Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-04-10


sas and furnish copy of the same to
the county papers with the request that
they publish the same.
In pursuance of said resolution will
proceed to give short statement of the
facts relative to the organization, prog
ress and present status of said organiza
ton. But in the absence Of document
loaned to brother 1 will have to omit
the exact dates of some events con-
nected with the organization.
The first Alliance organized in Arkan-
sas was precisely the same as the Texas
Tor NstionaD Alliance, using the same
secret work and ritual, and when there
had been the requisite number of Coun-
ty Alliances organized, they effected a
State organization under the title of the
Farmers Alliance of Arkansas, and
filed articles of incorporation with the
Secretary of State on the 18th day Of
April, 1887. Soon after this the Arkan-
sas Alliance was solicited to become a
member of the National Alliance, and
finally agreed to do so on certain terms,
which the Arkansas Alliance complied
with, and asked for their charter as per
agreement. But after considerable de-
lay the National secretary informed
the secretary of the Arkansas Alli-
ance that the Agricultural Wheel
of Arkansas had received the
National Alliance charter for Ar
kansas, thereby becoming the National
Alliance organization for Arkansas and
H. IN
dinateS. But instead of furnishing US
with Alliance charters, as they should
have done, they furnished Wheel char
tiers, which our subordinates Tor large
number of them refused 20 accept, and
protested against such unjust action,
but received no answer or redress from
the National Alliance.
The subordinates that refused to &C
knowledge the jurisdiction of the Wheel
and such County Alliances as did the
same, arranged to have a meeting of
delegates authorized to act for the sew
eral bodies.
At this meeting it was decided to re-
organize the Alliance of Arkansas, and
proceeded to revise the constitution and
bylaws, and adopted the same and filed
articles of incorporation with the Secre-
tary of State, about the 9th Of February,
1888, and became reincorporated under
the name of the Farmers Cooperative
Alliance of Arkansas.
A number of county and subordinate
Alliances that did not identify them
selves with the Cooperative Alliance
nor the Wheel, continued their organ
ization as an independent body under
the original name of the Farmers ALI
ance of Arkansas, and under the orig
inal incorporation. Therefore there
were two State Alliances existing at
the same time in the State.
In the meantime the Wheel Tor F. L.
" forfeited its charter in the National
Alliance and Cooperative Union for
non-payment of dues. therefore giving
the original Farmers Alliance of Ar
kansas an opportunity of obtaining a
charter from the National Alliance and
Cooperative Union of America, which
it had been unjustly deprived of before,
and under this charter they were recog-
nized and their delegates admitted at
the meeting at st. Louis in December,
1889, forming one member of the Ma
tional Farmers Alliance and Industrial
Union of America. and obtained the Sc
cret work of the same.
Now, according to an agreement made
by the executive board of the Farm
ers' Cooperative Alliance and L. II.
Moore, representative of the Farm
ers' Alliance of Arkansas, at
Huntington, Sebastian County, Ar
kansas, on the 7th day of January, 1890,
the officers, committees and delegates
of both organizations met at Greenwood,
Sebastian County, on the 4th day of
February, 1890, and effected CONSOLE
dation, thereby bringing the Co-opera-
tive Alliance under the jurisdiction OF
the National Farmers Alliance and In
dustrial Union of America and in pos
session of the National work.
1t has been enormously reported that
the Alliance of Arkansas had consOl-
idate1 with the F.. L. U. There has
been no proposition of the kind pending
that am aware of. We have good rea-
son to believe that the F. L. L. have
the same National secret work that we
have. and that they are under the juris-
diction of the National Farmers Al
lance and Industrial Union of Amer
lea; but it seems that many OF
their members do not so under
stand it. We do not know what
the future may bring. If the F. L. U.
obey the principles of the National AL
lance, and abstain from partisan poll
tics, the Alliance and +. L. U. might
possibly unite some time in the future.
Our organic law strictly fOrbids US from
engaging in partisan politics as a body
that is, putting out or attempting to
put out ticket, but expects every mem
Der to use his political power to bring
about the needed legislative reform
through his own political party if pos
sible.
/ fear our county papers will object to
publishing so long an article, but !
could not do the subject justice in
shorter article, and hope it will be pub
lished, as all our papers profess to be
friends to the farmers and laborers.
Our County Alliance ordered this done
to show those who have been misrepre
senting us, Intentionally or ignorantly,
that we have not been quite as big
fraud as some might think.-Wm. II.
Catching, in Benton County ark