LAD #19-Populist Party Platform

The populist party emerged from the alliances of the 1870s and the 1880s. The political party of the Populists resented "concentrated capital." The populist party believes that the nation is demoralized and that public opinion is "silenced." They hoped that they would be able to influence the ways of the governement and improve the overall economy of their country. The populist party opposed the usage of silver and gold has now replaced it. There main goal is to restore power into the hands of "plain people." In there platform they state that we need labor unions, they demand a sound currency. They think that an unsound currency is americas main problem, they want the silver to gold ratio to be 16 to 1, they want a graduated income tax. The populist party also believed that government should own the railroads not private owners and use it to benefit the public. They also want a fair ballot and a fair count in the elections.