St. Paul daily globe., 1888-12-06
Legislative Action Urged to
Prevent Bribery and Other
Corrupt Measures.
Ignatius Donnelly a Ruling
Spirit at the Meeting Of
the Alliance.
Campaign Expenses Stated to
Have Been Paid by a Sen
atorial Aspirant.

the following members being i'll attend
ance: President E. III. Atwood. st.
Cloud; Secretary Eric Olson, st. Paul;
G. Canning, Hendrum; ]. j. Furlong,
Austin; +. j. Farley, Credit River; T.
Fl. Tombs, Ireland, NJ: Nacfbar, Jor-
dan: Ignatjus Donnelly, Nininger; III.
E. Boen, Fergus Falls.
The afternoon session was devoted to
a general discussion of the affairs Of the
alliance and the needs of the farmers of
the state, the meeting being held with
closed doors. A committee, consisting
of IgnatiuS Donnelly, T. G. HOdgson
and NJ. Nachbar, was appointed to pre-
pare an address to the people of the
state, after which an adjournment was
taken until s o'clock. Considerable dis
cussion is understood to have arisen over
the course to be pursued by the COM
mittee on the senatorial question. Ig-
natiuS Donnelly seems to be the favor
ite Of a majority of the members, but a
prominent member probably spoke
knowingly last night when he said, OH
being asked whether Donnelly would be
indorsed by the committees The al
lance is no longer in the ndorsng busi-
ness" The following address to the
people, returned by the committee. eX-
plains itself:
During nearly five years of active existence
of the Farmers alliance in this state much
has been zone to relieve the people of the
uni ust burdens which have been put upon
them by unrighteous combinations of capi
tal. The Minneapolis MiuerS' association
which held deSpotic sway over our wheat
market has become thing of the past.
Railroad rates have been greatly reduced,
Determinations prohibited, board of COM
misSiOnerS appointed and laws enacted for
al npnn1n pSfDrtlOn
and injustice in the transportation of grain,
as well as in unjust weights and grades.
The grip OF corporate power is by nomeans
relaxed. Fertile i'll resources, fruitful in
schemes and determined in action, it has
armed Itself with all its power, not only to
| resist any further demands of the people, but
TO null1fy the work that has already been ac
complished. Indeed, it is not improbable
that the agitation urged forward by the alli-
ance by which it is sought to harness the
great corporations under law and make
them the subjects and not the masters Of
the state, has had the effect of fastening
the consultations and combinations which
for years have been growing with frightful
rapdity. Even now we hear of giant COM
bination, which would reduce hitherto great
railroad magnates and officials to mere
clerks, while the rates on more than half the
mileage in the United States are to be con-
troled by an executive committee, which
will IN all probability be dominated by sim
gle man. This rapid concentration of wealth
and power can suggest nothing but the deep
est forebodngs 10 the people. who, in the
nature of things, must be
DEPENDENT UPON IT'S WILL.
But the rapid concentration of companies
and capital now taking place does not meas
ure the extent OF orr danger The employees
OF these mighty corporations, feeling their
helpless dependence upon their power
ful masters, have undertaken to- organize
against the people in defense of the railroads.
Twenty thousand railroad employees are
organizing practically for the control and
impoyerishment of the farmers of Minnesota
and the destruction of this association. 1t is
boldly asserted that RAILROADS are getting
neither fair nor living prices for services
rendered. The last returns yet available as
to the railroad business show receipts in
round numbers amounting to S26, 900, ,00G,
and disbursements of S14,000,0U0, leaving
net profits $12,000,000. These employees
get not L cent of that Sl2 100000. It goes
into the pockets of the capitalists, and yet
these capitalists are not getting enough!
The last session of our legislature enacted
a law to prevent and punish with a fine and
Imprisonment the issuance of fictitious or
fraudulent stock In the face of this law
the Minneapolis d Pacific Railway company
has issued over S4,oO0,000 of what it is
pleased TO term 'income certificates" for
which there does not appear to have been q
dollar of honest money paid and now, in-
stead of prosecuting this company for It's
fragrant defiance of the laws of the state 1t is
proposed to make the responsible head OF
The company, who must be considered the
responsible head of this monstrous iniqGity,
UNITED STATES SENATOR.
We seem to be on the eve of a gigantic
conflict with corporate greed and arrogance
as profound and radical as that waged few
years since for the overthrow of human
slavery. Already the railroad companies
reach into the election districts of the state
and crush out these men whose sole offense
is that they are the incorruptible friends of
the people. Seryile obedience to their be-
hest seems to be the only passport to political
preferment.
We call upon all the subordinate alliances
of the state to rally ytheirmembers and revive
their organizations wherever they may have
become torpid or indifferent and to send.
delegates to the next an Rual meeting OF the
alliance. And we hereby invoke the mem
bers of the state grange. and other practical
farmers from all parts OF the state, to attend
that meeting and assist us III our delibera-
tions with their presence and counsels.
We call upon the legislature of this state to
vote against the election to the United States
senate OF any president, attorney, or other
officer of any railroad company, believing
thatany such action in the face of / he dam
ger which threatens the people would be
nothing less than a crime against the state,
for which the guilty parties should
BE HELD FOREVER RESPONSIBLE.
We ask the members of the house and sem
ate to elect no man to any clerkship in either
branch who is or has recently been con-
nected with any railroad corporation, or
whose character for honesty is not above
suspicion. The forgery committed on II. T.
No. 157. after its passage by the house, and
before it reached the governor; the numer-
Gus charges of dishonesty and Irregularities
in the manipulation of bills in the house, and
the fact that in the case Of imperfect bills
those who are interested in them have to fol-
low them through every stage into the hands
of the governor. or see them garbled, shows
| the absolute necessity there IS for honesty III
| those who have the custody of the bills
We urge the coming meeting OF the state
| alliance to appoint committee that will
| correspond with agricultural sections OF
| other states of the Union, with view to
| holding national convention and the estab-
| lishment of Il national organization to resist
| the aggressions of the railroad companies. TO
| fight pools trusts aud combinations ard to
! stamp out Watered stock, and all the other
| iniquitous practices which are covering the
| ducing the farmers of the United States
TO OLD-WoRLD CONDITIONS.
| We call upon the coming Legislature to also
| investigate that new form of wholesale
| bribery which consists i'll wealthy candidate
| for the United States senate sending agents
| into the counties of the state at the opening
| of the local contest, and furnishing the
money necessary TO carry on the whole cam
paign, and then claiming that he owns the
| members elected to the legislature.
We also call upon the legislature TO pass an
election law similar in its provisions to the
Australian law, so that every voter in the
state may be insured a free and completely
| secret ballot L. ii. ATWOOD, President.