The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1890-12-18
THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE.
THE RAPID GROWTH OF THE ORDER
ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.
Partial Proceedings OF the Dody-Dr. Nc
Cune in Hot Vvator-The Force Bill Con-
demned-AM Most Harm onious and Pleas


ant Session.
OCALA, FLA, Dec. 2.-The National
Farmers Alliance and Industrial
Union met in the Opera House at noon
to-day. Nearly every delegate has ar
rived and the house is crowded with
Alliance men and women. Immediate
ly after the house was called to order
President Polk delivered his annual
address The address will be found in
another column. or course nothing of
important was done to-day except
securing organization.
In the way Of explanation of the
rapid growth Of the Alliance, which
the officials say is still extending in all
directions, an official organ of the
Order in high standing says:
eve have now three million members,
and they are men who represent almost
every variety of political opinion. 1t would
be worse than folly to try to enlist these
Ing parties or of new party. Our methods
Of developing the Order SO far have been
solely educational, and to be successful
they must continue so to he. Therein lies
the secret Of the growth and power of the
Alliance. 1t has been distinctly a business
only In SO far as the business interests of
the members make it necessary.
If the Alliance leaders should be so fool
ish as to attempt to create such party
they would fail ignomniously and the
whole Order would suffer disintegration as
the. penalty for the folly. Our whole ex-
perience thus far has proved the truth of
what say. In South Carolina and Kan
sas, for instance, the situation made a
third party necessary and it was spon-
tancousy forthcoming. In Georgia, where
we arc equally strong. a man who advo-
Gated the formation Of third party would
be hooted out of the State. We must stick
to this policy Of education and political
neutrality, or wo shall lose all we have
gained"
All the memmbers do not talk in like
vein. Some are in for vigorous and
persistent political work. They say
that 1t is folly to say that they can ac.
complish the ends and purposes of
their Order unless they make strong
fight for the lawmaking machinery
of the country. This is the view taken
by President Polk, who, in recent
interview. said:
reap substantial benefits from this election;
but If 1t remains content With present sue
cess, without applying it for the benefit of
the people, the next election will doubtless
reveal astill greater surprise than tie one
Just passed. Nor will it be safe to consider
free trade. or an attempt to involve the
country in another tariff war, as was done
two years ago. The people will not sub
init to 1t, and will certainly emphasize
their disapproval in a manner that will be
both seen and felt This election may be
considered as q protest against New Eng
land dictation; against tho deception and
trickery OF the silver bill and the sectional
hatred contained in the force bill, both of
which can be clearly tt. ced to New Eng
land domination"
Nearly all the delegates are loud in
expressing their opinion that the result
of the recent elections was not an en-
dorsement of the Democratic platform,
but that it was triumph for the ALI
ance. They say that this change of
front can be attributed more TO Repub-
lican arrogance and assumption, and
the better education of the people, than
to any other cause, and should be con-
sidered more in the light of rebuke to
that party than a victory for Demo-
cracy. The defeat of tie party in power
Is as crushing as it was unexpected by
them, and should carry with it lesson
long to be remembered. 1t is a revolt
OF labor in production against present
conditions, and a trumpet call for
change in the economic policy of the
nation.
The claim is freely made here that
the Alliance is solving the race prob
lem, and that, too, at a more rapid rate
than any philanthropist or negro
phllists ever dreamed possible. They
say that the members of the Coloreu
:Alllance, which has nearly million
members in the South, and is in close
sympathy and cooperation with them,
ed'almOst unanimously for the ALI
'ance candidates where there were such
In the recent election. 1t is asserted
that the secret of the small number of
VOTES cast by negroes In South Carolina
AT the recent election Is that the ALI
:ance gave positive orders to it's men,
'bers to keep away from the polls.
The National Alliance opened it's
tlrst session tonight, and from now on
all sessions will be secret, only mem
bers of the Order being allowed in the
hall. Report OF the committee shows
eighty-eight actual delegates present
Yrom the following States. each State
having full accredited delegation in
attendance:
Alabama 5. Arkansas S. Colorado 1.
Florida 3, Georgia 7, illinois 9, Indiana
2, Indian Territory 2, Kansas 8, Ken
tucky s. Louisiana 4, Maryland 2,
Michigan 13, Mississippi 4, Missouri 6,
North Carolina 5, South Dakota 2,
Pennsylvania 2, South Carolina 4, North
Dakota 2, Tennessee 4, Texas 4, Virgil
MIA 4, West Virginia 2. Other States and
territories having organizations and
entitled to delegates are California, New
Mexico and Oklahoma, but as yet no
States.
In addition to the delegates there are
ten or twelve persons entitled to vote.
which brings the actual numerical
strength of the body up to one hun
dred. Besides these one hundred the
local committee on entertainments re-
port one hundred andssixty.flve visit
ing Alliance men from outside of the
State, and all Of these can attend the
deliberations of the council. Among
the delegates are five women.
At the conclusion of President Polk's
address the Alliance resolved itself in
to sort Of "love feast" during which
q. A. Power, an old Union soldier from
Indiana, moved that all Ex-Union sol
oilers in the hall who endorsed the SEN
timents expressed in the speech of
PRESIDENT Polk, of South Dakota, with