The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1890-05-09
The Farm.
What Farmers Want.

IFlOuHe: our ISSUE VI MaTcu IL Gull
tains the following significant editorial:
"The latest political organization is
the Farmers Alliance, which seems to
be taking the place once occupied by
the Changers, though its program has
not yet been very definitely outlined.
'What is the object of these alliances
of the farmers? Suppose that they get
control, what do they propose to do with
it? Do they propose to go into the
manufacture of irredeemable shinplaster
money to loan at one per cent to every.
body in debt? Their program is not
very clear in the statement of purposes
and platform, either locally or gener-
ally. The country wants some light on
the subject. Where do they propose
to stand on the tariff question, the trust
question, monetary matters, pension
appropriations, gerrymandering, Of he
race question in the South, on sumptu-
airy laws, on transportation, and other
prominent issues of the time? In a
word, what do they propose to do if
they get control? If they are organic
ing simply because they are discomfort
ed with the prices they are getting for
their products, what remedy do they
intend to apply? Some authorized per
son ought to make known to the public
exactly what the principles Of the Al
lance are. 1t is not possible either to
approve or disapprove Of Farmers AL
liances until it is known what they are
advocating.'
Perhaps I am the "authorized per-
son" referred to by the Tribune For
fifteen years past farmer, and that
only, and a commissioned organizer of
the f. NJ. B. A., the most powerful
secret farmers organization in Illinois,
a State organizer Of the Alliance, am
also specially directed to reply to this
editorial by the officers of these orders
of farmers, and it will be your privilege
to prove my statements and positions
untrue if l shall err in my premises or
conclusions. There are good many
people Of our orders now waiting this
discussion, and some of them do not
think that we can get fair hearing in
your paper for the reason that Eve
think the Tribune has no interest in
our class, but is wholly urban in its
associations, while we are Of the con-
trary. We think this case Plebs VS..
Urbs, with Urbs on top and holding a
determined resolution to remain on top.
(a) But what is the purpose Of the
Farmers Alliances? 1t is the present
purpose to educate the farmer, to teach
him all his rights, and among them the
right of the majority to rule. We see
a Congress now ruled by classes, with
not farmer in sight. A Senate of
millionaires and scheming politicians
Lawyers until We can't rest, but not a
farmer in sight. This generation has
sent one farmer to that Senate-Mr.
Van Wyck of Nebraska. But lordly
railroad combines openly bought the
Nebraska Legislature and laid our
farmer Senator on the shelf. The object
of the Alliance is to prevent the recur-
renee of such a calamity in future. We
are neither Republican nor Democrat.
neither Prohibitionist nor Laborite, but
propose to put farmer into every office
in this land, from President and Sen
ator down to pathmaster. We haye
been and we are now groaning under
the burden of taxes, and interest and
mortgages until all tho poetry of exist
ence has long since left our ranks, and
we have come to look upon the city
people as one Of our Alliance men down
in Lewis county, Mo-, put it, as grand
thieves" Now, l beg of the editor not
to reprove me personally for this Ian
guage. You demanded of US to know
"what is the object of these Alliances"
and to fairly show their object | must
give the basis of opinion which disig-
mates the object.
W We think the combined corpora
tons, monopolies, trusts, and combina-
tions, of whatever kind and nature, are
thieves. We think we have been rob
bed by them on every hand. They
tax us on our lumber, on our sugar, on
our clothing for our children, on our
every produc.-corn, cotton, wheat,
cattle, hogs-no matter what. At every
door, every statation, every market,
there stand lot OF middlemeu, and as
We pass each one reaches out his little
knife and shaves off thin or thick
peeling, until we 60 home sick at heart,