Omaha daily bee., 1889-08-05
A WORK OF EMANCIPATION.
What the Alliance Aims to Do For
the Farmers.
THE wATcHwoRD GET TOGETHER
Present to the Enemy an Unbroken
Front-Non-Partisa But Nom
PoIiticai-Hints For the
Agriculi urist.
The Farmers Alliance.

The Farmers Alliance.
Farmers and laboring men all over
this great land Of boasted liberty are
painfully conscious of the existence and
power of the combinations OF capital
that have monopolized nearly every in
dustry except that OF agriculture; aud,
while they have reduced the price of
raw material, they have at the same
time advanced that of the matured pro-
duct to the material detriment of all
classes OF consumers. They are con-
scious that existing laws are framed in
the interest of these monopolies, and the
state and national legislatures, and too
frequently the judiciary, are influenced
by selfish interests to maintain this un-
natural and unjust supremacy OF capital
says the Farmers Alliance. These are
facts of common knowledge, and the
masses OF the people groaning under
these seemingly legalized expressions,
are anXiously scanning every movement
that seems to promise any hope OF re-
lief.
The great, fixed and unalterable pur-
pose of the Farmers Alliance and Co
operative Union Of America is the alb
solute overthrow of all monopolies and
legalized systems of robbery and OPP
pression; the restoration of industrial
pursuits to q competitive basis; the
emancipation of the producing and
laboring masses, and their elevation to
the Legitimate plane to which the dig
nifty of their avocations entities them.
All other objects are merely subsidiary
to these. The first essential to the
success of the Farmers Alliance is the
absolute and irresistible force of nu-
merical strength. Farmers outside of
the order in too many instances are
waiting to see what the alliance shall
accomplish before they unite with it,
and members of the order are many
times too impatient to see something
done to justify their hopes Of relief. 1t
should not be forgotten for a moment
that until the great mass of the farm
ers and laboringmen are enrolled. and
present an unbroken front to the enc
my, we cannot hope for victory; and all
measures attempted prior to such en-
rollment, though they may yield some
good results, can only give promise of
partial success.
Let the farmers in all unorganized
counties awaken from their legarthy,
and bestir themselves in this matter.
Let our members who know the objects
and purposes of the order exert them
selyes to extend its limits. Let Kansas
take her stand beside those states that
are now practically solid in this organ
ization, aud we will not have long to
wait for results. BY the invincible
force of numbers we must succeed.
The order is most unquestionably nom
partisan in its character, in the strictest
sense, but not therefore necessarily non
political. 1t would be we'll for poll
ticians to discern the significance of
in 10 trin flxy
non-partisan character that it's great
political strength consists; and when
the proper time shall come it will make
itself manifest in no uncertain manner.
We must have no weak knees in the
political arena. The officials elevated
to responsible positions by the SO, 900
majority of the dominant party in our
state have many of them failed to re-
deem the pledges given to their con-
stituents before the election. This is
signally true of the legislature, and it
is incumbent upon the people to see
that the next representative body that
assemblies at the capital to enact laws
for the general veal shall be chosen
from the ranks of the masses whose in
terests they are to represent. The
writer OF this article has always been a
republican, and voted with that party
at the last election, but in view of the
signal failure of our last Legislature to
enact any measure looking to the relief
of the people from their many burdens,
former party affiliations to sink into in
significance in relation to any future
contest; and in this declaration | am
confident that l voice the sentiment OF
a majority of the people in this district,
at least. Our national legislature has
yet to act for the redemption of its
pledges; and if another adjournment of
that body ensues with no effectual en-
actment for the suppression OF the
greedy monopolies that have paralyZed
the industries OF the nation, and are
practicing systematic robbery upon the
people, it is safe to predict that the
next election will witness such a polit-
ical revolution as this country never
witnessed before. The farmers alli-
ance and the kindred orders that have
been consolidated with 1t under the
general title OF the farmers and labor
ers' cooperative union now numbers, in
the aggregate over 3.000,0 ,0C0 members.
The various labor organizations of the
country with kindred interests number
undoubtedly as many more. These all
unite in a common demand of existing
authorities for redress for existing
wrongs; and the ''powers that be" will
do well to observe the significance OF
this just demand.