The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1890-11-28
WASHINGTON Letter.


tfrom our regular c-orrespondent.l
WASHINGTON. D. c., Nov. "a, 1890.
The future movements Of the new and
| powerful force in politics represented by
the Farmers Alliance is the subject Of al
| most constant conversation with the lead
ers of both political parties, and as fast as
the big politicians arrive here they are be-
| sieged by those already here for their
| opinions. The great fear is that the union
between the farmers organization and
accomplished fact. In past attempts to
amalgamate these classes the inducements
| which one could hold out to the other rave
been insufficient to bring about the de-
sired result; but now they have the Presi-
dency and the control of the Government
as an induceinent to get together" and
it has raised a political ghost that will rot
down at the bidding Of the politician,
either Republican, or Democrat. Farmers
Alliance rumors are thicker aIould Wash
ington than congressman, many OF them
of the widest and most improbable nature.
One of the most interesting of them is that
in the event of the failure Of this Congr,ss
to provide for the free coinage Of silver
and for reciprocity, the Alliance is to
nominate Mr.. Blaine for the Presidency on
a platform of ''free coinage and reciplo-
city" Col. Polk, president ofihe National
Farmers Alliance, says it was not The
tariff that caused the recent political
sweep, but financial reform. This gov
ernment," says Col. Polk, was
intended to be a government OF the
the people, and it must change a policy
which is dividing the great middle class,
upon which its stability depends, into two
Observation-Disclosures and paupers." He
says also that he expects little or 10 legis-
lation of the class demanded by the ALI
ance from the Fifty-second Congress, but
that in 1892 the Alliance will have it's say.
Col. Polk leaves here this week for Ocala,
Florida, to attend the national convention
of the Alliance to be held there next
week.
Indications of the coming session of
Congress are not lacking around the cap
itol. Many members are here and more
are constantly arriving; the more import
ant of the House Committees are at work,
and in the corridors and committee rooms
one can hear nothing but politics, "YYho
will be Speaker of the House," WHO
will the Republicans put mp in '92?" ''Will
it be Cleveland or Hip" and more of the
same sort, all of which shows very clearly
that dear old much abused Congress is
about to 'open up" again.
The Democrats are claiming that it Will
require 5000, 900, 900 to pay pensions dur
ing the next fiscal year, and that it will
cause a deficit in the national treasury.
Secretary Window, upon the authority of
Commissioner of Pensions Raum, SAYS
that 1T will only require $135, 600. Geo. and
that this amount, together with the other
expenses of the government, can easily be
paid from the revenue of the Government.
The Indian scare out west has raised a
big rumpus among army officers here. A
local paper published what ?urported to
be an interview with a prominent army
officer, in which it was stated that Gen.
Miles was intentionally making the scare
much worse than there was any occasion
for in order to pose as the savior of the
whites when it is all over, ard to push
along his Presidential boom which was
launched in California last summer. That
made Gen. Miles army friends, and he
seems to have lots Of them, hopping mad.
and they have handled the ANONYMOUS
prominent army officer" who expressed
such opinions to a newspaper reporter.
without gloves, in the same newspaper.
Meanwhile the President and his cabinet
regard the situation as grave, ard Mr..
Harrison has telegraphed Gen. Miles to
leave nothing undone TO protect the
whites.