The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1890-11-13

Smaller in membership now than il
was some years ago, it is far more effect
i've in every way and Yields greater in
fiuence on current politics and State and
National legislation. 1t has it's represen
tatives at Washington, and its position
on the tariff lis thatsif aayhQdy is to be
protected the farmers shall have quite as
big slice of the cake as the manufac
turer f.
| THE FARMERS LEAGUE.
The National farmers League is a
comparatively new organization. 1t pro
poses TO work in harmony with all the
other farmer organizations, but it dis
tinctly announces that it is going to take
a hand in politics. 1t defines it's own po-
SitiOn as follows:
The Farmers League is non-secret, in
dependent, partisan organization, in
harmony with the Alliance, Wheel, Farm
ers' Union, Grange, and kindred associa-
tions, agricultural societies, farmers
clubs, and similar organizations. But
the League goes step further. Its OBJ
ject is the farmers political welfare.
The work of the League is directed to-
wards securing just representation and
treatment of the agricultural interests
in Congress and3in the Legislature, and
due recognition of farmers in all public
affairs, without conflicting with the best
interests of the entire people 1t con-
sists of a National League and of State
leagues, with county and town leagues.
The National League has general su-
pervision of the affairs of the Farmers
League and the work of organization, and
attends specially to the farmers interests
in Congress.
The State leagues. as soon as organic
A1 ,,1, h. L. 80
their respective States and attend to the
farmers special interests in the Legisla-
ture.
The County League attends to the
farmers interests in county matters and
to affairs in Senatorial and Representa-
tive districts. The town leagues furnish
the delegates who constitute the county
leagues and attend to the farmers in
terests in local districts and in each cleo
ton precinct. The payment of so cents
constitutes life membership in the Farm
ers' League-State and National
This life membership fee is not high,
and it is said there are forty thousand
members of the order in New York
The organization was born in Massa-
chusetts and is less than a year old. The
farmers of that Stat4 had been vainly
petitioning the Legislature of that State
for years to pass an oleomargerine bill
1t always went through the House. but
was uniformity rejected by the Senate.
In the middle of the last campaign the
sNeao England Homestead appealed to
the farmers to elect Senate that would
pass the bill. There was an electrical
response to the suggestion. More than
forty thousand farmers were enrolled in
a month and the candidates for the Sen
ate from both parties quickly pumped
in their pledges to vote against oleomar-
garin- and on the side of genuine but
ter.
IT was significant victory and the
Yankee farmer has not been slow to prof
it by the lesson There are strong or
ganizationsmow in Connecticut, where
Governor Buckley is marked fordecapi-
tation because he vetoed the oleomarga-
rine bill there in New Hampshire, Yer
mont and a score of other Eastern, Mid
headquarters are at Springfield.
These in brief are the plans. purposes.
methods. aims social. political and eco
nomic-Of the farmers of the country
They are united as they have never been
united in all our history, and the first
fruit OF their organization was the big
rotation this Fall in the crop political.
The Washington statesman is dazed at
the situation.
What the Leaders Claim.
WASHINGTON. Nov. 6-At the national