17. US Railway and Telegraph Office      

Source:  Republic County Freeman (Belleville, KS), April 14, 1892

Many Populists considered the railroads, telephones and telegraphs to be natural monopolies.  This circumstance conferred upon their owners more economic (and political) power than was safe in a democratic nation.  Note that Populists expected the government to operate these natural monopolies in the interests of the people, and the result would be better, more efficient service than that provided by monopolistic, privately owned enterprises.  The plank was considered fairly radical, and not all Populists supported it.  There was, however, always a significant socialist presence in the People's Party, which included such notables as Edward Bellamy, Eugene V. Debs, and Julius Wayland.

For more on Populism and the railroads, see:

Frank. Thomas. "The Leviathan with Tentacles of Steel: Railroads in the Minds of Kansas Populists." Western Historical Quarterly 20(1):37-54.

Higgs, Robert. "Railroad rates and the Populist Uprising." Agricultural History. 44(3): 291-97. July 1970.

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