The Rise of Populism (ME) Nena Bossellar

               When a depression hit in 1890 ,Farmers from the Western states used their chance to find a third party, the peoples party, also known as populists. Quickly they nominated candidates to run for congress and the state legislature. Most Southern leaders of the alliance did not like the idea of a third party and they did not want the populists to undermine the Democrats’ control of the South. They hoped that if they were to produce a list of demands and promise to vote for candidates who support those demands, that that would force the Democrats to adopt the alliance program.

               

              Another plan to make the southern Democrats support the alliance was the sub-treasury plan. Their idea was to set up warehouses called sub-treasuries, to hold farmers’ crops off the market to force prices up. The alliance also wanted free coinage of silver, end to protective tariffs and national banks, tighter regulation of the railroads and direct election of senators by voters. 40 Democrats who supported the alliance program were elected to Congress, so the sub-treasury plans seemed to work at first. All excited about their success in electing so many pro-alliance Democrats to congress, they got frustrated two years later. The Populists were very successful in the West, they reformed groups in Cincinnati and the fact that Southern farmers were breaking with Democrats to join the Populists also contributed to their frustration. In 1982, James B. Weaver was nominated to run for president for the Populists, but Grover Cleveland from the Democrats won the election.