the Probate
Judges to shell out all the fees they
have taken in the past two years for
Marriage Licenses. The Judge holds
that these fees belong to the school
fund. The Probate Judges have
construed the law so as to keep these
fees in their own pocket.
John G. Carlisle has declared that
if the democratic national conven
tion adopts a free coinage plank at
5 to 1 there will de nothing left for
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Allan, John S. The Peoples Voice. (Norman, Okla.), Vol. 3, No. 41, Ed. 1 Saturday, May 11, 1895, newspaper, May 11, 1895; Norman, Oklahoma Territory. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc116698/m1/1/: accessed April 23, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.