PENNSYLVANIA. 



633 



such laws as to them may seem proper, keeping in 

 view the fact that the fundamental principle of all 

 law is justice, giving to every man the right to do 

 right, and to no man the right to do wrong. 



And whereas, Knowing, as we do, that the natural 

 resources of the country are ample for the support of 

 all the inhabitants thereof, as well as millions yet 

 unborn, yet we have, through gross mismanagement 

 in the public affairs, unwise legislation, and culpable 

 mismanagement in the financial affairs of the nation, 

 as well as a false and defective system of produc- 

 tion and distribution, reduced thousands of our peo- 

 ple to starvation, and millions more are helplessly 

 drifting in the same direction ; feeling that we have 

 arrived at that point when this excessive taxation 

 and usurious interest which has reduced us to this 

 condition can no longer be borne, and it behooves 

 us as men to 'change a system which has brought 

 about such dire results, and assert the rights to 

 which nature and nature's God entitle us and our 

 children the right to labor, and the right to enjoy 

 all the fruits of our labor ; feeling that the question 

 we have to decide is whether we will return into the 

 most abject slavery, or assert our rights as men, guar- 

 anteed us by the laws of God and the Constitution 

 of the United States, the principles of which we ask 

 you to help us carry out, adopting the following 

 platform : 



1. Abolition of the national banking system, the 

 unconditional repeal of the specie resumption act of 

 January 20, 1875, and the issue of currency by the 

 Government, based upon the wealth of the whole 

 nation. 



2. Eight hours a normal day's work, and legal 

 punishment for all violators. 



8. Sanitary inspections of all conditions of labor, 

 means of subsistence and dwellings included. 



4. The enactment of wholesome and permanent 

 tariff laws for the encouragement and protection of 

 American industries against ruinous competition 

 With foreign labor and capital. 



5. The establishment of bureaus of labor statistics 

 in all States, as well as by the National Government; 

 the officers of these bureaus to be taken from the 

 ranks of the labor organizations, and elected by 

 them. 



6. The equalization of taxes, by taxing every in- 

 dividual and corporation pro rata regulated by his 

 or her income ; also taxing real estate and all other 

 taxable property of whatever character equally ex- 

 cepting only public property. 



7. Abolishing completely the contract system in 

 all municipal, State, and national work, thus re- 

 .moving the cause of great fraud. 



8. Prohibiting the employment of prison labor 

 by private employers, thus preventing convict labor 

 from injuring the honest workmen. 



9. Enacting strict laws, making employers respon- 

 sible for all injuries to their employe's, throagh the 

 carelessness or neglect of the employer. 



10. The public lands to be reserved for actual set- 

 tlers, and that a fund be created by the General Gov- 

 ernment from which a loan could be obtained by any 

 head of family wishing to settle thereon, who is a 

 citizen of the United States, or has declared his in- 

 tentions to become such, to enable him to cultivate 

 and improve said lands. 



11. That courts of arbitration be established for the 

 purpose of settling all disputes between capitnl and 

 labor, or employers and employes, in districts es- 

 tablished by the Legislature; these courts to be 

 composed of three persons, one to be appointed by 

 each of the contestants, and one by the court of the 

 district : all persons composing said court to be dis- 

 interested parties, as all strikes are equally dis- 

 astrous to both capital and labor. 



12. Compulsory education, and prohibitory laws 

 with penalties attached against the employment of 

 children under fourteen years of age in industrial 

 establishments or workshops. 



18. The abolition of all conspiracy laws. 

 14. Gratuitous education in all educational insti- 

 tutions ; candidates for the higher course of studies 

 in colleges or academies for the profession to be se- 

 lected for merit by competitive examination, irrespec- 

 tive of station or condition of life. 

 _ 15. That we recommend the principles of coopera- 

 tion, distributive and productive, as eminently cal- 

 culated to enhance and improve the condition of the 

 people socially, morally, and pecuniarily. 



The following resolution was adopted by 

 this convention, in regard to its nominees' con- 

 nections with other parties : 



Resolved, That all persons nominated by this 

 party for any office shall be required to sever their 

 connection with either of the old political parties, 

 and pledge themselves to the support of our princi- 

 ples. 



The Greenback party convened at Williams- 

 port on the 19th of September. Its candi- 

 dates for the several offices were all nominated 

 by acclamation, as follows : For Judge of the 

 Supreme Court, Benjamin S. Bentley, of Ly- 

 coming County ; for Auditor-General, J. E. 

 Emerson, of Beaver County ; for State Treas- 

 urer, James L. Wright, of Philadelphia. 



The platform adopted is, in substance, as 

 follows: 



That, as a remedy for existing evils, a further con- 

 traction of the currency should be stopped at once, 

 and such currency made a full legal tender ; silver 

 remonetized ; and the so-called Resumption Act of 

 1875 forthwith repealed. That the property of the 

 Federal-bond holders should be taxed as well as that 

 of the farmer, the manufacturer, the business-mail, 

 and the mechanic. That the whole system of bank- 

 note currency should be abolished, and gold and 

 silver supplemented by full legal-tender paper, ex- 

 cept where by the terms of the contract it is other- 

 wise provided. That the legal tender substituted 

 therefor should be receivable for all dues public and 

 private, and sufficient for the wants of business ; 

 and, in order to give such legal-tender paper a uni- 

 form value, it should be made interchangeable with 

 bonds of the Government bearing a low rate of 

 interest, and payable at maturity in coin or legal* 

 tender paper at the option of the holder, but always 

 interchangeable with full legal-tender money. That 

 protective duties should be imposed on all articles 

 for which there is raw material and skill to manu- 

 facture. That Congress should adopt a system 

 giving encouragement to American steamships: alco 

 pass a law by which the surplus earnings of the 

 people may be deposited under the guarantee of the 

 General Government. That, as between employed 

 capital and labor there is mutual dependence, all dis- 

 putes about wages, working-time, etc., should bo 

 settled by arbitration. That the payment of wages 

 should be made in money, and not in store-order*. 

 That the Common School system should be avppl*- 

 rnented by a system of Industrial Schools. That the 

 party denounces the claim mode bv the banks fo 

 exemption from taxation. That the Government 

 should pay no greater interest on its indebtedness 

 than agriculturists can. That the Homestead Acts 

 should be so amended as to make practicable the 

 settlement of the lands by a syntem of coloniiation 

 which would enable thousands of families to become 

 self-sustaining. 



The Greenback party having nominated M 

 its candidate for State Treasurer the same pw- 

 son whom the United Labor party had pre- 



