FREE ESSAY ON POPULIST PARTY

POPULIST PARTY

The Populist Party, a third political party that originated in America in the latter part
of the nineteenth century, derived as a result of farmer discontent and economic
distress. This was caused by the country's shift from an agricultural American life to
one in which industrialists dominated the nation's development. The public felt as if
they were being cheated by these robber barons, a term given to those who took advantage
of the middle and lower classes by boldly stealing the fruits of their toils (Morgan,
30). These corporate tycoons' conduct was legal, however ethically dubious it was.
Cornelius Vanderbilt, a well-known railroad baron, reportedly once said, Law! What do I
care about the law? Hain't I got the power? (Morgan, 30) The change from agrarian to
industrial had a profound effect on everyone's life. Ignatius Donnelly, a leader in the
Populist Party wrote, We meet in the midst of a nation brought to the verge of moral,
political, and material ruin. Corruption dominates the ballot-box, the Legislatures, the
Congress, and touches even the ermine of the bench . . . A vast conspiracy against
mankind has been organized (Tindall, 957). As a result of this significant
transformation, along with several different perspectives of peoples' mores, several
reform movements were commenced, such as prohibition, socialism, and the Greenback Labor
Party. Each of these movements was launched by different coalitions in hopes of making a
difference either for themselves or for the good of the country.
The farmers, specifically, were unhappy for four particular reasons: physical problems,
social and intellectual concerns, economic difficulties, and political frustrations. The
physical concerns the climate of the time period. Following 1885, there was a large
drought on the American prairie, thus causing this land to become known as the Dust Bowl.
Furthermore, there were extreme blizzards resulting in innumerable deaths of cattle and
livestock. Also, farms were very isolated causing the women and children to lead a life
of solitude and boredom. They demanded change. In fact, the women were the ones to start
libraries and other meeting places for themselves and their children. This isolation made
schooling for children quite difficult. Most kids who lived on the farm did not receive a
proper education, or one of any kind for that matter. Farmers' economic problems are more
intricate. Events baffled the farmer. They believed that deflation was the cause of their
problem. The farmers produced more at a lower price due to improved fertilizers and new
machinery, yet was making less than previously. In fact, in 1894, growers received less
income from 23 million acres of cotton than from nine million in 1873. The exorbitant
prices of shipping their goods to markets worsened their situation. The railroads
overcharged farmers so that they were able to grant large rebates to large industrialists
to ensure the continuance of their business. These railroads united to form trusts that
raised farmers' prices. One Kansan said in 1891:
At the age of 52 years, after a long life of toil and self-denial, I find myself and
family virtually paupers. With hundreds of hogs, scores of good horses, and a farm that
rewarded the toil of our hands with 16,000 bushels of golden corn we are poorer by many
dollars than we were years ago. What once seemed a neat little fortune and a house of
refuge for our declining years, by a few turns of the monopolistic crank has been
rendered valueless (Morgan, 157).
Lastly, farmers are outraged at their own victimization by businessmen who utilize their
wealth and influence to secure unfair fiscal advantages. As politicians increasingly paid
more attention to industrial interests, the agrarians' resentment intensified. They
recognized that their influence was dwindling. The politicians were ignoring them and
their pleas for help.
The Populist Party was the result of a movement that begun with the Granger movement,
which was, in fact, a social movement. It organized various activities for women and
children, established a mail-order program, and took an interest in education. The Grange
united the farmers, who started to participate in politics through different independent
third parties. As the Granger Movement fell apart, the Farmers' Alliance was established.
This, unlike the Granger Movement, was a political movement. There were two branches of
this alliance, a southern one and a northwestern one. The southern alliance, in contrast
to the northwestern one, held back from plunging into politics. The members did not want
to be deemed outcasts and traitors by their neighbors, who continued their support of the
Democratic Party. As a result, they decided to meet in secret, along with the Colored
Alliance, at which time they would agree upon a Democratic candidate that held views most
similar to their own. These candidates, however, if elected, quickly abandoned their
sympathies for the farmers. The northwestern alliance took a more radical approach; they
were thinking about starting a third political party. These members supported inflation
and Macune's sub-treasury plan. The sub-treasury plan allows farmers to store their crops
in government warehouses and receive government loans for up to 80% of their crops' value
at one-percent interest. This does two things: gives them immediate credit and the
opportunity to hold their crops until the market improves. Both the Grange and the
Alliance endorsed social and educational programs, but the Alliance did two things
differently; it was a political, rather than just a social movement, and it proposed an
economic program, the sub-treasury plan.
