Blue-grass blade. [volume] (Lexington, Ky.) 188?-19??, 1890-11-22
@%El
&ssNSw



The Farmers Alliance, that
met in this city last week, left
here after having made a most
pleasant impression on our PEG.
pie. They passed resolutions ia
voring Prohibition. A majority
of them numerically, and larger
majority of them intellectually,
are Prohibitionists, but they are
without any adequate plan of
organization, and do not know
how to get at what they want.
They are what the scriptures call
"wandering stars"-in what the
astronomers call the nebulous
state; without form and void.
They are as a body, with radical
individual exceptions, the friends
of Prohibition, and our natural
allies.
They were pretty naughty, SUI
percillious ard independent about
their recent political success. ]
tried to take some of the wind
out of their sails by telling them
that they captured Kansas simp
ly because Prohibition had paved
the way for them, and that it was
nothing more than the "Dutch
taking Amsterdam" They said
they couldn't see it, but they did
see it all the same. Then they
showed their power in South
Carolina; but what was the rea-
son! Henry Grady has given his
lite for Prohibition down there.
If they think they can do any.
thing more than be camp follow
ers for Prohibition, why don't
they sweep whisky Democracy
out of Kentucky! Their leaders
are all right, but they are prac-
ticing a scheme on their follow
ers that is almost as bad as either
Democracy or Republicanism.
The best men among them are
Prohibitionists, and told me their
plans. DIR. Alexander, of this
city, is a splendid gentleman, a
farmer as we'll as physician, and
says he is thoroughly in SYM
patty with the Prohibition party,
lie says their plan is to:take 10
everything that comes, like the
net in the parable that was cast
into the sea, and then instruct
and assimilate them after they
get them in. But / think that
without some more definite plat.
>form Of principles they will fine
that when the assimilating pro-
cess ID attempted to be applied
the difficulty will be to determine
what is the standard to which al
must conform.
If l could catch on to thei
complicated and obscure plans
their order is a secret one, ant
no man can become a membe
without pledging himself to sup
port it, and that without know
ing what it is that he thus en-
cages to support.
| do not think any man ough
to do this, and upon this groun'
if upon no other, l would OBJ
tiect to Missionary, Odd Fellow
ship, Know Nothingism, or an.
proposition in any form to which
a man may be asked to subscribe
without knowing as fully as hi
can understand under the mos
favorable circumstances, al
about it.
never liked secrets. l would
not be a party Prohibitionist i
the order was secret one.
The Prohibition party has new
err had any occasion for secrecy
but wants it's doors, and it's deeds
and sayings, and purposes thrown
wide open to the world.
A common saying among then
is that they are mot a party
One oftheir speakers took specia
pains to deny the truth OF thi'
and say that they were a party
The difference is merely technic
al. Their plans, or lack OF plans
are full of Representatives,.
They propose to stand as
balance OF power between Dem
ocrats and Republicans, and t.
terrorize each OF them so tina
they will bring out as candidate
the kind of men that suit thu
purposes of the Alliance. L
both of the parties bring out mel
favorable to the Alliance, it ii
true that the Alliance can have
its purposes accomplished with
out voting at all. But, suppose
neither side brings out maj
that suits the Alliance, as will al
most certainly be the case in 4
National election, what redress
will the Alliance have!
An alligator once swallowed Q
cat alive and whole. The cal
scratched out and killed the ALI
gator. The Alliance men may
fiatter themselves that they are
powerful enough to swallow uI
one of these big political parties
by combining with them to elect