New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-12-05
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
MEN AND AFFAIRS AT THE NATIONAL
CAPITAL.

rn.r. RrLK MILLERS
upRIGHTNEss-puBLio orIN'
ION M UBLI e
r.y TELEGRAPH TO THE r~KisuSE.l
u,.sh;rcton. Dec. A man who has mace a
..nn, study Of the workings Of the Farmers
Sr,.no. IN The West and South says that 'he
;mnor,once of this organization and its object are
not fully understood by the public. mere 10 .
go ;mnrcssion throughout the country that III Is
;.a.r.ndent in it's action and that In its poh'lcai
o,ans il is non-partisan. He calls attention 10 I"
s.ct that il has always shown itself to De an aux
nary Of the Democratic party and shouio "V ."
.,rsidered wherever the organization taxes any
r.rt in politics. In proof Of this ne Cues ~
t.rt that its first victory in South Caron"e e
su,tcd in the election of a Democrat !" "e',s."'
.hronoh its cooperation, General Gordon . "ie-
,ors democrat. has been returned to the Seua'e'
Senator Pugh, who has just been reeecue"' "
~. AZ the most extreme Democrats in the Snaue.
n. has been supported throughout his contest ny
The Farmers Alliance.
Tins far the triumphs Of this organization nave
h..n of a local character. In Kansas they are
m.l;no a campaign against Senator ingalls, upon
olmost no other ground than that ne is a hepuo-
r.an In every instance in that State during ,he
,os, election the Farmers Alliance worked WIN
.ho Democrats. In districts where the Democrats
i. tho stronger the Alliance adopted Its can
d;date and where the Alliance was strong the
D.uocracv withdrew its candidates in FAVOR OF
the Alliance. Their campaign against MI. Ahe"ns
is conducted with a definite purpose. lheS naNo
se,ccted Kansas as the ground for making the "rse
break in the Republican stronghoids. Inc issuc
there made is sharp and well Defined III 'heS
defeat Mr.. ingalls,. then the Farmers Ahiance
organization will take shape. form as a Na"ohai
Marty and will cooperate with the Democrats
throughout the North. II Senator ingalls, sue
Goods in his fight. and the probabilities are now
that, he will, the future of this party VIII DE con-
fined to its share in local campaigns.
The fight being conducted against the senator
IL ore Of the most remarkable ever made against
anv Northern Republican. The means employed
are those of desperate and interruptions men. A
,r;end If the Senator told me to-day that the
Senator receives upon an average at least once
every week an ANONYMOUS letter threatening him
with assassination. The opposition are weakly
trying to frighten the Senator away from the
State during the actual settling of the question
nv the LEGISLATURE. The election will take place
IN January. The feeling stirred up by the Al
1;ance is so severe that some of the senator's
fy,ends think that it will not be safe for him to
70 "a Kansas, but the Senator, who fought these
opponents face to face during the last campaign
without attempting in any way to Yield 10 thelr
demands. laughs at the fears OF his friends, ana
Saws with the characteristic energy OF a fearless
fighter that he will be upon the ground at the
proper time. whatever threats may he made.
The principles of the Farmers Alliance have
never been fully published. This student OF the
workings of this society says that during the Kan
sas Campaign the representatives of this %organiza-
ton professed ideas ard advocated doctrines which
went beyond any ever proposed by the most rabid
Paris Communists. The Anarchist theories of
John Most, the wild diatribes Of the Soclsiistc
assassins of Chicago who were executed several
yean ago, were mild in comparison to the declame-
tions of these Alliance orators. They acted under
the most despotic DEGREES. The morning of cleo
ton day the members were ordered to take certain
votes. to proceed to the ballot-boAes and to speak
10 no Republican on the way until the vote was
deposited in the box. All freedom of speech was de-
MED to the members of this organization. No scheme
of financial madness was too wild to he Endorsed.
Doctrines were promulgated in remote communities
where formal reports Of them never reached the
papers, which were destructive to every social prin-
ciple. The a9ricIl'urists. who have hitherto
been considered the mainstay of the Nation, arc
suffering from a passing epidemic which this STU
dent calls a species OF madness. Under its infu-
ence they submit without question to the arbitrary
DEGREES Of their leaders. whose plans are destruction
and whose methods employed to secure such re-
suits are ruthless beyond anything ever known
before in the history of any political campaign in
this country.
A story was told me to-day of one of the last
pieces of bad luck in the life of General Belknap.
From the time he vas compelled to resign from
Grants Cabinet he had one misfortune after
another. Those who knew him always believed
that he was in no way to blame for the trouble
of that time. He always had the sympathy Of
the leading men at Washington, where he made
for years a struggle against a dark future without
complaint. lie picked up for a time a good line
Of business. lie represented one or two Of the
Western railroads and looked after their legal bust
ness at Washington. But nothing that he turned
his attention to seemed to succeed, and when he
died he left almost no estate.
Several weeks before he died Inc could
not meet the obligations on a piece of
property next to the house Of Justice Blatch-
ford. The amount due on the property was not
great, but it was too much for the ex-Secretary.
He sought in every direction to sell the property
for more than the mortgage, but he could not, as
Washington was deserted and real estate was not
active. The foreclosure sale was ordered. A
lTlcuu ID i OeucIdl DtihHoP wiz hHCW tildt
Blatchford desired to extend his house wrote to
him to come on and bid at the foreclosure sale.
This friend of General Belknap was then pre-
pared himself to bid up the property to a fair
degree, as he knew the Justice was anxious to
have it. The Justice came here and was on the
ground before the sale began. General Belknap's
friend arrived a few moments later. He had, just
heard of Justice Miller's death. Without think
ing. he spoke of it, and a moment later Justice
Batchford was gone to the Miller house to make
inquiries. During his absence the auction began
and the lot was sold much below its value
because there was no bidding. General Bel
KNAPP. who had heard of Justice Blatchford's
arrival in town, came to the auction to learn
how much he was going to save from the wreck.
He arrived Immediately after the Justice had gone
away. His friend said:
General, / have ruined you. and without any
intention"
He then explained how he had spoken of Justice