Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1890-12-05


dustrial Union is the official name Of the
association Of farmers which is holding IT'S
annual meeting at Ocala, Florida, this
week. This body is the largest farmers
organization in the country. IL contains
about three million members. 1t was form
ed under the present name last year at st
Louis hv the union of the National Farm
ers' Alliance and Cooperative Union of
America and the National Agricultural
Wheel The first farmers alliance was
formed in Texas as long ago as 1873. The
original purpose Of it was cooperation
against cattle thieves. 1t was found to be
SO effective in this respect that its scope was
extended aud in 1880 it was chartered as
a benevolent association by the state. BY
1887 it had obtained a membership of over
one hundred thousand in that state. In the
summer of that year it united with the
Farmers Union of louisiana body with
membership Of 10000, and these two
bodies thus consolidated we're Incorporated
under the laws of the District of Columbia
as "A national trade union under the name
of the National Farmers Alliance and Co
operative Union This is a semi-secret or
ganization. Only white persons are ad-
mitted to membership; and merchants,
bankers, brokers. commission dealers, buy
ers of cotton, grain aud produce, lawyers,
city doctors, preachers and school teachers,
land agents book agents, bottlers, canvass
ers, livery stable keepers, spectators aud
gamblers are excluded from membership.
The purposes of the body may be briefly
summarized under the following points
The abolition Of national banks and the
calling in Of their notes.
, The issue Of legal tender United States
treasury notes in sufficient volume To do
the business of the country on cash sys-
tenn
3 The free and unlimited coinage Of sill
yer.
T. The prohibition Of the alien ownership
OF land and the reclamation Of all lands
heretofore coded to railW avs not now actu
ally used by them.
} The prohibition Of .peculatiom in az
rIcultura products, and OF dealing N
futures
The restriction Of government reven
ues to the actual expenses OF the govern
ment economically administered
Z.
ton Of railways aud telegraphs in the in
terests of the people.
g. The prohibition of trusts or com
bines" among corporations, and OF usurious
interest
Il sides the above great scheme ui the
Alliance j. to have government suh-treas'
uries established at different points " here
"any owner Of cotton, wheat, corn, oats
or tobacco may deposit it in the sub-treas
ury nearest the point of its production, and
receive therefore treasury notes equal t.
eighty per cent of the net value of sucl
products at the market price. The present
officers of the Alliance and Union are
l. l. Polk, president, North Carolina b
H. Glover, vice pa esident, Kansas j. II
Turner, secretary, Georgia w. II. Hick
man, treasurer, Missouri; Ben Terrell
lecturer, Texas; executive committee, c
w Macune. Washington, d. G. A. Ward
all, South Dakota j. f. Tillman, Ten
nessee
This is by no means the only nationa
farmers organization in the country. TIT
old Grange" still survives, under the Off
cia title of the National Grange of tn
Patrons of IIusbandry, and has more thar
26, 900 subordinate organizations in differ
ent states and territories. The Farmers
Mutual Benefit association, which is strong
est in Illinois aud the states immediatel,
contiguous, has about 500, 900 members, an'
co0perates with the National Farmers AL
lance in business and political measures
The Northwestern Alliance which has no
as vet been consolidated with the other or
ganization, has its headquarters in Soutl
Dakota, and is strongest there and in tn
neighboring states The Patrons of Indus
try have their headquarters at Huron
Mich, with 30, 600 members in that state
and about 100, 600 more in Illinois, Wiscon
sin, Indiana, Ohio and New York. Tn
National Colored Farmers Alliance and CO
operative Union co0perates with the whit
alliance, and representatives of it are i
attendance ON the convention in Ocala thi
week 1t has membership of about on
million.
Lastly comes the National Farmer
League, having its origin in Massachusetts
and now making push locally, and whic
so far has its strongest hold in the Ne'
England states and New York