The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1888-04-05
SAUK CENTRE HERALD
THURsDAY, APRIL s, 1888.
THE ALLIANCE.

THE ALLIANCE.
That the Farmers Alliance of Mime
sofa was organized tor wise purpose
is generally conceded, and so long as it
adheres to such purpose it is entitled to
and will receive respect. But when
halfdozen of its members assemble in
secret conclave, arrogating powers never
delegated to them, and assume to pledge
the entire membership to something
wholly without the province of the al
lance, the proceeding becomes as ridic-
ulous as it is presumptuous, and the
alliance suffers loss of respect through no
fault of the organization itself, but by
reason of assumption of a little ring of
its cranky members.
So it was last week. Less than doz-
en- held a three-days session in St. Paul
and evolved as much gall in that length
of time as the average political ringsters
could possibly accomplish in a month.
First they endorsed President Cleveland's
free-trade message. Then they endorsed
John Frank of Mower county, staunch
democrat, for governor. The meeting
then adjourned, and three of the ten
went home. Subsequently the others
met and reconsidered the Frank resolu-
ton, adopted platform, endorsed Al
bert Scheffer for governor, placed the
platform under him, and secured his con-
sent to stand upon land after firing an
address at the people at large, adjourned.
The platform and address are printed
elsewhere in full.
1t is favorite charge of the Alliance
that political parties are managed by
rings. Can it cite an instance in the his
tory of either party, where such a dim
inutive little ring ever assumed to frame
a national and state platform and nom-
mate a governor? Can it recall an in
stance where a state committee ever
dared 60 to such extremes as attempt
ing to commit party to principles and
men without at least the form of a rep
resentative convention? If this be not
ring-rule with vengeance, will the hand
full who assembled in St. Paul please de-
fine clearly what it is?
The HERALD does not assume to speak
for the alliance, but very large proper
ton of its readers are farmers, many of
them members of the alliance, and it
ventures the assertion that few among
them will be found to endorse any such
arrogant usurpation of authority.
The merits of the platform and the can
didate have nothing to do with the prin-
ciple involved. 1t is the fact that the ex-
ecutive committee have assumed to take
the alliance by the nose and lead it thro'
political paths to suit its own purposes.
The board of education secures an ex-
cellent member in DR.. Rich, elected on
Saturday last The little interest shown
in so important a matter was illustrated
at the annual election-less than
thirty votes being cast. To be sure
there was no occasion in this instance
for any particular manifestation, as it
was generally understood that DR.. Rich
and Mr.. Lamb had no opposition, and
the voters were thoroughly satisfied with
the candidates, or more would have
voted. Put such apathy is not without
danger-twenty adverse votes would
have disturbed the order of things and
injected an unpleasant feeling into the
management of our public schools.
ALBERT ScHEFFER has the nominal
ton for governor, and has accepted it.
Whose candidate is he, anyway? 1t
would be terrible strain upon the re-
publican party to accept his platform,
and the democrats don't want him, and
he says the nomination is not a third
party movement. The campaign has
the one novelty of being decidedly unique
from its very inception.
Messrs. Bruckart and Barto were the
speakers at the G. A. R. campfire at
Princeton Friday evening. 1t was a
rousing meeting, and the BUSY BIS" did
Justice to the occasion and themselves
JournaEPresS.
Yes!-that is they doubtless would
have done so if they could have gotten
there on that occasion.
CHAIRMAN E. E. Corliss has called a
meeting of the fifth district congressional
committee to be held at Fergus Falls,
April IL, to select a time and place for
holding district convention to elect two
delegates to the republican national con-
vention OF Chicago. The members of
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