READJUSTERS These formed a division of the Democratic party in Virginia (1877), who advocated the funding of the state debt. General Mahone was the leader of this movement. NATIONAL LIBERTY PARTY In 1879, a convention was held in Cincinnati, and a platform was adopted advocating separation of church and state, equal rights, and universal education. There is no record of any effective activity subsequently displayed by the leaders or members of this party. UNION LABOR PARTY The successors of the National Greenback party named their organization the Union Labor Party. It came into being in 1887. Abner J. Streeter was nominated in 1888 for the presidency. The platform proclaimed, among other things, opposition to land monopoly in every form; forfeiture of unearned land grants; limitation of land ownership; homestead exemption to a limited extent, from execution or taxation; owning by the people of the means of communication and transportation; the circulating medium to be issued directly to the people and loaned upon land security at a low rate of interest; postal savings banks; free coinage of silver; application of all money in the United States Treasury to the payment of the bonded debt; no further issue of interest-bearing bonds, either by the national government, or by states, territories, or municipalities; arbitration to take the place of strikes and other injurious methods of settling labor disputes; service pension to every honorably discharged soldier and sailor of the United States; graduated income tax; United States sena tors elective by direct vote of the people; absolute exclusion of Chinese; the right to vote inherent in citizenship, irrespective of sex, and properly within the province of state legislation. The popular vote cast for Streeter was 146,836. PEOPLE'S PARTY This was known also as the Populist party, and it originated in 1891 at a meeting, in Cincinnati, of farmers, workmen, and miscellaneous bodies of men who sought political reform in various directions. Their proposition was to crystallize the political reform forces of the country. The name chosen by them for organization was the People's Party. They strongly endorsed the St. Louis platform of 1889, the Ocala platform of 1890, and that of Omaha, in 1891. They favored the abolition of national banks; the issue of legal-tender treasury notes; the supply of these notes when called for by the people to be a popular loan at not more than two per cent. per annum upon non-partisan products; and also upon real estate with "proper limitation upon the quantity of land and amount of money." They demanded, among other things, free and unlimited coinage of silver; the prohibition of alien ownership in lands; a graduated income tax; national control of all means of public communication and transportation; and the election of President, Vice-President, and the United States senators, by the people. The party nominated James B. Weaver for the presidency, in 1892. He received twenty-three electoral votes, Cleveland (Democrat) receiving two hundred and seventy-six and Harrison (Republican) one hundred and fortyfive. The popular vote cast for him was 1,055,424. In 1896, the party agreed upon William Jennings Bryan, nominee of the regular Democrat and the Free-Silver factions, as their nominee. In 1900, the "Middle-of-the-Road" Populists nominated Wharton Barker. The vote cast for him was 50,373. The "Silver Republicans" and the "National Farmers' Alliance" had sympathies in common with the People's Party. SOCIALIST LABOR PARTY The first national convention of this party was held in New York in 1892. In their platform they declared that private property in the national sources of production and in the instruments of labor, is the obvious cause of all economic servitude and political dependence. They favored the referendum in legislation; abolition of the veto power; the free administration of justice; the abolition of capital punishment; equal and universal suffrage; a direct and secret ballot; and the removal of public officers by their constituents. Smith Wing was nominated for the presidency. The popular vote cast for him was 21,164. In 1896, Charles H. Matchett received the nomination. The popular vote cast for him was 36,274. In 1900, Maloney was offered for election. The popular vote cast for him was 39,739. UNITED CHRISTIAN PARTY This party held a convention and issued a platform in 1900 against desecration of the Sabbath and immoral laws, and favoring equality, prohibition, the Bible in schools, government ownership, and a direct vote. They nominated J. F. R. Leonard for President. He received 1,500 votes. NATIONAL DEMOCRATS These were called Gold Democrats, as opposed to the Regular and Silver Democrats. They met in convention, in 1896, and nominated General John M. Palmer for the presidency. He received 133,148 votes. No ticket was nominated in 1900. |