The Populist party platform in 1892 stated, “The interests of rural and civic [urban] labor are the
same; their enemies are identical.” Given the political and economic conditions of the 1890’s, to
what extent was this true?
Populism
farmers fiercely independent
free and unlimited coinage of silver at ratio of 16:1
graduated income tax
government ownership of telephone, telegraph, and railroads
did they sincerely believe that farmers and labor as producers had a common
cause against their exploiters—banks, big business, corrupt politicians?
Urban Labor
Knights of Labor (Uriah Stephens, 1869, Terence Powderly, 1879)
issues:
child labor
lack of job security
concern with hours of labor and lack of safety
graduated income tax
government ownership of railroads and other public utilities
American Federation of Labor (Samuel Gompers, 1881)
skilled craft unions
excluded unskilled labor (90%)
Haymarket Riot (1886)—8 hour day
Homestead Strike (1892)—pay cuts
Pullman Strike (1894)—pay cuts
Commonalties: graduated income tax; government ownership of railroads and
other public utilities; increased government role as problem solver?
Dissimilarities: (In addition to above lists)
Farmers had long supported inflation (unlimited coinage of silver) and
hourly workers are the ones hardest hit by inflation.
concession reached shows conflicting interests: Sherman Silver Purchase Act
(1890) (farmers desired); McKinley Tariff Bill—high tariff conceded to
easterners (protects workers)
further evidence of disparate goals:
the Populists did not get a significant percentage of the vote of urban
workers in 1892
Republican McKinley in 1896 stressed that free silver meant higher prices
and directly appealed to the workers with the slogan "a full dinner pail."