Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1886-07-26
The first results of the farmers, move.

The first results of the farmers move
ment in central Dakota do not tend to
establish precedent for future action
upon the part of the farmers alliance.
The alliance of Brown county held
convention Saturday with the intent of
nominating county ticket to be voted
upon independent of political affilia.
tlons. 1t was to be farmers ticket
pure and simple and as such it was de-
signed as the object of the vote of the
agricultural classes, regardless of either
republican or democratic predictions.
This plan of operations was instituted
by the alliance for the purpose of purify
Ing the public service, the evil to be
overcome by their movement being the
too frequent tendency of political or
ganizations to enter into disreputable
combinations which overturn the will of
the people and place them at the mercy
of caucus strikers and convention man
ipulators. The intentions of the alliance
were wholly reputable and the better
classes within both parties will
regret that the promise of
the inception was unfulflled
in the fruition. 1t appears from the
proceedings that the Brown county
convention was fixed before it came
together, through caucus methods
which outrank the usual practices in
party primaries. The manipulators
came before the convention with ready
made slate which was run through in
spite of the protests of the minority,
which was helpless upon the floor of the
meeting. These preparations having
been exposed an appeal was made to
the convention to set aside such dis
reputable proceedings and to carry out,
in good faith, the intentions of the plat
form of the alliance. This effort in be-
half of political purity was overcome by
the strength of the combination and
the programme was carried out. The
leading plank in the platform of the
alliance provides that no alliance con-
vention will nominate to Office any man
who makes an convention canvass
for. the place or in any manner uses his
influence to promote preference in his
behalf. In the Brown county gathering
j. ii. Fletcher, author
of this particular resolution,
placed before the convention motion
repudiating the nominations made and
providing for the creation of new and
unobiectlonable ticket. The chairman
of the convention, given his position
by the voice of the combination,
promptly declared the motion Out ot
| order and to this extent aided in the
contamination of the schemes of the
conspirators. A full ticket was nomi-
mated and the convention broke up with
the farmers movement in badly de-
moralized condition.
This result possesses significance be-
cause it is the first positive demonstra-
ton of the weakness of the alliance in
behalf of a very worthy reformatary
movement. The theory of their plat
form is that conventions should seek
their candidates from among the people
and that the people should remain q
passive quantity until the choice of the
convention brings its favored ones to
the front as the ;chosen representatives
of an honest constituency. In this first
instance the politician seems to have in.
siduously corrupted the men Of
stalwart honor who were entrusted
/ with the votes of the agricultural ele.
ment of Brown county. The politician
shrewdly managed the preliminarie,
and in the END scored an easy victory
because he had none of his own class tt
cope with in the manipulation of the
primaries. Conscious OF their owr
integrity as farmers Brown county
members of the alliance have over
looked the fact that there are serpent
in their political garden of Eden.