Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-03-27
THE ADDRESS OF THE ALLIANCE.


in congress has been prepared by the
Farmers Alliance. The alliance says:
1.-THE people believe that these con-
ditiOns are largely due to vicious legis-
lation. They have been promised by
each of the great political parties that
something would be done for their
relief. Both parties have been tried,
and both have thus far failed even to
attempt any measure contemplating a
betterment of the condition of the
industrial masses. They have seen
that while they have been compelled to
sacrifice their products in many in
stances absolutely below cost of pro-
duction in order to procure the common
necessities of life and in the effort, in
many cases unsuccessful, to keep the
sheriff from invading their homes, their
representatives in congress are engaged
in the consideration of every imagin-
able question except such questions as
contemplate relief to the distress of
their constituents. These are meas
ures which the farmers demand shall
have immediate attention. These
relate to questions of money, of
transportation and of their ownership
of American lands"
to couple the two parties in this way.
In the first place the democratic party
has never controlled the law making
power of the government since 1850.
Four years democratic executive
was in power, but republican senate
stood between it and democratic
house of representatives. The demo-
Gratis in the house, with the advice and
sympathy of the executive, made every
endeavor to reduce the tariff and to cut
down to reasonable proportions the
national expenditures. The demo-
cratic executive forced negotiations
with the Indians aud made the opening
of Oklahoma possible. The house
passed the Springer bill and the senate
killed it. The same executive protected
the rights of settlers on public lands
and in the Guilford Miller case forced
the corporations to yield. 1t was the
late democratic candidate for the vice
presidency who, as far back as 1870,
opposed vigorously the lard grant steals
by which western settlers were kept off
the public domain, and he was the
Pacific railroads to meet their obliga-
tions to the nation. A republican con-
gress demonetiZed silver and demo-
crat prepared the bill and a democratic
house passed it which provided for the
only issue of legal tender silver dollars
since 1873. The roll calls for twenty
| years will show that majority of
democrats in congress have voted for
all measures against contraction of the
currency, while majority of republi-
cans have invariably voted the other
way. Democrats have tried to hold
congress to consideration of the
economic questions which the alliance
holds to be paramount. Republicans
have prolonged discussion on sectional
issues, on educational bills for uncOn-
stitutional money wasting, on SUBJ
sides, on federal elections, on private
pension bills, and Oh anything else
which would divert public attention
from the economic policy of the gov
ernment. While the democratic party
was in power the interstate commerce
bill became law, and its passage was
due in both houses to democratic votes
principally. The strictest state rail-
road laws are in force in the democratic
state of Georgia. In democratic states
finance is all most economically MAN.
| h, f.,fo 6onf
stead of increased.
In fact, the very origin and substance
of democratic doctrine is in the rights
of farmers and laborers. Jefferson's
theory of government was founded
upon that idea. He believed that
agriculture was the ground work of
our national prosperity and he often
expressed his apprehension of the con-
centrated power which would threaten
the nation if loose constitutional con-
struction should permit laws to be
made for special classes after organized
capital had gathered in manufactures.
The vicious legislation which the
alliance condemns is the vicious legis-
lation which he and his followers feared.
The democratic party probably does
not and will not accept all the ideas of
the new farmers organization, The
party has in its hundred years of
activity seen the failure of many high
sounding remedies for mems misfor-
tunes. But as far as the demands of
the alliance represent well founded
grievances and well digested PROPOSE
tions for relief they are strictly within
the line of the democratic party's
principles. Some democrats are not
democratic. Some are selfish and
others mistaken. The alliance will
discover those flaws in its own members
and leaders. But the great body of
democrats is democratic and the
general course of the party is toward
liberal currency, legislation for the
people and not for special interests,