Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1890-04-24
No Politics in the Alliance,
PRESIDENT sTACKIoUsE DEFINES
THE POSITION OF HIS ORDER.
rFrom the Barnwell People.

The following correspondence cx-
plains itself:
BARNwELL, S. c., March 20, 1890.
Col. T.. Il. Stackhouse, Little Rock,
S. C.-Dear Sir: was elected ed
itor of the Alliance Department OF
the Barnwcll People on tho 9th OF
July last. did not desire the po-
sition, but accepted and have man
aged It to tho best of my ability,
for no personal gain, benefit or pur-
pose, but simply for the good of the
order.
In the issue of the 18th instant !
gave an editorial on "Thc Alliance
and its aims" / enclose a copy and
ask you, as the head of the order in
the State, to tell me if it is or is
not good and sound Alliance doc
trine. l ask this of you because of
the adoption aud publication of the
following resolutions in the Bambcrg
advertiser by tho Bamberg sub-Al-
lance. l ask your judgment simply
because l want to know whether
am right or wrong, and go to you at
headquarters. Yours fraternally,
Nj. J. PATE.
TUE RELATIONS OF THE ALLIANCE
TO POLITICS.
LITTLE Rock, S. c., March 81,
1890.
Mr.. NJ. J. Pate, Barnwell, S. c.
Dear Bro: Your letter of Goth
containing clipping, "The Alliance
and it's aims" and resolutions in
reference to the same by the Bam-
berg Alliance, was received during
my absence from home last week.
Perhaps l can best answer your
letter by stating as briefly as posi-
bic what conceive to be the relations
of the Alliance to politics.
The first declaration of intentions
in our constitution says: "To labor
for the education of the agricultural
classes in the science of economical
government, in q strictly non-parti-
san spirit"
This declaration is full of suggest
i've thoughts. The first thought
suggested is that these classes need
to be educated in the science of
economical government. This leads
naturally to the inquiry, have these
classes been careless about this kind
of education, and if so, has this
carelcssness made them the victims
of vicious legislation, legislation that
is unequal and Impressive TO these
classes. The Tne Alliance assumes (ant
we think correctly that such ha
been the case.
Tariff protection might be citet
rs an illustration of this kind of m
equal and oppressive Legislation
And it may be well to remark here
that tariff protection is more dis
tinctivcly party issue Gas betwccl
the two great political parties il
this country than any other. Tariff
protection taxes tic agriculture
classes =. the largest consuming
classes of manufactured products
to build up and enrich the great man
ufacturing industries of this country
The Republican party favors tn
protective policy. The Democratic
party opposes it. The Alliance bid
its membership to free thcmselve
from partisan prejudices-the grea
party blind-and to examine thi
question in the light of reason ant
right and then to do what would b.
for "the greatest good to the great
est number.
Then if we take up the linancia
or money question, which is more
class than party qucstion-neithe
of the great political parties having
looked after the interests of the az
ricultural classes in the financial leg
islation for the country since 1865
In proof of this we might cite tn
extraordinary privileges granted t.
the national banks, the discrimination
against the farmers securities in th'
establishment of these banks, thu
dcmonetization Of silver, the reduc
ton of the volume of currency b,
the retirement of United State
bonds and the cancclling Of nationa
bank notes, and in short, the cstab
lishmcnt and maintenance of finan
cial policy that is surely reducin!
the great middle class to condition
Of dependence and want. This poll
cy, if long continued, will make
strong centralized government a nc
ccssity to protect the rich and hol'
the poor in subicction. AS remarked
this is more class than a part
question, but partisanship has bee
the blind that has blinded The farm
ing classes to the great wrong tina
has been inflicted upon them. O
course if all the great farming classe
of this country could have frce'
themselves from party and scctiona
prciudices, and if they had been cd
ucatcd in the science Of politica
economy, they would have stoo'
together and these wrongs could no
have come upon them.
In the above brief illusions to tn
necessity of educating the agricultu
raj classes, have trenched on tn
| cn,onl ;p,,,prtont currnct ion viz