The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1890-11-21
A LITTLE SUMMING UP.

- F2FtA8A REVIEW OF tho FArmerss Work
in the stste Election.
The results Of the last elections were
remarkable in many ways.
But there wasn't any feature Of the
elections that was more remarkable, yea.
even more astounding, than the part
played out west by the Farmers Ma
tional Alliance, an organization that has
practically sprung up in day.
While the political battle was raging
there came dispatch from Kansas. It
told the startling, the wonderful news
that the candidate of the National Farm
ers' Alliance had been elected governor.
This news, to be sure. was premature,
but it is fact that the Alliance really
came very near landing its man, and
that was remarkable thing.
! The farmer candidate for attorney
general was actually elected, and every
body knows that the most important of
fee in a prohibition state is that of attor-
ney general.
More startling information came
bounding in over the wires a little later
on.
For the first time in the history of the
state the solid Republican congressional
delegation was broken in Kansas, and
the Alliance fellows whipped the Repub-
licans SO hard that there were only about
two Or three of them left in the delega-
ton
That wasn't all.
Out in Minnesota the Alliance candi-
date for governor cut into the vote of
the regular Republican standard bearer,
so that there was the difference of only
few thousand votes between the Dem
ocratic and Republican nominee. The
Alliance besides elected two congress-
men in that state, and gave the other
three to the Democrats.
The farmers hold the balance of power
in the Minnesota legislature.
They have retired Senator Ingalls, to
private life in Kansas by capturing the
legislature, and the man that fills the
saber tongued senator's seat will be
either Democrat or an Alliance.
In Nebraska also the political result
was very materially affected by the Al
lance VOTE
Unquestionably the Alliance power in
f1uenced adversely for the Republicans
the result in Wisconsin. That is its eff
feet wherever the Republicans are in
power.
In Illinois only six Republicans were
left of congressional delegation of
twenty.
An exhibition of the Alliance influ-
ence in Democratic state was made in
South Carolina weeks ago, when Farmer
Tillman, the Alliance candidate, whipped
off the Democratic nomination and elect
ed himself.
The influence of the Alliance is not
apparent east of the Indiana line, and
but slightly apparent in Indiana.
The stronghold of this powerful or
ganization is conferred in the Mississippi
and Missouri valleys. Its power is abso-
lutely unfelt beyond the Rockies.
It has no history. It's growth was
sudden and immense, and before any
body could have time to find out much
about it it was moving forward with
giant strides.
Its officers claim an active member
ship of 100000. It is boosted that
100000 will represent the membership
more accurately.
| A parallel movement to this Alliance
was that of the Changers sixteen years
ago, but they didn't begin to have the
influence on the tidal wave of 1874 that
the Alliance had on the tidal wave of
this year.
Like the Changers the Alliance pos
sesses great fascination for the isolated
farmer of the west. It gives him
chance to express long restrained opin-
ions and sentiments. Wherever the AL
lance organizers have gone into little
school districts, and on several nights in
4 week have converted the schoolhouse
into a forum, the farmers focked to hear
them. So the organization has become
not only the medium for the expression
of political views and political indigna-
ton, but it is the farmers social diver
sion, and when he goes to the meeting
he brings his wife, and they are both in
tensely interested and vastly amused.
This kind Of thing has awakened all
the farming neighborhoods in the west
The organization affords chance for the
development Of leaders in every school
house district and the election of farm
ers to the legislature, and even, as we
have seen, to the congress of the United
States.
And what is the effect of the Alliance
power on the two big parties?
Naturally enough the Alliance folks
are against the powers that be, and where
they haven't elected their own candi-
dates they have given aid to the Demo-
Gratis.
When their representatives get into
congress they will be against the admin
istration which upholds the conditions
that they are fighting. Globe.
Meaning of the Ground Swell.
Mr.. D. 81. Rittenhouse, national Sec
rotary IF tho For7,oorS, Alliance m ho.