, 1890-08-07
tlons Is not only amusing, but at
times positively ridiculous.
A DEMoCRA1YC SIDESHo W.


In Minnesota there IL rift In th'
luto Of the Farmers Alliance. liz
natius Donnelly, the man who trlec
to convince tho world that Shake
speare was an impostcr, and that ho
had key that would unlock cour
secrets Of the sixteenth century ant
prove that Lord Bacon wrote "Ham
lot" and "Romeo and Juliet" Is on,
of the kickers, and DR.. Fish, tn,
editor of the official organ of tn,
Alliance, Ia the other. This Is the
most natural thing In the world
These men are kicking because they
are not permitted to drive tho
wagon. The moment fraterna
organization begins to dabble IN
politics II attracts all the malcon.
tents and chronic kickers In the
country, men with hobbies of every
description, who have long been
read out of the old parties, and who
fly to u now organization with all
the zeal that is characteristic OF
cranky enthusiasts. The Farmers
Alliance has attracted such men in
Nebraska and in Minnesota, and 1t
will attract them in this state If II
attempts to dabble in politics.
Donnelly and Fish are talking oi
calling another state convention, be.
cause of the presence In the former
convention of the labor vote, an ele
ment that was responsible for the
defeat of Mr.. Donnelly In the recent
convention.
The attempt to fuse the farmers
and the organized labor of the cities
will fail. The farmer is au employ
or, and his interests do not call for
an eight-hour day. On the other
hand, the labor organizations will
be content with no platform that
will fail to embody an eight-hour
plank. The result is seen In Mime
sofa In a schism in the new party.
In Nebraska the demagogy of men
like Van Wyck will swallow any
thing bat reason aud common sense,
and tho result is seen In an incon-
sistent and absurd declaration that
eight hours shall constitute u days
labor, except in all cases where agri-
cultural labor Is concerned. OF
course the average American citizen
is disguised by such cheap dema-
gogy, because he realizes that If an
elght-hour day is right for the man
who lays brick, 1t is also right for
the man who follows the plow.
The editor of the National Econo-
mist is authority for the statement
that the Farmers Alliance has u
membership of 100000. He de-
clares that 1t will hurt both politi-
cal parties, claiming organization in
the Southern states as well as
throughout the North. In the next
sentence Mr.. Dunning gives the
whole democratic snap away by ad-
mitting that "our people are busily
ut work in the states of New ork,
West Virginia, Michigan, Pennsyl-
vania, California, Washington and
Oregon"
The observant reader will see that
without exception the activity is re-
ported from republican or doubtful
states. Then Mr.. Dunning goes on
to say that the Alliance has u large
membership I'm the South, but 1t APP
pears from his own statement that
this membership is embodied in a
National Colored Farmers ALI
ance and Industrial Union" 1t
was started I'm Texas, and em bodies
over 900, 900 members, and its con-
stitutlon forbids the admission of
white men.
Could anything be more apparent,
taking MIR. Dunning's own state
meuts for information, than the
drift and purposes of unscrupulous
democrats who hope to float their
party into power? The activity of
the Alliance Is in Northern states,
and I'm the South its membership is
confined to negroes, who as a rule
are republicans; and the white
farmers, who as n rule are
democrats, are not permitted by
the constitution to become members.
IL these indisputable proofs of the
purpose of the democratic party do
not become apparent to the repub-
licans who have joined the Farmers
Alliance i'm this state they must be
blind to their own vision and deaf To
their own Indictment