The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1890-04-15
HONEST FARMERS.
They Are Organizing Rapidly For
Power.
Will They Control the Next
Presidential Election Long
Headed Politicians Watch
Ing the Alliances With
Anxiety.
Rochester, n. Y, Herald

Rochester, n. Y, Herald.
"It's thousand to one that the
democrats elect the next president"
said an enthusiastic Bourbon q day or
tive since.
"On what facts do you base such
an emphatic declaration p was IT,
quired.
"Oh, the hard times and the con-
sequent dissatisfaction of the farmers
and the workipgmen will lead them
to vote with the democrats next time
and well win easy"
This, it must be admitted, is = good
surface view of the present political
situation. But there is an element at
work in the agricultural sections Of
the country that seem likely to make
havoc with the plans of the politicians.
The next presidential contest is not to
be fought out on the old lines.
We have not heard very much
lately in this state of the Farmers
alliance. 1t Is only about ten years
ago, however, since the Changers
united and, working solely for their
own benefit, compelled the legislature
tn give them relief from discriDina-
too in fieight tariffs on the railroads.
Having had something to do with
tina, movement / know it was the
uni ed efforts of The farm rs in that
irection-supplemenred, of course,
by the effor of the millers AMI others
that brought alb ut the reform.
The Farmers alliance has been a
very important factor in ,he politics
of the nth for the past three or four
years The farmers have caused the
politicians great deal of uneasiness,
and in Georgia and North Carolina it
is claimed they control legisl alive
and congressional nominations. The
leading candidates for governor in
Georgia a'e alliance men, and in
Alabama it is claimed tn Farmer
Kohb" is certain to be elected COVER
nor. In Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas.
North and South Carolina, Florida |
and Mississippi there are alliances in
every militia district, active and |
aggressive, promising much amuse
ment to the politicians for the sum.
mer.
In the west the alliance business has
taken a st ong hold in the LAST year.
The New York Press has taken pains
to secure correspondence from the
northwest on the subject and finds
that in Iowa the number of members
is estimated at $4,000. Its political
power has grown very rapidly in the
last few months. In Minnesota
every township and school district has
its local branch Farmers alliance. Its
last annual convention was the Target
gathering OF the kind ever held in the
northwest. Dakota is claimed to be
even more effectively organized than
Minnesota.
In Kansas, where the organization
was started only some six mon his ago,
the membership in now over 1000
Missouri shows membership double
that number, and in every western
and southern state the alliance is very
rapidly developing iu members and
political power. The New En- !lsnd
states have lately caught the fever
and recru IS to the standa' d are be-
ing rapidly enlisted.
Their object is to bring about re-
forms peculiarly Beneficial to agricul-
tural classes, which they have come
to the conclusion can only be achieved
through political action. They claim
both par ies have too lsng ignored
the interests of the farmers, legislat-
ing altogether too much in favor of
the alrOa!s, manufacturers and
monopolistic classes.
Colonel Hickey, prominent poll ]
Itician of Missouri in az interview re- /
ported in the Press, said: SCI am in I
4 section where it is in full operation. =
Il has come up like one of these cy-
lone such as swept Louisville. Six
months ago there was not member c
n this county. To-day they have an
enrolment of over one-half the voters y
If the county and three-fourths of th e
1oters of the district. They mean
| tell you, and / know s
hat they have reason to come together Z
or common action. am director of +
/ bank and take occasion to observe /
he loans we make. l have found A
ime and again that loans have been T
made to farmers on mortgage to pay c,
heir taxes. The farmers believe that
he railroads and the corporations and o.
he wealthy men of the country are cl
lot paying their share of the Il
axes, when the land will not pro- Il
luce enoug b to pay taxes on it. b,
hen too they knnu their nouar