Populism and the Farmer
Farmer Problems
• Railroads were charging higher rates to ship their
products – RRs showing favoritism to their rich
friends
• Had gone into debt to buy the newest and latest
inventions to enable them to produce more
• More machinery meant they could buy more land
to plant
• In the Panic of 1893 many of them could not pay
their debts and were losing their farms
• When they appealed to the federal government
they were largely ignored
• They began to organize into The
Grange and the Farmer’s Alliance
• These groups would become the
foundation of the Populist Party
• The focus of these groups initially
was to get government to regulate
railroad rates
• Led to the Interstate Commerce Act
Founder of the National Grange of the
Patrons of Husbandry (1867)
The Farmers Alliances
 Begun in the late 1880s (Texas first 
the Southern Alliance; then in the
Midwest  the Northern Alliance).
 Built upon the ashes of the Grange.
 More political and less social than the
Grange.
 Ran candidates for office.
 Controlled 8 state legislatures & had 47
representatives in Congress during the
1890s.
The Grange Movement
 First organized in the 1870s in the
Midwest, the south, and Texas.
 Set up cooperative associations.
 Social and educational components.
 Succeeded in lobbying for “Granger
Laws.” laws to set maximum freight
and passenger rates on railroads at
the state level
 Rapidly declined by the late 1870s.
United We
Stand,
Divided We
Fall
 In 1889 both
the Northern and
Southern Alliances
merged into one—the
Farmers’ Alliance.
How did the Government Respond?
• At first the Supreme Court said the regulation was
legal (Munn v Illinois)
• The railroad tycoons argued that since the railroads
crossed state lines it was not a state issue
• In the E C Knight case of 1886 involving rates the
Supreme Court ruled once again that only Congress
had the power to regulate interstate commerce
• Based on this ruling, the Congress enacted the
Interstate Commerce Act – this will eventually lead
to the formation of the Populist Party to fight for
the common man
Price Indexes for Consumer &
Farm Products: 1865-1913
Supreme Court Decisions
 Munn vs. Illinois (1877)
 Wabash, St. Louis, & Pacific Railroad
Company vs. Illinois (1886)
 E C Knight Case – Freight cases that
limited the effectiveness of the
Interstate Commerce Act
The Populist (Peoples’) Party
 1890 Bi-Election:
So. Alliance  wanted to
gain control of the Democratic Party.
No. Alliance  ran 3rd Party candidates.
 1892  800 met in St. Louis, MO
majority were Alliance members.
over 100 were African Americans.
reps. of labor organizations & other
reformers (Grange, Greenback Party).
The Populist (Peoples’) Party
 Founded by James B. Weaver
and Tom Watson.
 Omaha, NE Convention in July,
1892.
 Got almost 1 million popular
votes.
 Several Congressional seats
won.
James B. Weaver,
Presidential Candidate
&
James G. Field, VP
Omaha Platform of 1892
1. Abolition of the National Bank.
2. Direct election of Senators.
3. Govt. ownership of RRs, telephone & telegraph
companies.
4. Restriction of undesirable immigration.
5. 8-hour work day for government employees.
6. Australian secret ballot.
7. Initiative, referendum, and recall
8. A single term for President & Vice President.
9. Coin more money (silver standard)
Direct Election of Senators
• Meant that the Constitution would have to be
changed
• At this time the senators sent to Congress
were selected by the state legislature not the
people
• If this change took place the farmers would
have a say as to who represented them more
and could get the legislation to benefit them
passed
Initiative, Referendum and Recall
• Initiative – they could propose legislation
themselves through their representatives and
senators
• Referendum – would send legislation passed
by Congress to the people for approval
• Recalll- would allow voters to remove
someone they had put in office if they didn’t
think they were voting as they should to
support the interests of the people
Secret Ballot
• Would make all ballots alike so their votes
were private
• This would have eliminated the political
machines from being able to tell who you
voted for
• It would eliminate the pressure they could put
on you - no more buying votes in return for
political favors – jobs, housing, etc.
Coining of Money
• Putting more money in circulation to help the
farmers – there would be more money for
loans
• Problem was that just putting more money
into circulation would cause devaluing of the
money as it had done when the states did it
during colonial times
Why Did Populism Decline?
1. The economy experienced rapid change.
2. The era of small producers and
farmers was fading away.
3. Race divided the Populist Party,
especially in the South.
4. The Populists were not able to break
existing party loyalties.
5. Most of their agenda was co-opted by
the Democratic Party.