Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1888-05-24
IRONTON. MO, THURSDAY. MAY ~. 1888

National order, with the one great bat
tie cry of cooperation rs the universe
principle upon which ali could unite
Cooperation in its hroadest sense. tha
is, that we will assist one another, ,tha
we will stand shoulder to shoulder il
bearing the crosses and burdens of life
that we will intelligently pull togethe
in everything; in buying and selling
in producing and consuming. Their
is necessity for enlightened co-opera
J ton in everything; leaving local issues
for local or state Alliances TO settle.
The necessity for the extension of TIL,
work lay in the fact that other states
were in as bad condition as Texa
aud Louisiana, and that as the interest
of cotton producers were identical, an(
. the evils from which they were suffer
ing generally, the greatest good coult
not be effected without uniting til,
whole cotton belt. 1t was necessary Il
the local business eXrerim ents already
commenced, that they be made gener
al, and be participated in by all, in or
der that they prove greater success
/ Single towns or counties could not in
augurat move that would affect the
cotton business much, and whole
state could not accomplish as much
acting alone as it could in conjunction
with the other ten. 1t will be seen
then that in the organization of this
National associa ton, the object was to
organize the agrIculturists of the cot
/, ton belt for business purposes, and that
purpose has been carried out, and has
| been found to give sufficient scope to
the ability of all, and that the dissen-
tions spoken of in the early history OF
the order, in regard to politics and 9th
er subjects have entirely died out, and
given place to an enlightened effort to
accomplish something grand-a busi-
ness organization.
! If we look back through the history
of this and other countries. we will see
| that some branches of industry have
always been knocking at the doors OF
| legislation, and when weak, begging
| for class laws that would assist their
| business efforts; if they were strong,
they would either demand or buy such
favors; but in either case they have too
often been successful. 1t is proverbial
| that the other two great classes of pro-
duction, the manufacturing and the
commercial, which includes railroads
and transportation lines, have been
| largely built up to their present condi-
ton of wealth and prosperity by gov
ernment favors and assistance. Now
if this be true, at whose expense has
the government done this, as there are
only three classes of producers? 1t must
evidently have been at the expense of
the third class, which is the great agri
cultural. The agricultural class then,
has not only received no government
favors, but has been bled to enrich
other classes. This is now fully real
ized, and is productive of determina-
ON, rt of nh rlon.,1o tc Inn
to such wrongs no longer. But ia
spite of the necessity tor action, many
of them realize. and those who do not
should be taught a lesson by those who
have been successful in procuring favor
able legislation. They do not organize
a new political party to carry out their
plans, they call upon the government
TO correct evils, or provide protection
as the case may be. 1t is realized that
class legislation is 2 great evil, because
it builds up two classes at the expense
Of the third. Then either let the third
class be the recipient, or do away with
all class legislation. If a party was
organized for that purpose. the party
would die when that purpose was ac-
complished.
Under our system of government we
should not resort to new political
movement to carry out every reform
necessary. We have the two great
principles and conceptions of the geni-
us of our institutions as contended for
as a basic for division into two great
political parties, that should suffice;
let every one carry his ideas of reform
to the party to which be belongs for
principle. And as the agriculturist
comprises a large majority of all the
voters. he will necessarily comprise a
majority in each party. But his great
est influence in politics can be brought
to bear. not at the hustings, but In the
halls of legislation, ny the proper and
judicous exercise of the right of petit
ton. There they step forward as Alli-
ance men strong and united. and de-
mand that the government redress |
wrongs committed by it, but in partisan |
politics, the members of our order |
should participate, mot as Alliance men, I
but as citizens. because politics is for |
the citizen.
Let the Alliance be business organ
iZation for business purposes, and as |
such necessarily secret, and as secret
necessarily strictly as non-political.
This is somewhat of a depression, but
is made in order to show the ideas that
tinnal association was launched forth
on the sea of experiment as business
organization of the farmers of the cot
ton belt. The plan on which organiZ-
alton has been affected is to some ex-
tent new, and while it perhaps contains
nothing original, it is experimental, in
that it CONT bines the features of several
different systems. Being secret or
ganization, it is necessarily to some
extent like the father of all secret or
monarchial in form; but
being chartered association, under
the law of our country for business
purposes, and being composed of a peo-
pie who are familiar with, and devoted
to "a republican form of.government, its
written law is in conformity to that
system. You will, therefore, find in
the construction of code of statutory
laa that you must provide for MEM
bership who occupy dual relation to
the order, that is. the constitution is
the written organic law. and outlines
republican form of government. The
secret work is the unwritten organic
law, and is coordinate with the writ
ten, and outlines a limited monarchy,
BY keeping these ideas in view, you
will avoid confusion, and will find uues-
tions of law much easier of solution.
1t is great pleasure to be able to
you on the rapid exten-
ton of the work under the plan out
lined. There are now state organiza-
tions in eight states, and in many states
the work is progressing in very sat
manner, as the report of the
secretary Nhf,r xtc,, - 4