The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1890-04-04

so far as ne was cOHcefHeQ, aS CHe
head of the banking institution and
the German, Insurance Co. There is
a difference between Albert Scheffer
working to spread his Insurance
Business and Bank Collections by
getting the farmers to insure and
bank with him-and a lot OF Alliance
officers selling out by selfish
scheme the organization for so much
salary. 1t was game of diamond
cut diamond as far as Sprague and
Scheffer were concerned.
At this time every move made was
familiar to us, and those who regard
Mr.. Sprague as a man of parts will
forgive us in stating that we looked
up him as a political dupe. That
he displayed strength at the Annual
Meeting was due absolutely and COM
pletely to forces which will yet come
forth-like a Nemesis-mark this
prophecy-to overturn the politics OF
this state.
These men discovered that they had
stumbled on to something with emil
lions in itr' What might mean prof.
it and strength to the Farmers Ali
ance, might mean thousands OF dol
lars to every one OF them il they
could keep these agencies all in their
own hands! They had removed the
election OF rSecretary'' from the
State Alliance to the Executive Com
mittee.
They found that they had ire
mendous financial highway to earth
ly paradise right in their hands. Ii
such great things could be done with
hail, thinkof fire! Why fire insurance
means millions-event the mutuals did
a business of seventeen millions in this
state last year. So the st. Paul
politician came and whispered to
them:
"Here, you men OF putty, don't
put yourself under the Jurisdiction Of
some national board, or home com
pany examiners. Stand in with u.s.
We will furnish the capital, and we
can swing the politics OF the state as
well as these gigantic financial oper
ations. You furnish the
ALLIANCE ENDORSEMENT,
and we will furnish the capital! This
means millions OF "gelt,' and il
means a politician under pay il
every township in Minnesota"
And this was the scheme which we
have stated so many times, in which
the Alliance was to have nothing
four ''grangers' were to have big
salaries and a stock interest, anC
the Banker was to own $96, 900 out
OF the 100000 of capital invested.
This ground has been gone ove1
before. We have sworn to their at
tempt to involve the GREAT WEST
and are ready to lay out more whe1
called for.
sThe State Meeting came Some
united with these matchless schemers
who but one year before regarded
them as political tricksters. Me1
went in to fight their own friends
and. for the identical agency on &C
count of whose accession last veal
they utterly foreswore the ALI
ANGEL!
Then they began to gather in the
workers" Mr.. Donnelly and the
GREAT WEST had inspired a band O
noble workers to get into the fiel6
and organize. Mr.. Sprague was
urged to go to work and do some
thing-even in his own county,
where they needed it. He at last
told Mr.. Donnelly he might make
some appointments for him. The
State Lecturer did so-some Is ap
pointments to lecture. Copy OF these
was sent to Sprague. They were
published, all of Them. in the GREAT
WEST. There was no insurance
work done or to do. 1t was winter
Geo. w. Sprague never kept one OF
these appointments. He made one
desperate Otter Tail County lecture
at cost to the Insurance Company
of from 25 to $5O-driven by an in
sane desire to keep watch of DR..
Fish's movements-and, then, just
to shove Albert Scheffer overheard
this being a little private skulldug-
gerry of which Albert is made acquaint-
ed for the first time. The enormous
amount OF money the farmers have
paid these political loafers will come