The daily state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 188?-1891, 1890-11-09
y COLONEL L L. POLK,
PRESIDENT OF THE FARMERS
ALLIANCE.
Comments Upon the Situation in Kan.
sas, and Attributes the Change OF Sem
timent to the Farmers Financial
Distress.
( (Atlantic Constitutions

unent TO the Farmers FInanclal
Distress.
(Atlantic Constitutions
A special dispatch to the Constitu-
ton last evening, from Kansas City, Kan,
summed up the situation in that state as
follows:
''Late returns from Kansas indicate
that the peoples movement has swept
the state. Willets has, in all probablli-
ty, been elected governor, over Robin
son. Democrat, and Humphrey, !epub
licans. There is every indication that
a Republican majority Of $4,000 has
been overcome, although Willets' plural
ity will be small
''The returns received tonight are to
the effect that the Legislature will be
anti Ingalls,. The Democratic commit
tee claims the election of eighty-fve
Democrats and Alliance members more
than enough, regardless of the hold
over Senators, to defeat ingalls,.
The opinion of Col. L. L. Polk, Of
Raleigh, n. c., President of the Nation
al Farmers Alliance and Industrial
Union, who was in the city yesterday,
was solicited upon the above dispatch.
1T is what might be termed political
volcano eruption, is it not?" he said
with an expressive smile. "There are
two principal reasons, which l think
will embody the primary root of this
great revulsion of feeling. The first is
the fact that the people of Kansas are
awakening to the Importance and ab-
solute necessity of a pronounced po-
sition on the part of the people of the
north against sectionalism But it was
left to John J. Ingalls,, in speech in
the Senate characterized by political
malice and sectional party hate, to
touch the match to the magazine, the
explosion of which has eliminated in
the election just held. Several promi-
nent Republicans wrote me at the ;ime
severely condemning Ingalls's course.
They had been his life long friends,
both in a personal and political sense,
but they would never countenance po
litical demagoguery as demonstrated in
that speech.
"a meeting was finally held in March
at Topeka, at which a resolution wa;
passed, repudating any man who
would support Ingalls, in his course
The resolution was heartily iudorsed by
thousands, and led to the organization
of the late movement, the result of whicI
is announced in the dispatches of to day
Sectional agitation has served th
purposes of political demagogues in tn
north in holding the republican part
together When they saw the necessit
of abandoning the bloody shirt racket
the $4,000 majority stampeded an
, swept the state. | speak from persona
knowledge of the status of opinion il
that section, having conversed wit
thousands this fall and it was mad
clear to me that a determined effort wa
going TO be made to throw sectionalisl
into oblivion. | trust that the patriot
men of the south will meet these righ
minded people half way and co-operat
heartily with them in establishing thos
1 amlcable aud mutually beneficial rels
tions which cannot but make our glor
Gus country stronger than it has evt
been before.
''The second reason lies in the W.
fully depressed financial condition of tt
d farmers of the State. They believe tn;
6 the chief cause of all this depression
. the discriminating legislation of the pa
Il twenty five years, and they are going
d work at the source of trouble-the N
) tional Legislature.
;, 81 am Informed upon good authorit
that there are in the State of Kansas t
Il day 10000 sober, industrious, har
e working farmers, who are unable ev,
r. to pay the interest on the mortgages wi
which their land and property are CO
cred. They are hopelessly in debt al
can only get relief in financial reforl
I was prepared to hear very good ne,
from the election, bat | must say th
the result has surpassed all my previo
d: anticipations.