The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-12-10
TIE ALLIANCE AND THE DEMOCRATS

The Farmers alliance has elected eight
members of the next House of Representa-
tives. 1t has exerted potential influence
in piling up the Democratic majority OF
nearly $50 in the next Congress. 1t is
disturbing factor in politics that may well
cause any political party with which 1t may
come in contact to look forward with some
trepidation to the issue. PowDERLY, OF the
knights of Labor, an organization that has
heretofore endeavored to eschew politics,
has promised them aid and comfort. 1t is
a time, therefore, when the politician de-
voted to the interests of his party, will
scan the situation with a view of ascertain
ing which of the great parties of the nation
is most likely to suffer in the event of the
Alliance continuing to prosper in degree
commensurate with its beginning.
The Democratic party has little to fear.
1t is the party of the people, and may con-
fidentlv hope to gain by any movement
that comes of the people, is conducted by the
people, and is distinctively for the people.
Witness the ease with which the Alliance
ia many parts of the country, in the cam
paign coalesced with the Democratic party,
assisting them to work out the last victory
so magniicently won. There is IN fact nc
need TO organize a party distinctively OF
the farming classes. u will be seen by
consulting the platform of the Alliance as
promulgated Monday last at Ocala, that
the demands of the farmers are, with some
modification, the principles upon which the
Democratic party has for years been wag-
ing its political campaigns.
1t demands that our national laws in the
future be so framed as not to build up one
industry at the expense of another; the re
moval OF the existing heavy tariff tax from
the necessarles of life that the poor of oul
land must have; free and unlimited coinage
of silver; the passage of laws that shall
prohibit the alien ownership of land; the
reclamation of the vast unearned lane
grants to railroads.
Tho political campaigns of the immediate
future will be campaigns of education; il
logical and unreasonable demands of the
Alliance will be forgotten or abandoned
under the scrutiny Of investigation, and
large number of the hitherto Republican
farmers will have been educated up to the
falacies of protection; when the party
under which they came out Of the Republi
can party shall have disappeared, they vii
easily identify themselves with the party
of tariff reform. 1t is probable, too, by tina
time that large number of the people will
have forgotten the bitter memories of tn,
war, fact which must at once render i
impossible for them to re-identify them
selves with, or longer remain III party
the rdiSon d etre of which is to perpetual
the discussions of war
Republicans cajole themselves into tn
belief that this is an "off'' year, while fact
almost Enthusiastically indicate that it is bu
the beginning of the end Of their party. 1t
brilliant record in the days of slavery an
during the rebellion has been its glory: i
has lived, and hopes to continue to live
upon its record; IL has no live issues, an
when a new generation forces it to abar
don its dead one, it will be unable to pic
out from the scrap yard of its principle
pianks enough to build third class plat
form. That there is no possible reason TO
the existence of the Republican party i
being pretty generally sensed Its caree
is about closed, unless it can find some liv
and popular issues to represent.