The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1890-05-21
FARMEHs ARousED.
sconse 20 =. aii;ssee 'ssseeias Letter. re


Ex.PFpsident CIeyeland,a Re
sponse Go am Alliance Letter.
STuBENvILLE, o., May IA few
weeks ago J. A. Hill, Corresponding
Lodge No. %. Farmers Alliance
Secretary of Oak Grove near
this city, wrote to Presiden,
Cleveland enclosing a copy of the
declaration of purposes of the AL
lance and asking for Mr.. Cleveland s
views thereon. The declarations
are: To strive to secure establish
ment of right aud justice to our
selves and our posterity; TO labor
for education of the agricultural
classes in the science of economical
government in strictly non-partisan
spirit; secure purity of the elective
franchise; enactment and execution
of laws which will express the most
advanced public sentiment upon all
questions involving interest Of la.
borers and farmers; to develop d
better state mentally, morally, soeia
iy and financially; to suppress per
sonal, local, sectional and national
prujudices; to assuage the sufferings
of a brother and sister, bury the
dead, care for the widows and edu
cate the orphans, and to protect the
principles of the Alliance unto
death. p no I.
MR.. oLEvELAND's REPLY:
DEAR SIR:-I have received your
letter, accompanied by tile decIara-
ton Of principles of the Farmers
Alliance. / see nothing in this
declaration that can not be fully
indorsed by any man who loves his
country, who believes that the OBJ
ject of our Government should be
the freedom, prosperity and happi-
ness of all our people, and who be-
lieves that justice and fairness 10 all
are necessary conditions to its use
full administration. 1t has always
seemed to me that the farmers oi
the country were especially interest
ed in an equitable adjustment of our
tariff system. Theindifference they
have shown to that question and
the ease with which they have been
lead away from a sober considera.
ton of their needs aud their rights
as related to this subject have ex.
cited my surprise. Struggle as they
may, our farmers must continue to
be purchasers and consumers OF
numberless things enhanced in cos,
by tariff regulations. Surely they
have the right to insist that this
cost shall not be increased for the
purpose Of collecting unnecessary
revenue, or to give undue advantage
to domestic manufacturers. The
plea that our infant industries need
the protection which thus impover.
ishes the farmer is, in view of our
natural advantages and ingenuity
of our people, hollow pretext.
srRUGGLE AS THEY MAY,
our farmers can not escape the con,
ditions which fix the price of what
they produce and sell, according to
the rates which prevail in foreign
markets, flooded with the competi.
tion of countries enjoying freer ex'
change of trade than we do. The
pleausible presentation of the bless
ings of home market should not
deceive our depressed and impoyer.
ished agriculturists. There is NO
home market for them which does
not take its instructions from the
seaboard, and the seaboard trans
mits the word of the foreign mark.
cts.
Because my conviction that there
should be a notification Of our tar.
iff laws arose principally from an
appreciation OF the wants of the vas,
army of consumers, comprising the
our farmers, our artisans and our
workingmen, and because their con.
dition has led me to protest against
the present imposition, 1 am spe.
cially glad TO see these sections ol
my fellow conntrymen arousiue
themselves to the Importance Of
tariff reforms. 1 sii@ eg
Yoars very truly,
GROVER CLEvELANn.