The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1890-05-23
A BupIe Blast.

the Iee1nS IN Kansas:
NO MORE PETITIONS, NO MORE PRAY
ERs, BUT DEMANDS FOR QUICK AC-
TION OR TROUBLE BEGINS, IS WHAT
THE KANSAS FARMERS RESOLVE.
At meeting of the Kansas farmers
on April the 7th, which was claimed
to be the most enthusiastic meeting
yet held in that state, they form
ulated and unanimously adopted the
following resolutions, which show
they mean business, SO sayeth the
Non Conformist:
When in course of events it becomes
necessaryfor the farmers, for self-pro-
lection, to ignore law made by and
through the dictation of British lords,
and sanctioned by a tyrannical con-
gress, claiming to be the servants
and representatives of the people,
when in reality every act is antag-
onistic to the interest of the pro-
ducers OF the country and tends to
centralize capital in the hands of a
few. In pursuing the course we do,
it requires that we should declare the
cause that impels our action. We
declare, as did our patriotic fathers,
these truths to be self evident, that
all men are created equal; that
they are endowed by their creator
with certain inalienable rights; that
among these are life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness; and to secure
these rights, we will use all just
means in our power.
The history of the United States
| for the past % years, is history of
repeated injury, tyranny and usurpa-
ton, unparalleled in the history of
the world, and all laws enacted hav-
ing direct object, viz, to establish
landed and monied aristocracy on
the ruins OF once free America. We
claim that our pretended representa-
tives have refused their assent to
laws the most wholesome and neces-
sary for the producers and laboring
classes, and in their stead made laws
in the interest Of British lords, Wall
street bullionists, National banks,
railroads and other corporations.
Among these laws made are (1) the
exception clause on the peoples
money, that deprecated it SO per
cent, (2) the credit strengthening
act of 1869, 81 the repeal Of the in
come tax, thereby taking the burdens
of taxation off the rich and placing
it on the poor, a. the funding
scheme to prevent the people from
paying their debts, in order to per-
petuate usury. 90 the demonetiza-
ton OF silver, CO. the resumption of
specie payment when we had none to
pay with, (7) the giving to rich rail-
road corporations more than 215
100000 acres OF the peoples land.
(S) the appropriation of six per
cent. 30 years bonds to the same
corporations, which amount to
SIG, 900, cash, principal and
interest. They have made laws that
compel us to pay double interest;
first interest on the bonds, then in
terest on the national bank notes.
Then that enables the banks to con-
tract or initiate the currency at will,
thereby leaving us at the mercy of a
monied aristocracy. For % years
we have patiently submitted to these
outrages; we have petitioned our pre-
tended representatives for relief, in
the most humble terms, only to be
answered by repeated injuries. Now
as petitions and long patient suffer-
ing avail nothing, we must therefore
denounce our representatives as ell
emies and traitors to our interest,
and the laws made by them as des-
tructive to life, liberty and happiness,
las evidenced by the deplorable con-
dition OF our country and do not
merit the respect OF liberty-loving
people. You have confscated and
wrecked thousands of homes. made
millions of paupers; you have pill
aged our cities, destroyed our COM
merce, wrecked fortunes, blasted the
hopes OF producers and laborers, and
revel in luxury on that you have I'M
justly wrenched from them you have
expelled our foreign customers and
filled the country with tramps, tears
and mortgages; you have deprived
us Of the means Of self-preservation
by placingin the hands corporations
and syndicates, and giving them
the absolute monopoly Of the land,
forests, mines, minerals. money,
banks and transportation, and
through your unjust discrimination,
we are unable to meet our obliga-
tions; therefore, once more we appeal
to you for help, once more we ask
you to issue legal tender currency
and loan it to us at TX per cent, to
the amount of one-half the value of
our farms, in order that we may ex-
tricate ourselves from the deplorable
conditionyour unjust legislation has
forced lis into, and save our homes
from confscation-hom that we
have struggled for years to beautify
and make pleasant. This is the only
remedy and it is in vOur mower to