Overview of the Populist Movement

The farmers also wanted inflation, as opposed to the tight money policy in America, because then they would make more money and be able to pay back their loans. Also, there were additional national policies that upset the farmers. Firstly, the government was spending a lot of their excess money on small projects that were not as important as helping the poor. In addition, the voting system was corrupt. Ballots were not counted properly and people were occasionally forced to pay in order to vote. Another problem was that there was no way for individual citizens to propose laws (initiative), and the public was never given the chance to ratify laws (referendum). .
             There was also no power given to the public to recall government officials if they were not doing a proper job in office. Another problem in the government was that the President and Vice-President could serve for many terms. This was problematic because many presidents neglected the farmers, and yet were being re-elected by other groups in the United States. Additionally, the state legislature, a group that often did not represent.
             the views of the poor farmers, elected senators. This did not give the people the chance to elect officials that would represent their views. Thus, farmers who were discontent with the government and its policies could not elect senators who would represent their views. Also, both of the major parties, Republicans and Democrats, did not try to help the farmers; instead, they focused on helping the rich become wealthier. Therefore, in the late nineteenth century, the Populist Party emerged in order to rectify these problems, and elect officials who would help solve these problems.
             Moreover, the already poor farmers were being charged exorbitant rates by middlemen, such as warehouses and railroads, for the storage and transportation of goods to the East Coast. Without government intervention and regulation of prices, warehouses and railroads created monopolistic practices; there was very little that farmers could do to lower the prices.