The delegates voted to address the platform before deciding on nominees, and debate began when they reconvened at 8:45 p.m. Many fights and compromises had been hashed out in the Resolutions Committee already, but the delegates insisted on debating several provisions.
On many planks, there was widespread agreement among the delegates.
On the monetary issue, the platform declared that all money, whether metal or paper, should be issued by the government, not by banks (as was common for paper money at the time).
They also called for the unlimited coinage of silver and the repayment of the national debt in bonds, rather than gold dollars.
Other planks of the platform called for a graduated income tax, laws to mandate safe working conditions in factories, the regulation of interstate commerce, and an end to child and convict labor; all of these were familiar parts of Greenback platforms from earlier elections, and provoked no serious dissent.

Social issues provoked greater disagreement.
Kearney's Western faction gained a victory when the platform was made to include a call for an end to Chinese immigration.
They also turned, at last, to the issue of suffrage.
They eventually agreed on a vague statement in the platform, that the party would "denounce as dangerous, the efforts everywhere manifest to restrict the right of suffrage".
Many of the delegates found this unsatisfying, and called for a separate resolution on the subject.
After more debate, a resolution calling for the enfranchisement of "every citizen" passed by a vote of 528 to 124.
The Socialist Labor faction proposed another resolution declaring "that land, air, and water are the grand gifts of nature to all mankind", and that no person had a right to monopolize them; the convention applauded, but the proposal was shunted off to a committee.
The delegates voted to address the platform before deciding on nominees, and debate began when they reconvened at 8:45 p.m. Many fights and compromises had been hashed out in the Resolutions Committee already, but the delegates insisted on debating several provisions. On many planks, there was widespread agreement among the delegates. On the monetary issue, the platform declared that all money, whether metal or paper, should be issued by the government, not by banks (as was common for paper money at the time). They also called for the unlimited coinage of silver and the repayment of the national debt in bonds, rather than gold dollars. Other planks of the platform called for a graduated income tax, laws to mandate safe working conditions in factories, the regulation of interstate commerce, and an end to child and convict labor; all of these were familiar parts of Greenback platforms from earlier elections, and provoked no serious dissent.
Social issues provoked greater disagreement. Kearney's Western faction gained a victory when the platform was made to include a call for an end to Chinese immigration. They also turned, at last, to the issue of suffrage. They eventually agreed on a vague statement in the platform, that the party would "denounce as dangerous, the efforts everywhere manifest to restrict the right of suffrage". Many of the delegates found this unsatisfying, and called for a separate resolution on the subject. After more debate, a resolution calling for the enfranchisement of "every citizen" passed by a vote of 528 to 124. The Socialist Labor faction proposed another resolution declaring "that land, air, and water are the grand gifts of nature to all mankind", and that no person had a right to monopolize them; the convention applauded, but the proposal was shunted off to a committee.
1880 Greenback National Convention