Los Angeles herald., 1890-12-22
MONDAY, DECEMBER a.. 1890.
THE ALLIANCE AND PARTIES.

THE ALLIANCE AND PARTIES.
If the Farmers Alliance is wise it will
not form third party, but try to work
through the old parties now in exist
ence. No one class Of the people can
ever hope to succeed as political organ
ization. There are not enough people
in any one interest where all the others
combine. The alliance does not and
will not draw into its fold all the farmers
in the country. 1t can hardly unite
with any other numerous class of voters
in compact organization that would do
for political purposes. The interests of
the farmers are too unique for this.
There is plot said to be Matching out
in the west, concocted by certain hide
bound Republicans who gained admis
sion to the alliance with the set pur-
pose of betraying the society for the
benefit of their old party friends. The
plan is to draw the alliance away into
third party organization, and thus di-
vide the Democracy of the southern
states, and let a Republican ticket slip
in between the divided lines of the
other party. Mr.. Harrison has put
himself on record as saying that the ne
gro vote of the south will be needed to
elect president of his political faith in
1892. The "bloody shirt" as a party
banner must be retired. Eat" fried
from the furnaces, ''soap," :" solid blocks
of fives'' and all the other devices can
not be relied on, and therefore electoral
votes based on the negro suffrage must
be looked to to make up the deficiency.
Hence the plot OF treacherous alliance
men to divide the southern Democracy
by means of third party Organization.
The plan is not by any means new
one. In 1856 the Democracy elected
James Buchanan to the presidency by
splitting the ranks OF the newly organ
lied Republican party in several states
by means of an American ticket. But
the weapon is two-edged, and
one can hardly tell which side
will cut the deepest for while the
'f'Know-Nothing" party got enough
votes in several doubtful states OF the
north to give their electoral colleges to
the Democracy, yet it just failed to carry
some of the southern states out of the
Democratic column. Fillmore actually
carried the Democratic state OF Mary
land. the only state whose vote did go
for the American ticket.
1t is more than likely that Farmers
Alliance ticket in 1892 would do quite as
much harm to the Republican ranks
in Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Wis
consin, Michigan and Illinois, as in
the Democratic column in Georgia,
South Carolina or Alabama. Repubh-
canism in the northwestern states is in
very bad odor. There are thousands of
Republican farmers in those states who
would vote the alliance ticket and thus
give their electoral vote to either the
candidate of that organization or to the
man on the Democratic ticket. With a
Farmers Alliance ticket in the field in
1892, it is almost foregone conclusion
that there would be no popular election
of a president, but that the duty of
selecting a chief executive would de-
volve upon the house OF representatives,
with the certainty of Democrat sue
ceeding Mr.. Harrison.
1t is not therefore from any fear of the
results to the Democratic party that we
raise note of warning to the farmers OF
the country. 1t is for the best interests
of the farmers that we speak. As an in
dependent party the alliance is certain to
fail OF its purpose. As an organization
independent OF all parties it can so con-
troll the action Of both parties as to in
sure the nomination of candidates in
both friendly to the farmers interests.
There is no distinct political issue in
what the farmers ask. Their demands
are just, from a general point of view,
and such as all political organiza-
tions ought to favor. The power Of the
alliance, acting through the two national
parties, was well exemplified in the re-
cent election. Combinations were
made with either party as circum-
stances dictated in the various states
and districts, and the results were to
elect those on the side of the farmers in
almost all cases. Thus in the state legis-
latures, and in both branches of con-
gress, there will be found men working
in both parties, and lifting up their
voices on all sides of all bodies, in behalf
OF the interests of the farmers. More
good by far will thus be accomplished
than by the forming OF a third party.