New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-06-16
FARMERS IN POLITICS.

GRADUALLY INCREASEs-THE DELEGATES JEAL
Gus OF OUTSIDE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
AND OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES OF THE NEW
MOVEMENT
FRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRTBUgE.l
INDIANAPOLIS, June 1.-THE Convention of
Farmers that met yesterday and did what 1t could to-
| ward organizing a party by adopting platform and
nominating State ticket, anomaly and puzzle
The doubt and wonder among politicians as TO what IL
would do not greater than the doubt and wonder
hat are now expressed as to what 1t has done. Inc
politicians impatieny and restessy waited to see the
Convention meet. They planned how they might cap
ture It, Now that It has met. and efectuay euded all
their efforts and deed all their threats there lie no less
impatience and resessness 1t impossible for them
TO comprehend the Convention.
The Farmers Convention can better be understood in
Its work and prospects by referring to the manner
1t came into existence as Convention. Some
seven eight weeks the purchasing agents OF the
Grange organization had q meeting in this city for
purely business purposes. During that meeting the
question Of calling q Convention was discussed and
rather approved by the majority. But as these officers
had no power officers and no power as Changers TO
| call Convention, nothing was determined upon In
either capacity After the business that called them to-
gether was transacted, few Of them determined IN
their individual capacity to call Convention THIS was
done In the following terms:
To ne Curty Voters: To response to The demand Of
", pe % reform h e oDd o. pubic ar and ne
invite people irrespective Of party come
who sGSn . saS on he sa
p to form such and select such men & sG
delegates that the iends o. reform guard vgisny against
objects this The IBIS popular outbreak depend,
thai such be .a %ppse 10 prepare and ssnOane Platform
ana declaration OF principles upon which a. honest men may joan N
hearty cooperation.
THE CALL GRADUALLY ASSUMES IMPORTANCE.
The call published with approval by The Sentinel
As had signature and appeared to have no sup
port and as there power In any Grange officer
to make such CALL 1t did not receive sympathy from
any source but from The Sentinel That paper having
since the campaign OF 1877 been opposing the old par
ties with equal severity and determination, 1t seemed
natural thatit should support any movement looking
to a third party. It at once champOned the call. The
Journal the Republican organ. viciously attacked the
CALL naming 1t " The SentineFs fraud" The leading
papers OF the State Of that party chimed in and en-
deav0red to write IL down. There is no Democratic
paper published in Indianapolis and the papers OF that
party showed less unanimity In critlcisng the call,
though the leading papers Of that party were quite
agreed in opposing It, The Indiana Farmer, paper
professedy farmers organ, in some sense
Grange paper, disavOwed the call and diseour-
aged the movement. This amount OF discussion
in so many papers gave the matter wide notorety
that much benefited IT, The people, ana the FARMERS
particularly all heard OF it, and those who were desr-
OF Convention seemed TO care very little whether
the call WAS issued BY rightful authority or not. II
fixed certain day, and that sufficient. II it was
in any regard fraud, that could be remeded when
they met. and they determined TO meet.
The feeling fayoring the idea OF third party
is uniformly strong counties having large majorities
either Democratic or Republican, and the responses
came from such counes.hrst In Republican counties,
Democrats led the revolt in Democratic counties the
Republicans foremost. In few weeks after the
ca was well published the responses began to come in
he o
buttons signed by those interested The number signing
varied from Is to 400 large majority Of the slgners
were farmers, but they were by no means exclusively
such. All occupations and professions united 10 con-
siderable extent. The idea ofEhaying 1t simply con-
vention Of farmers not much entertained The Sen
nel freely gave columns the responses sent to
It, and gave it all the encouragement it could editor
ally. Up to the day the Convention met these responses
continued to be published. majority OF the counties
OF the State had responded Tue response some
times In the form OF the report Of county meeting that
in other instances the response
was assigned card approving the idea.
Within three weeks 1t has begun TO appear certain that
there would be Convention and that it would be very
largely attended. The most conclusive indication of
the good promise OF the meeting was the decided change
in the tone Of the party papers. The Indianapolis Jour
nal after having fairly exhausted itself in rdicuHg
and bettng the Convention, changed its tone and
said it would be apparently a large and respectable
Farmer changed with equal rapidity and much more
decisively it became much enamored with the idea Of
SO many farmers meeting together and hoped for great
things The Ecenng Ners, the most vgilant and faith
fully independent paper in the State, and decidedly the
most influential paper in the city with its city readers
was the last TO admit that the Convention would be
successful numbers. 1t had before said nothing
about IL editorially.
PREPARATIONS FOR HOLDING THE CONVENTION
atrnias NJ ifa nd
such significant utterances OF those hopeful for it, the
day OF the Convention came. The Exposition building
was engaged by somebody for It, and put In order for
AS this building will hold ten thousand people, 1t
seemed immense preparation to make, and the
public idea Of what the Convention would be expanded
like dimensions 1t began TO be said that the Expo
stion building would be full TIE admission Of the
party press and the public expectation had marked
effect professional and amateur politicians Of the
old parties Thoroughly alarmed at the prospect the
managers Of each party began the most elaborate prepa
rations TO overcome or capture the Convention Their
first effort which both sides united was TO prevent any
nomination They were willing the Convention should
pass whatever resolutions 1t wanted TO- but no ticket
should be selected Their next effort was very derent
each party wanted the Convention to nominate as it
might dictate. The Republicans wanted the present
State officers renominaed All whose terms expire
Republicans but one and all exceptionally capable
men. The Democrats wanted such q ticket nominated
that they could take up and make their own.
On Tuesday the 9th. enough delegates and represent
alive men who had signed the call had come in TO make
o full caucus meeting IN the evening. This was held
with open doors and had effect In shaping the Con-
yenton than VIVA. done at the actual session the
next day. When the caucus was in full deiberaton
little speech was made warning the members OF the
efforts OF the politicians, who were present IN swarms
They, it was said meant good 20 the farmers, and
would thwart them II possible This speech, and one
later. showing the position OF senator MOTION
on the financial Question-how he had been
the champion OF the Imitation bill. and after
the veto had written a letter showing that the
bill was rather for contraction-were most powerful
The nrst xed the determination 70 nominate and the