Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-29
MORE TINE NEEDED.
Sudden Collapse of the Farmers
Third Party Movement.
1T WAS pREMATuRELY SPRUNG.
Force Bill Agitation in the South Spoils Its
Chances There.
A STRUGGLE FOR WHITE SUPREMACY
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE D1srArcH. i,

ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE pIsPATcH.l
TOPEKA, KAN, Dec. 28.-The Third
party movement. which was sprung with
such flourish OF trumpets one week ago,
has collapsed beyond hope of present re-
suscitation. General John H. Rice, OF Fort
Scott, who gave the movement a premature
birth, is no longer in the political swim and
cannot be considered a Senatorial possi-
bility. Although the Kansas delegation
will not admit that it was disappointed in
the condition OF affairs political in the South,
the fact is revealed in the conversation OF the
members.
The Peoples party is as determined in its
fight on Senator ingalls, as ever, but for the
present will stop there. In an interview to-
day Frank McGrath, the President of the
Farmers Alliance, said: ''The agitation
in the South over the Lodge bill precludes
the possibility of any Independent move
ment at this time. While in Ocola 1 in
vestigated the conditions as thoroughly as
my limited stay would permit OF, and
came to the conclusion that more time was
needed. 1t will all come about in time, but
the time is not this year."
Sticking to the Democratic Party.
The delegation of Kansas editors which
has Just returned from a tour through the
South, Investigated the farmers movement
thoroughly, but nowhere did it have a
political organization which in any way
compared with the one in this State.
Probably as large per cent of the farmers
in Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and the
Carolinas belong the Alliance as in Kansas,
but large majority of them believe in
working their alleged reforms within the
Democratic party.
With the colored Alliances organizing in
every Southern State, it will be impossible
for the Democratic party to manipulate the
Alliances longer than a few years, and on
this the Kansas contingent of the new party
bases its hopes. The colored Farmers Alli-
ance has 60, 900 members in Georgia, $4,000
in Mississippi, %, 900 in each Of the Carolinas
and 10, 900 in Louisiana and Florida. The
more intelligent OF these negroes hope that
an INDEPENDENT movement, backed by the
white farmers, will give them an equal
chance at the polls. In North and South
Carolina, where the Alliance has the most
perfect political organization, the third
party idea is very popular, but there is a
determination on the part of the whites to
preserve white supremacy, which does not
find favor with the Kansas contingent. In
louisiana the third party idea has no ad-
vocates. The President OF the Alliance in
that State is Thomas S. Adams, Secretary
OF the State Bureau of Agriculture.
Battling for White Supremacy.
In a conversation with several of the Re-
publican editors, he said: 'The political
conditions in this State precludes the posi-
bility of an independent political move
ment at this time. With us it is battle
for white supremacy, and any movement
which will divide US politically will not
find favor with the whites"
The Kansas Farmers delegation returned
from Ocola in full possession of all these
facts, and for this reason the National Con-
vention called for Cincinnati in February
next was declared off. For the same reason
the Kansas delegates voted for the resolu
tion denouncing the Lodge bill.
The Southerners declared that it would be
impossible to do anything with new move
ment so long as the whites were stirred up
on the question, and the Alliance undertook
to solve the race problem on its cooperative
plan. ,-s..--