It's amazing that a group of farmers sick of their surroundings and the inequalities all around them could get together a political party that would be the first third-party in history to mount one millions votes. That party, of course, is the Populist party, which was introduced and invented by planters who were irate about getting the rest of the nation rich. These farmers of the late 1800's were bitter, and most of their reasons for this bitterness were valid arguments. Their farms and crops were lining the pockets of many different people involved in the farm industry, but not the farmers themselves. They were isolated and in debt, working hard to keep the nations agriculture alive. They were at the mercy of many other people, including intermediaries such as grain elevators, and of course railroads. They knew what was happening to them and they wanted it to stop. Although some farmers stretched to find reasons for their own poverty, most were faced with many real problems and inequalities and had genuine valid claims.
             The farmer's revolution of the late 1800's started with a sharp depression in the 1880's. The price of agricultural goods declined and farmers began to feel the pressure of high mortgages, railroad rates, and the creeping up of poverty. The yeomen had many reasons for their outrage. As stated in the Populist party platform of 1892, "The conditions which surround us best justify out cooperation; we meet in the midst of a nation brought to the verge of moral, political, and material ruin."(Doc. A) Furthermore, at this time, almost all of them were in debt, because in order to acquire the necessary goods to start a farm loans had to be taken out. The banks that held these debts showed no remorse for the farmers and their many problems. Along with the banks, the railroads and intermediaries accounted for many of farmer's expenses. Railroads could raise prices as they wished, with
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