Why is the populist party so inportant?
What impressed people most about the Populist Party was the zeal with which they addressed the needed reforms of the day, almost like an evangelical fervor. Many of the ideas and goals of the Populists would become laws later on in American history. They called for the election of US senators by popular vote, rather than by state legislatures (17th Amendment). They demanded the universal use of the secret (Australian) ballot, to prevent employers from forcing workers to vote a certain way. They introduced the ideas of the initiative, referendum and recall which were added to many state constitutions. They called for the abolition of national banks and for the government ownership of railroads and the telegraph (socialistic ideas). They advocated a postal savings system so that ordinary people might avoid depositing their money in privately owned banks, and the worked for a graduated income tax. They felt the wealthy should pay a higher percentage in taxes than the middle class or poor.
