Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-12-16
THE ALLIANCE AND THE PEOPLE.

Whenever party becomes measurably
representative of monopolists, it must
cease to be the party of any large number
of the American people.
That is TO say, when party manifests a
tendency TO become class party, the peo-
ple.will revolt, and they must then find
the exponent of their views in the free
and independent press, which despises
party shackles, and treats all great meas
ures, and all affairs affecting the veal of
the people from the high standpoint OF
impartial judgment and true statesman
ship. A strictly party press never can &C.
cupy such position, unless the party is
itself wholly unlettered and made free
of mere party tradition.
So far as the Farmers Alliance repre-
sents the revolt of the people against all
manner of monopoly, ring and boss rule, it
will be met by the honest thought of the
people more than half way. If it is-and
it starts well upon its race-to succeed, it
will be because of the principles of econ
omics for which it stands, and not simply
because it is entitled an alliance of farm
ers and workers. 1t is to be Judged,
therefore, not from party standpoints, but
from national points of view. 1t is to sub
NIT to the judgment of the American PEG.
pie according as it is or is not represent
alive of the mass of the population, and
which embraces the producers and work.
ers, who constitute the great body of cor
sumers, and is exclusive in that sense Of
protected manufacturers, traders, political
thinkers and monopolists of products, trade
or political power.
Because the American people are think
ing more deeply upon and seeing more
clearly than ever before the vital prin-
ciples OF political economy, they are now
more capable than ever before of distin-
gushing between true and false doctrines
of the tariff, and upon all matters concern
ing more the welfare of the American ma
ton, than of the ambition and doetrinal
contentious of parties.
The Farmers Alliances coming to iudg-
ment before the great bar of public opin-
ion, which is always nodded, in the long run,
by the highest best interests of the people.
So far as 1t stands for the nation of people,
and against class, it will have approval
and support, and its voice will be heard
through the independent press. If it crys-
tallizes into mere political machine,
cramped and coffined by dogmas and
theories that are not broader than the
planks expressive of them, it will fail of
its purpose.
But we do not believe that the Alliance
will be the cats-paw for anything or any
body; on the contrary it will dictate to
political parties and shape their ends in a
great measure, since it is. a revolt of the
people against ring rule and boss rule, and
stands for restoration of power, political
and commercial, to the people, and for
wrestling from the hands of misused wealth,
the trusts and the rings, and the power
they have usurped.
So long as the Alliance avoids the party
rocks and shoals of greed for power and
lust for office, it will have the support of
the thinking independent press which re-
fleets. the voice of the people, but if it shall
go to pieces upon old reefs, and which it
is unlikely to do, at least in the early
future, it will not be because the non-parti-
san and independent press failed to warn