People's Power League

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The People's Power League was an important Progressive organization, formed in 1892 by James W. Sullivan[1] and led by William U'Ren, that was devoted to governmental reforms in the United States in the early 20th century. Ellis Oberholtzer noted that the tradition behind the League reached back to the egalitarian Pennsylvania Constitution. Both the Pennsylvania radical and the League supported unicameral legislatures (a second house being viewed as a protection for aristocratic influences); a mechanism of rapidly replacing elected officials (in the case of the League, through recall elections; in the case of the Pennsylvanians, through annual elections and rotation in office); and a body of elected officials to launch a full-scale investigation into the government at fixed intervals (in the League's case, the People's Inspectors of Government; in Pennsylvania's case, the Council of Censors). Other radical leaders associated with the League were Will Daly, George Orton, Alfred Cridge, and E.S.J. McAllister.[2] Its successor organization was the Direct Legislation League.

[edit] References

  1. ^ BISC - The Populist I & R Movement
  2. ^ Johnston, Robert D.. The Radical Middle Class: Populist Democracy and the Question of Capitalism, 157-159. 


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