The great West., 1889-12-13

pent-up enthusiasm of that sturdy
band. This was the opening act,
and the scene changed afterwards to
the Exposition building, where the
more august convention of the Farm
ers and Laborers' Union of America,
100000 strong in it's representa-
tion of voters, was in session. At
the morning meeting of this body
but little was done, and it was ap-
parent that the day was to be set
apart in celebration of the saftilia-
tion jubilee"
President Evan Jones left the con-
vention shortly after calling it to or
der, and returned to his hotel. With
Vice-President McCracken presiding,
and the hall nearly empty owing to
committees being out, some routine
work was done, and just before ad-
journment special committee with
Harry Tracy OF Texas as chairman,
was appointed to visit Mr.. Powderly
with an official invitation from the
farmers to appear at the afternoon
session of their convention, and with
his compatriots, Wright and Beau
mont, address the delegates on the
advantages OF the confederation, the
purposes of the knights organiza-
ton, the cause and remedy of the
great evils expressing the middle
classes to-day, and the basis upon
which cooperation might be estab-
lished.
Mr. Powderly's address was full of
strength and harmonious feeling.
Every one was joyful over the final
union of wage-earners, and the war
fare against the money-king's gov
ernment has fairly begun.
The following is a general express
sion OF the basis of union, as given
by the Committee:
Resolved, That this committee rec
ommend that we press to the front
as the most important the three
problems: Finance, Land and Trans
portation.
Resolved, That Congress issue a
sufficient amount of fractional paper
currency to facilitate exchange thro'
the mails.
Resolved, That we demand the free
and unlimited coinage of silver.
Resolved, That we demand the pas
sage OF laws prohibiting the alien
ownership OF land and that Congress
take early action to devise some plan
to obtain by purchase all lands now
owned by aliens and foreign syndi-
Gates, and that all lands now owned
by railroads and other corporations
in actual excess OF such as is actual
ly used by them be purchased by the
government and held for actual set
tiers only.
Resolved, That the means OF trans
portation and communication shall
be controlled by and operated in the
interest of the people, through the U.
S. postal system.
Under this somewhat slight plat
form it was felt that the different
bodies could enlarge into more spe-
cific utterances. An additional reso-
luton was tabled, as follows:
Resolved, That United States pos
tai savings banks be established in
all towns and cities having 500 or
more inhabitants, thus giving un-
doubted and certain security to de-
pOsitOrs.
The convention adjourned on the
7th to meet on the second Tuesday in
December, 1890, at Jacksonville, Fla.
The day was spent in furthering the
union in various particulars. The
Northern Alliance has not yet fully
united with the others, Minnesota
and some other states leaving the
matter for the final consideration at
the annual meetings. Kansas and
South Dakota go in at once. The
name OF the new organization is The
National Farmers Alliance and In
dustrial Union. The headquarters of
the association will be at Washing
ton, D. C.
An Engineer Gets Excited.
A railroad contractor, Or civil engi-
neer, has written us a letter. Atleast
we take the writer to be such by the
make up OF the letter. He says that
there are many things that we have
not considered in our estimate of the
cost of grading and building. The
letter would be published but the
writer requests to the contrary
He is wholly Observation-Disclosures
IN QvQr.v nninf no EaS For in