The Populist Party, although concentrating on a few issues, adopts several others to
improve their chances of winning an election. They expected by endorsing these issues,
they would receive support from the northeast. Their platform included: free and
unlimited coinage of silver at the 16:1 ratio; inflation at a rate of $50 per capita;
transportation, telephone, and telegraph; implementation of the sub-treasury plan; wanted
excess lands given to railroads; direct election of senators; child labor laws; mandatory
education; eight-hour work day; one-year terms for president; and an income tax for the
middle and upper class. Populists wanted the government to take over the railroads,
telephones, and telegraphs and regulate these services. The industrialists who owned and
ran these services were cheating the public and overcharging. Populists wanted to reduce
special privilege. Also, the farmers wanted the government to take back all the land the
railroads were given that it doesn't need. These lands should then be given, or sold at
very cheap prices, to farmers.
The Populists ran James Weaver in 1892. Weaver polled over 1 million votes and received a
total of 22 electoral votes. The Populists expected to do well in the 1894-midterm
elections due to the devastating business panic under Cleveland's administration in 1893.
However, the Populists were disappointed as they emerged from the elections in 1894 with
six senators and seven representatives. They looked forward to the 1896 presidential
election with great optimism. However, when the election came, the lines between
Democrats and Republicans were clearly drawn. Republicans chose McKinley, who supported
the gold standard. Democrats nominated Bryan, a silverite who made the famous Cross of
Gold speech that ensured him the spot on the democratic ticket. The Populists, instead of
splitting the silver ticket with the Democrats, decided to support Bryan. McKinley won,
meanwhile crushing the hopes of the Populist Party.
Populism continued on the edge of politics until the turn of the century, but it took a
fatal blow from the election of 1896. It died out for several reasons. One, the voters
preferred the soundness of the two major political parties. Voters identified the party
with the violence caused by Coxey's Army, which was a protest group lead by Jacob Coxey
that demanded the federal government provide jobs for the unemployed. And the:
Voters' repudiation of Cleveland's party opened the way for new Democratic leadership
that would neutralize or enfold Populist appeal . . . Cries for free coinage seemed
dangerous to both property owners and wage workers. Populists' disinterest in tariff
protection, which Republicans used brilliantly, also unnerved voters seeking prosperity.
And the income tax, sub-treasury and other economic panaceas seemed illogical and
dangerous amid depression (Morgan, 169).
The party also dies out because it does not win any elections. One noted historian
declared, A number of important Populist leaders . . . sought something that no American
political party has achieved before or since: a political coalition of the poor whites
and the poor blacks of the south (Hart, 266). The Populists appealed to a low class in
society, which made it nearly impossible to have a successful party. It is also hard to
accomplish anything when a political party resembles that of a labor union and its
formation arises because of economic despair. A prosperous period would immediately cause
the party to split up, which was the case with the Populists.
The Populist movement was the most dramatic reform movement of several late nineteenth
century reform efforts, and although it did not last long, it had a profound effect on
the country. Populism became so influential quite rapidly because the country was in a
transitional phase, which included major industrialism and overproduction and a large
influx of immigrants. The lower class was fighting for a cause they felt very
passionately about, their lives and their well being. It is hard to imagine farmers,
known as being very conservative, could endorse a platform so radical, but it was their
quick fix solution to their problems. The Populists movement was quite successful, even
though it did not prevail in a presidential election. It caused the fissures in the two
major parties to widen, and in so doing, helped solidify the two major parties, and made
their differences obvious. The other parties adopted many of their programs as well. The
Populist Party signaled the passing of an agricultural American life, and it is often
agreed that their ideas helped in the formation of the Progressive movement.