One of their main focuses was on economic issues. This incorporated the tariffs, monopoly and the silver/gold concern. By 1880s, the Farmers Alliance wanted to abolish monopolies because they charged whatever they felt gave them more profit from the local farmers, regardless of what it did to the farmers. Monopolies are when companies control the whole market and are therefore able to set the prices and control the volume at which these products are manufactured (McMath, 98). For example, John Rockefeller controlled the oil industry with the standard oil company, which contributed ninety percent of oil to the market (Trachtenberg, 85). Another example is William Vanderbilt, who was in charge of the railroad system (Tranchtenberg, 86). Through having a large portion of an area or market, small businesses were done with and manipulation and corruption could ensue. Politicians were corrupted and allowed monopolies to get out of hand over the people. The Farmers Alliance got together with other organizations such as the Knights of labor to form the People’s Party (Diner, 38). They also advocated government’s control over big businesses. The People’s Party wants the workers to be able to influence their wages and therefore bring down the power in the big businesses. They also wanted the owners of monopolies to be limited in the amount of money they can make from the workers (Document 2). The parties were influenced or made up the parties, those who were involved in monopolies and all the corruption associated with that, especially the Republican Party (Diner, 46). Therefore, any attempts by a third party to break such a power would be threatening. At the time, railroad business was a source of wealth for the elite, along with other industries. A party that stood for the bringing down that source of income would alarm a politician or a businessman. The sheer potential size of the People’s Party uniting farmers and laborers against the business elite of the country would insure that they are heard by the government. This kind of unity would force the government to comply and therefore the mainstream political parties would be alarmed by these potential changes.
The Farmers Alliance also wanted to change the banking system. The Farmers Alliance members were mistreated and overcharged in interest by the banks (McMath, 123). The banks took advantage of desperate people who needed a loan in order to crop for the year. This brought the farmers deeper into debt especially after the Panic of 1873 and all the droughts, blizzards and natural disasters that wore away the amount of crops produced, while the competition from Europe brought down the prices of crops. This prompted the Farmers Alliance to include in their Ocala Demands that the government should be in control of giving out loam and that the national bank, controlled mainly by private banks, should be abolished. Giving the government this level of control would make politicians and businessmen of the parties lose money extorted from the masses, which would be greatly diminished. The National People’s Party Platform, Omaha Platform, expanded the federal government’s power and take away power from “all state and national movements” by limiting spending only to “necessary expenses”. An example of one who opposed the People’s Party would be William Allen White who wrote, “What’s the Matter with Kansas?” which took the side of the wealth. He considered that the People’s Party was trying to serve the lazy men that couldn’t handle expenses and dug their way into debt. White considered that “the lazy, greasy fizzle” people are getting “something for nothing” probably tying into the gold and silver issue.
The People’s Party advocated the unlimited manufacture of silver and the creation of a bimetallism system (Diner, 101). This would be profitable by creating an inflation, which would mean that their debts would be worth less than they originally were. William Bryan’s “Cross of Gold” speech advocated such action for he felt this would be good for the population of laborers and farmers who declined that in favor of this. Mainstream politicians wanted to keep the gold system but Bryan felt they were “crucifying man on a cross of gold” by binding them to a gold system. There is even a political cartoon, which shows the laboring mass of America being bound down to a gold system by a stubborn, ruthless and rough Republican party (Document 5).
The Populist Movement took up the black’s cause so that the African Americans would have equal rights in the government and society. Tomas E. Watson wrote “ the Negro Question in South”, which wanted to inspire the blacks to join the Populist Party. He believed that the democrats still ignored the Africans as people and workers, just like they did when the Africans were slaves. The government did not make a law that protected the Africans Americans from discrimination or being taken advantage of when looking for a job or for wages. In these kinds of cases, the Republican and Democratic Party would feel uncomfortable because the Populist Party was making the African Americans equal, on the same level as the whites. Henry Lloyd said, “abandoned by the Republicans and cheated and betrayed by the Democrats”, the Populist Party took up the needs of Blacks by acknowledging them as people (Document 6). They let them participate as fellow human beings.
The Populist Party wanted to aid the women’s cause as well by trying to support them in their quest for suffrage. In document 4, Miss. Reynolds stated that the reason that women had such a good chance in obtaining the right of suffrage in Wyoming was because of the Populist Party support and the Knights of Labor. Republican and Democratic Party would not want women to acquire suffrage because it would give too many rights. They wanted the society to be ruled by white males because they were conservative and had traditional views.
The Populist Party was formed in order for the masses to be heard by the government and also to improve their economic circumstances. The main reason that the People’s Party was formed was to make the businesses fairer to the consumers by having the prices regulated by the government instead of monopolies. It was important for them to change the backed up currency from gold to gold and silver, so that more money would be circulating around. The People’s Party also stood for equal rights for everyone. The mainstream political parties was threatened by the People’s Party because they wanted to change the government and society too much by giving the government too much power over the businesses and having the society equal.