By the late nineteenth century it had become apparent that farming was a losing proposition. For example, the depreciation of the value of crops and increase in foreign competition made it more difficult for farmers to make ends meet and thus many farmers found themselves deep in debt. As a result of their predicament, farmers united to form the Farmers" Alliance and other organizations to push for their needs and to voice their cause. Previously, there existed regional divisions in Farmers" Alliance, but this would all change with the rise of the Populist Party. Indeed, the political issues of the time contributed much to the rise of the Populist Party, particularly those afflicting farmers. Nevertheless, the finance and monetary issues, the high protective tariffs, and policies of monopolies and railroads all weakened the farmer.
One political issue that had challenged the farmers was the trend in the monetary and financial policies at the time, which revolved around the gold standard. In order to farmers to survive, they needed large amounts of land and expensive machinery and thus farmers had to take loans, which happened to have exorbitant rates. As a result, farmers found it difficult to pay off loans and this was also complicated by the deflation of money as the population increased. Since many farmers were falling into debt, they yearned for a gold-silver standard to help them pay off their debt, as this would result in the necessary inflation. As a result, the Bland Allison Act of 1878 was passed and forced the government to buy $2 to $4 million in silver each month but this proved ineffective, as the government only bought the minimum amount and the inflation rates did not change significantly. Moreover, aside from lobbying for a gold-silver standard, the Populist Party also called for a gradual income tax to lessen the burden placed on farmers but was unsuccessful, as the Supreme Court ruled against the income tax in the Pollock vs.
