Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1890-12-06
THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE
And Industrial Union Convention.

l.. l.. Polk delivered his annual
address. Aftera few congratulatory
sentences he said: "Profoundly I'M
pressed with the magnitude OF this
great revolution for reform, involv'
ing issues momentous and stipend
Gus in their character, as affecting
the present and future welfare OF
the people, the public mind is ma
turally directed to this meeting with
natural interest, if not solicitude,
and you cannot be unmindful of the
Importance and responsibility that
attach to your action as represent
atives, coming from states and local
tiles remote from each other in their
material and physiological char
acteristics, and marked by those
social and political differences which
must necessarily arise from our
form of government. 1t is your
gracious privilege, as it shall be your
GROWING honor, to prove to the
world by your harmonious action
and thoroughly fraternal co-opera-
ton, that your supreme purpose is
to meet the demands of patriotic
duty in a spirit of equity and justice.
In his remarks upon the proposed
NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL,
President Polk said: would re-
spectfully suggest the organization
of legislative council, to be COM
posed of your National President,
who shall be ex-oficio chairman, and
the presidents of all the state ALI
ances represented in the supreme
council, and this body shall hold its
annual meetings within sixty days
after the adjournment of the SUI
preme council lat such time and place
as may be indicated by the National
president; that it be empowered and
authorized to appoint such legisla-
tive committee as in its judgment
may be wise, and that it be required
to transmit to each Of the States,
in printed form, through the Nat
ional Secretary, for distribution to
the reform press, lecturers and mem
bership of the order, all measures or
bills, together with arguments in
their favor, as they may decide
should be enacted into laws. Pres.
Polk said that an organization of
this kind would WELD most potent
power, which would enforce the
respect Of any Legislative body to
which it might appeal.
Touching upon the political act
ion of the alliance, President Polk
said: while our organization is
political, it can not be partisan or
sectional in its action. In sup
port of this declaration we proudly
point to the whole past and to the
RECENT POPULAR ELECTION,
land particularly to the noble and
patriotic bearing of the brotherhood
in Kansas and South Carolina"
In reviewing the record of the al
lance during the past year, and
especially with reference to the legis-
lation demanded by it, the speaker
declared that congress had persist
emily ignored all alliance prop
ositions, and even suppressed dis
cussion of them, notably in the case
of the measure known as the sub
treasury bill. Congress, he said,
must come nearer to the people, or
the people will get nearer to Con-
gress.
The remainder of the address was
devoted to a discussion of financial
reform and the policy of the alliance
in uprooting sectionalism.
As outlining the future policy of
the alliance, President Polk said that
it will demand the restoration of
silver to all the rights and qualities
of legal tender which gold possesses,
the issue of government currency
direct to the people, equalization of
taxes, prohibition of alien owner
ship of land, ownership and control
of transportation lines by the govern
ment, limit Of public revenues to the
economic administration of the
government, graduated taxation of
incomes, and the election of United
States Senators by a direct vote of
IL 1o,.1o