The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-11-26
TIE FARMERS ALLIANCE.
A SKETCH OF THE NEW POWER
FUL FACTOR IN POLITICS.

FUL FACTOR IN POLITICS.
Southern Alliance Men Want the Sub
Treasury, while it is Claimed that
Northwestern Farmers Want Contin-
uat;on of Protection.
The Philadelphia Press, strong Re-
publican paper, says:
AS the Farmers Alliance has pro-
jected itself into the kaleidoscope Of
American politics with enough inten-
sity to become factor in the next Con-
gress and dictator in several States,
a review Of the growth of the Order
may be of especial interest to Press
readers.
The various organizations classed
under the heads Of Farmers Allan e
that have become so important a feat
ure of the body polite are about as fol-
lows:
1. The National Farmers Alliance
and Industrial Union was organized a
year ago at st. Louis by coalition of
the National Farmers Alliance and
Cooperative Union Of America and
the National Agricultural Wheel. A
membership of 100000 is claimed for
this body.
2. The National Grange of the Pa
irons of uusbandry, which claims near
" thirty thousand subordinate oranges
scattered all over the country
8. The Northwestern Alliance, which
operates in the Dakotas and Kansas
and other States.
4. The National Farmers League,
which is Of recent origin and asserts
that it has membership, in the State
of New York alone. of 10000.
5. The Patrons of Husbandry. They
claim to have $4,000 members IN Mlchl-
gan alone and another 10000 III other
States.
6. The National Colored Farmers
Alliance and Cooperative Union with
its officers asserts, 100000 names en-
rolled.
Z. The Farmers Mutual Benefit AS
sociation, pretendlngto membership
Of 100000.
These Orders are particularly strong
IN the South, Southwest and North
west, but as yet have little following IN
PENNSYLVANIA or in New England or
Middle States. a careful inveStiga-
ton made by the Press some time ago
in regard to the Alliance movement IN
Pennsylvania showed that it was prac-
ticaGy in its infancy in this State.
THE ALLIANCES POWER.
But, as regards the other portions of
the country, the figures are startling
and Indicate an extraordinary state OF
affairs.
The ngures mean that between three
and four millions of farmers and per
sens engaged in agricultural pursuits
OF one Kind or another are banded to-
gether to effect certain great social and
political reforms in which they, as a
class, are particularly interested. They
have, like other secret and semi-secret
associations, their own ritual and
"work," their own signs, passwords,
and grips by which one member is
known to anoSher.
Their proceedings are guarded with
as much secrecy as those of the Masons,
the Knights of Labor or the Fedora
ton of Labor. They have their own
newspa pers, some Of them with cir
eulation as high as 100000 copies an
, nuaIly. They have State alI national
treasures from which their expenses
are paid, insurance funds, cooperative
stores and. factories. where they pur-
chasefheir own supplies for the house
hold and the farm.
In the beginning these associations
disclaimed partisanship in politics.
Their influence was not to be cast in
favor of ary man or any party. They
were benevolent, social and co-opera,
tive Alliance" "GrangeS" and
wheels" having nothing to do with
politics or politicians.
But in the process of their evolution
the original ideas upon which they
,deere founded seemed to have vanished
and in their stead are substituted the
most advanced and radical theories of
the functions Of government that,
hacked By large and respectable sup
port, have ever been presented to the
sconsid deration of the American people.
THE UNIONS ORIGIN.
The origin of the National Farmers
Alliance dates back to 1875. In that
year some of the first settlers in Texas
had serious troubles about land. The
wealthy cattlemen, who are to-day call
ed seattle kings were in the habit,
AXE all ancient and nearly all modern
kings, of taking what did not belong
tothsn. The Texan potentates looted
the cattle of the farmers of Lampassas,
and to defend themselves and their
property the farmers formed what they
called an Alliance. Within three years
the organization had spread over the
adjoining counties and become SO pow
full that designing men dragged it into
politics and thereby destroyed it.
The Order, however, spread all
through the South, and became great
industrial and political factor in few
years.
It is only three years since the Ma
tional Farmers Alliance held Its first
National Convention. This was at
Shreveport, La, October u, 1887. The
States of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas,
Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, Ala
bama, Florida, Kentucky and North
Carolina were represented. 'This
BODY" said the president Of the Alli-
ance in his address, "is the first organi-
Zation of the real cotton raisers ever
inaugurated on plan calculated to as
-siststhe poor man. This is a gathering |
Of representative men from States,
men who represent the greatest OF all
industries, assembled here not merely
for the pleasures and emoluments to be
gained by their attendance, but, trust,
imbued with proper conceptions OF
the great responsibility resting up
on them, thoroughly alive to the con-
ditions Of the times and firmly resolv-
ed to work out the true and proper !
resolution of how to relieve the de-
pressed condition of agriculture in
our beautiful Southland, and, when |
found, to.stand shoulder to shoulder in
one solid phalanx till the effort is
crowned with victory"
GOING INTO POLITICS.
Little was thought Of political action |
then. but the Order soon underwent a |
revolution in ideas.
IT, hos oucr1osoa5 all ,oo]itioo1 l,or