Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-03-28
KANSAS.
The Farmers Alliance Issues a Sensa-
tional Document.

Alliance Issues a Sensa-
tional Document.
The Farmers alliance, which has within
six months become the most powerful
farmers organization Kansas has ever
known, has, through its president adj
dressed an open letter TO the Kansas dele
CATION in congress calling their attention
to the alarming condition of the agricult-
ural interests of the state and demanding
legislation for their relief The letter says:
I'VE call attention to the fact that a sim
gle law firm IN one city in southern Kansas
now has the contract for the foreclosure of
1900 mortgages. This means 1880 home
steads transferred from the hands of so
many industrious families to the hands of
capitalists, either domestic or foreign.
The foreclosure of these mortgages is in
accordance with a pleconceived pur-
pose to gain possession of these
farms and people them with a more
servile tenantry imported from foreign
lands for this especial purpose. Fore
closures and evictions are taking place in
very many parts of our state, and we need
not go all the way to Europe to witness
scenes of cruelty in matters of this kind.
All over the state the homes Of our people
are imperiled. They are struggling against
adverse circumstances almost against hope
to sustain themselves until relief shall
come.
1.-THE people believe that these conditions
are largely due to vicious legislation. They
have been promised by each of the great
political parties that something would be
,one for their relief; both parties have
been tried, and both lave thus far failed
even to attempt any measure contemplate
ing a betterment of the condition of the
industrial masses. They have seen
that while they have been COM
PEELED to sacrifice their products
in many instances absolutely be-
low cost Of production in order to procure
the common necessities of life and in che
effort, in many cases unsuccessful, to keep
the sheriff from invading their homes,
their representatives in congress are en-
gagged in the consideration of every imagi-
nable question except such questions as
contemplate relief to the distress of their
constituents. There are measures which
the farmers demand shall have immediate
consideration. These relate to questions
OF money, OF transportation, and of their
ownership of American lands.
The distress of the people is crying
aloud for relief. They believe that very
many of the questions that are re-
ceiving the attention of congress are
far less urgent than this, upon which
the safety Of their homes and the welfare
of their families depend. They believe
that the white citizens Of Kansas have
some rights as well as the colored citizens
of tine south. They believe that fallen
heroes, both white and black, in past
struggles for liberty and the perpetuity of
our institutions, can afford to wait for one
moment until the rights of living heroes in
the present struggle for American homes
receive some recognition by the men who
have been chosen to represent them in
congress-. Behind these demands are more
than 100, 900 ballots in the state of Kansas,
and the time is coming and is not far dis
tant when Legislators will heed the voice of
their constituents"