The fruits of the toil [labor] of millions are boldly stolen to build up colossal fortunes for a few, unprecedented [never havin
g happened or existed before] in the history of mankind; and the possessors of these, in turn, despise the Republic and endanger liberty. From the same prolific [producing a lot of something] womb of governmental injustice we breed the two great classes—tramps and millionaires. . . We believe that the power of government—in other words, of the people—should be expanded . . . to the end [result] that oppression, injustice, and poverty shall eventually cease in the land. . . .
—Preamble to the Platform of the Populist Party
Use the excerpt to answer the question.
Based on this selection, which policy would the Populist Party be mostly likely to support?
A. lowering taxes on large businesses
B. increasing railroad rates paid by farmers
C. regulating railroad rates to help farmers
D. lowering the price of agricultural products
The best sentence that summarizes the quotation “The fruits of the toil of millions are boldly stolen to build up colossal fortunes for a few, unprecedented in the history of mankind; and the possessors of those, in turn, despise the republic and endanger liberty. From the same prolific womb of governmental injustice we breed the two great classes—tramps and millionaires.” is the wealthy often profit from the hard work of the lower class. The quotation tells us about injustice, oppression and poverty.
First it is important to take note of where this information is coming from. The speaker is a representative of the national energy company and therefore will likely not speak poorly of the results of the natural gas project. Then it would be important to fact check his or her claims against other sources and evidence.
