The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1890-04-04
Some Unfortunate History.

tween it and some OF the old officers.
It seemed to eliminate in pretend
ed meeting OF the LIST District ALI
ance, in which they endorsed Sprague
and condemned this paper. The
meeting was fraud, no quorum was
present, but three out of nine coun-
ties were represented-and it was
held at dustin, where. Messrs.
Sprague, keenan,, Haigh, Gardner
and others, circle around what should
be reliable institution known as
the Hail and Cyclone Insurance
Co." Now we deem it right that the
Alliance at large should have a his
tory of the events-and end the
sswar" at the earliest possible mo-
ment. Our friends will please note
that this difficulty does not stop tie
wheels of progress for the movement.
Every energy is still being put forth
to organize alliances.
When the GREAT WEST was started
to boom the loyal principles OF the
Alliance it found itself instantly
plunged into the very furnace OF pol
itical intrigues. 1t was thoroughly
'sounded' by an element which had
risen up in the midst of the Alliance,
obtained control OF it by fraud, and
proceeded to unite in a small crowd
OF political jayhawkers the most stu
pendous personal financial schemes
ever vet concocted in the name OF
political reforms!
Assoon as the GREAT WEST was ap-
preached upon these matters it was
placed in a position most perllous
and revolving to any honest journal
list.
1t was called upon to decide wheth-
err it would go with a clearly defined
''ring" or conclave of men, few in
numbers, but with political expert
ence, money, and in command OF the
Alliance neutrality-suspicious. the
great battle approaching, within the
very heart itself.
The past OF the men who own the
GREAT WEST is known No man who
knows them doubts the course they
would decide upon. But from the
very moment that we refused to
stand by the personal schemes
schemes which were actually
sTUPENDOUs IN EXTENT
when the field was considered-the
paper was subjected to a secret but
powerful antagonism. No one unac-
uuainted with political corrupt in
fluences can conceive what such
hostility can do. We tell the farmers
of Minnesota that if this paper had
been limited in it's means OF support,
as other labor journals almost al
ways are, it would have slept in the
graveyard of defeated hopes three
months ago.
But the paper was a revelation to
the farmer. 1t brought great things
to light. 1t had a capital back of it
A miserable reptile in one OF
the daily papers asks if the GREAT
WEST "keeps a spy" to watch people
1t does keep man on the alert for
it's enemies searching in
railroad circles, and sometimes look
ing up secret conclaves in the Capitol
building! 1t is on the defensiVe-and
it knows the men it is dealing
with. When the two heads of the
ring started for Dakota, from the
Clarendon Hotel, via Minneapolis, to
pull the fur over the eyes of Messrs.
Loucks and Wardall-before they
attempted the ditching OF Albert
Scheffer-there was a GREAT WEST
man on their track every inch OF the
way! And before they arrived at eth
er place, the winged telegraph had
foretold their
TREACHERY TO SCHEFFER
and object in coming again to the
fold.
Now, against this masterful ring OF
personal schemers the paper had to
play lone hand in a strange city.
The Hon. Ignatius Donnelly only
knew a. portion OF these matters.
Nonzo Wardall knew but a fraction.
GEO. W. sPRA( 5E
knew only a large section OF his own
affairs. He was not aware that he
was merely used to help in financial
matters-that politically he was the
butt OF ridicule by those who were