Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1890-04-12
An Answer to Farmer.
OeALLAH, April 18th, 80

| have read what Farmer" has
to say in Issue of April 9Th and for
one hardly know how to take it.
He says he is not member of
the Alliance, but claims his inter-
est and sympathies are wholly with
them in their efforts to put a stop
to class legislation.
Ihope this last part is true, but
he goes further in the next para
graph and says he lis afraid the
Farmers Alliance, at least in some
localities, are going little too far
in the way of passing resolutions
and particularly those of political
character There it goes again.
Politics.! Why doesn't the farmer
quote the resolution "of a political
character" so that we can see what
hurts him?
The most peaceful way in which
we can show our disapprobat:on to
class legislation is by passing resolu-
tions. The Alliance platform is
made up of resolutions, or demands.
presume farmer has read them.
Does he call them political, in par
tisan sense? Am l, because | am a
member of the Alliance, TO give up
all my personal rights and cease ''to
resolved" or lay myself open to the
charge of being a politician?
We as farmers know that we can
only get certain relief through leg
islation. Does this knowledge
make the Alliance a political organ
ization? Does it make the G. A.
R. political organization? Before
Joined the Alliance l could take
part in my party caucuses and cleo
lions, be a candidate for office, or
help a friend; and no one thought
of calling me politician. Does my
membership in the Alliance change
this? If | now goto the caucus
am l designing politician? If |
|
or my neighbors who are Alliance
men go to the caucus on the 10th
and support honest, true men as
delegates to the county conventions,
will that endanger the Alliance?
We have % voters in our sub
Alliance; must they stay away
from the primaries of their party
because they have organized for
mutual protection? l am repub-
lican. If go to the primary of my
party and vote my sentiments, will
that give offense to my democratic
brother, and cause a breach of har-
mony? Why should it? As farm
ers our interests are identical so far
as the State Alliance platform is
concerned. We can't quarrel over
that if we wanted to. He suffers
from the same causes that | do. We
both seek redress in the only peaca-
bic way provided-that is through
the party to which we each belong.
We are after principles, not men.
If a candidate for congress or the
senate is against US, he cannot be
for US. Can we not pledge him and
see how he stands on the vital prin-
ciples, set forth in our platform,
without being antagonistic to the
old parties? If, when we present
our pledge. he refuses to accede to
| it, must we stay away from the
primaries, aud leave the town fell
lows do the nominating? No! my
brother farmer" is wrong. The
place to go to, TODD our work is the
primary. If we do not help our
selves no one will help US. We
know now what we want and we
are in shape to demand it, and that,
too, without making our Alliance
political.
When intelligent, honest men as
sociate themselves together to pro-
mote the general good, as we have
in the Alliance, there will spring up
a bond of true sympathy as a result
of honest men shaking the hand of
honest men. Honest men know
each other by contact, by associa-
ton. Their sympathies draw them
together intuitivsly. Eye meets
eye. hand clasps hand, and | have
IL