Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-09-29
TRUE DEMOCRATS.
Several Prominent Members Of the
Farmers Alliance withdraw from
the Organization.
I've keaDoa Assigned Is That the order has
been Made the Tool OF the Knighta
Of Labor.

KELLER, TEX, Sept. 2G.-Hearlng II
rumored that several members OF the
Farmers alliance have Withdrawn from
the alliance Of Keller, ! sought out Mr.
william Crawford, well-to-do farmer
and member OF the alliance, and piled
him with the following questions;
Mr. Crawford, will you please state the
cause Of your withdrawal from The ALI
ance?
| Joined the alliance with the under
standing that 1t WAS a non-polltIcal or
ganizatioD and was calculated TO benefit
the farmers socially, morally and inan
cisliy.
Did II oil your expectations2
No; for a while | thought IL would do
good, which stlll think II kept in its
proper place, but some OF the leaders, not
farmers, introduced politics. No sooner
was this done than IL was converted into
political machine and controlled in the
interest Of ofiice.seekers. ] believed the
move would disrupt the order and ] pro-
tested against 1t, but II did no good.
VINO were the leading characters In the
alliancef
1t was controlled in the main by school
teachers, preachers, and others who were
not farmers. The farmers had but little
TO say as the farmers are not used to pub
lie speaking. Every time farmer tried
TO say anything he was sat down on by
some teacher or preacher who would rain
points Of order, make motions, substl-
tutes and other things that they called
parliamentary law. visited the county
alliance three times and the whole thing
was run by the school teachers, preachers,
and others not farmers. farmer could
not get word in edgewise without being
sat down on.
! hear that you were expelled, is It
so2
No, five Others and myself withdrew OF
our own accord. u. ID. Davis, b. X.
Elliott, Dan Boon, John Boon, S. j. Nc
Glnnls and myself are the parties that
withdrew. for one, could not afford to pay
dues to keep up lot Of ofilceseekers who
have converted our alliance into politi-
cal party In the Interest OF their own
pockets and to the detriment OF the farm
ers' interest.
Are any Of the leaders of the movement
running for Officer
Yes, both In the order and out of Il
There is one preacher running for the
legislature, another for state senator.
NaNNANA ARh lNGAbipn Ou lDlll
tee. One OF the teachers, who wanted to
be tax assessor, was defeated in the
nomination, has since been elected secre-
tary OF the Farmers alliance. He ts as
sisted in that office by mis- brother, who ia
also teacher. They get salary of
$1,000 per year. Another teacher, who
also figured prominently and wanted to
be tax assessor, has place on the anti.
monopoly executive committee.
What Is your political faith2
have always been Democrat and have
voted the ticket all my life, except once.
mat was when belonged TO the grange.
The same tactics were played In the
grange to gull the farmers that are being
used by the alliance, and, strange TO say,
some farmers swallow II as sweet NOR.
sci. did II once, and have regretted IL
ever since.
What do you think OF this new party
being Democratic2
think II Is false. II is bosh and nom
sense. Who ever heard OF secret politics
with closed doors, dark lanterns, oblIga-
lions as long as your arm and fees for
Initiation in the Democratic party? II is
true, many farmers who are Democrats
went into the organization. They Will
all come out, and don't you forget 1t, they
know that the Democratic party Is the
only peoples party, and they are too
honest TO sail under false colors.
Has there been coalition OF the
knights OF Labor aud the farmers al
lance?
Yes, the knights OF Labor sent dele.
CATION TO Enon while the county alliance
was In session, and they proposed II the
Farmers alliance would put out ticket
they would support 1t. They did not
want any of the offices, as they had
elected tho city officers in Fort Worth.
inc suo-alliances elected delegates to the
Dagget hall convention, thirty-six In
number. Thirty Of them were knights
OF Labor, and six OF them were farmers
who did not belong to the Knights Of La
Dor. They put out county ticket COM
posed all OF Knights of Labor except one,
and he was added by the executive COM
mittee afterwards, and now they expect
the farmers to support them, when every
farmer knows that the interests OF the
farmer and Knights Of Labor are In direct
opposition.
What do you think will be the result Of
this combination or political partyp
IL Will be sure death to the Farmers
alliance politically. | think It Is like A
rotten apple, just ready to burst and fall
TO pieces.
What Is your occupation2
am a farmer, have been all Inv life
Identified with the farmers interest, and
am nearly seventy years old. have
nearly four hundred acres In my farm
near Keller, and have competence To
live on, and do not propose TO be dictated
TO by men who do not know the first
principles Of energy, honesty and econ
omy, which have practlced all my life,
with results gratifying to myself.
Thanking Mr.. Crawford for the kind
treatment received at his hands, babe
him good.day, satisfied that any commu-
nifty might be proud OF such citizen.
IL. ID.
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