LAD #23: The Populist Platform

In and wround the late 19th century, the populist party arose as a third power in the presidential elections. They were against power in the hands of the wealthy man and fought for the common man. They were also sometimes know as the farmer's party. This party wished to raise America's standards of living. According to members of the populist party, factory workers were not getting paid enough and working conditions had slumped to far below where they should be. Another populist thought was that corporations were becoming more and more corrupt and decreasing the value of silver so tht they could benefit from the value of gold. The reason for their emergence, they claimed, was that none of the other parties were doing anything to stop the corruption in America. This party supported the rights of workers and labor unions. The government had to start intervening with the railroad system in order to make them happy. They believed that money needed to be circulated to the people faster and more money needed to be incorporated into the economic system. The populist party promised to hold an open ballot, pension for ex- union soldiers, and to protect the rights of the people.