696 READINGS IN RURAL ECONOMICS 



were reduced later, the extortion practiced has caused a hatred 

 of railroads and other corporations. Protests arose from all sides, 

 and the Farmers' Alliance with other similar organizations, shaped 

 the movement until the meeting at Cincinnati in 1891 brought 

 the People's Party into existence. Although there were other 

 material causes of the movement, it was the sentiment of the 

 Western representatives which shaped the platform in regard to 

 railroads and telegraphs, and from this section came much of 

 the socialism introduced into the platform. 



The question naturally arises, Why do the socialist papers hurl 

 all kinds of invectives at the new organization and, if it is really 

 socialistic, refuse to consider it worthy to be classed with social- 

 istic parties ? A quotation from the People, the leading jour- 

 nalistic exponent of that belief in the United States, may cast 

 some light on the question. " The plan of the silverites to make 

 the People's Party more reactionary than it was, has been sub- 

 stantially carried out." So long as the silver element in the party 

 was not predominant, the socialists had no objections to the plat- 

 form of the Omaha convention ; but when financial questions 

 began to overshadow the other planks, then the cry of " We told 

 you so " was raised, and the People's Party was declared to have 

 betrayed the principles set forth in its platform. The National 

 Watchman said soon after : " The time for Populism and Social- 

 ism to part has come, and those who fail to realize the situation 

 will have, in the future, ample time to reflect upon their error in 

 judgment. What we want now is a clear-cut, aggressive, intelli- 

 gent propaganda upon financial reform." Even this conservative 

 Populist paper recognized the fact that there is such a thing as 

 socialism in the party. The parting did come at Omaha, but not 

 as then hoped by the writer of the editorial. The silver and 

 financial reform advocates instead of the adherents of the entire 

 platform were forced to retire. 



The Omaha platform of the People's Party is a remarkable 

 document in many ways, and one of its peculiarities is the ambi- 

 guity encountered at every turn. Its whole tone is socialistic. 

 Yet if the charge of socialism were brought against it, the 

 defender of the platform could at once deny the assertion, and 



