Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-02
further, That none but white men shall be
elected as delegates to the supreme council
PLAY on ruY opaANIz ArInN

further, Tha. none but white men shall be
elected as delegates to the supreme council
PLAN OF THE ORGANIZATION.
| The governing body is the supreme council,
! which is composed Of delegates from the state
organizations. The executive officers are q
president, vice president, secretary and treas
/ urer. The subordinate alliances seek to pro-
4 vide the members with such social. educational
| and commercial advantages az can be gained
| highest price for the produce raised for sale
and the lowest price on the commodities that
| must be purchased. OF the political methods of
the alliance one Of its official declarations is:
Our political methods are strictly nom parti-
| san and must ever remain so, because every
candidate. before taking the pledge, is assured
that it will in no way conflict with his political
| or religious views. All political parties are
| represented In our ranks and all are expected
to work in their respective parties to secure q
| just recognition of the rights of the farmer.
All questions in political economy will be
thoroughly discussed, and when the order can
| agree on reform as necessary they will de-
mand it of the government and of every po-
litical party, and if the demand goes unheeded
| they will devise ways to enforce il. The most
essential reforms must come from legislation.
but that does not necessarily compel the re-
sponsbility of choosing candidates and filling
the Offices Such q course may become neces-
| sary, but will not be resorted to under any
WHAT THEY ASK
At their last convention @ platform was
adopted, which declared:
We demand the abolition Of national banks
and the substitution Of legal tender Treasury
notes in lieu of national bank notes, issued in
sufficient volume to do the business of the
country on a cash system; regulating the amount
needed on per capita basis aethe business in
terests OF the country expands; and that all
money issued by the government shall be legal
tender in payment OF all debts, both public and
private.
We demand that Congress shall pass such
laws as shall effectualy prevent the dealing in
futures OF all agricultural and mechanical pro-
auctions; preserving a stringent system of pro-
cedure in trials as shall procure the prompt
conviction, and imposing such penalties as
shall secure the most perfect compliance with
the law
We demand the free and unlimited coinage
Of silver
We demand the passage of laws prohibiting
the alien ownership of land, and that Congress
take early steps to devise some plan to obtain
all lands now owned by aliens and foreign syn
dicates. and that all lands now held by railroad
and other corporations in excess Of such as is
actually used and needed by them be reclaimed
by the government and held for actual set
tiers.
Believing in the doctrine Of equal rights to
all and special privileges to none," we demand
that taxation, national or state, shall not be
used to build up one interest or class at the ex-
pense OF the other. We believe that the money
OF the country should be kept as much as pos
sible in the hands Of the people, and hence we
demand that all revenues, national, state or
county, shall be limited to the necessary ex-
penses OF the government, economically and
honestly administered.
We demand that Congress issue q sufficient
amount OF fractional paper currency to fscili-
tate exchange through the medium Of the
United States mail.
We demand that the means Of communica-
ton and transportation shall be owned by and
operated in the interest of the people, as Is the
United States postal system.
AIMS OF THE ORDER
The president of that convention spoke thus
of the aims Of the order:
''1t is an evident fac; that the origin and
power to perpetuate the existence of the
various rings. trusts and combines that now
Cypress our people and threaten the overthrow
OF our free institutions is due to unjust Iegis-
latlon, and the intimacy and influence that still
exist between our representatives and these
powerful corporations and combines are such
as to give good reason for serious alarm We
have reached period in the history Of our gov
eminent when confidence in our political leaders
and great political organizations is almost de-
sroyed, and the estrangement between them
and the people II becoming more manifest
every day.
The common people are now beginning to
see that there is no just cause tor the now
almost universal depression that pervades the
laboring classes of every section of our coun-
try, and are disposed to attribute the same to
the corrupting influence that these great COM
bines and corporations exert over our leaders
and political, moral and social institutions So
long as our people neglect to inform them
selves upon the great issues OF the hour, and
continue to follow blindly machine politicians
neglect w int tha,, ill
continue to lose their individuality, influence
and power in our political institutions and be
wholly at the mercy Of the soulless corpora
tons that are now welding such an influence
over our government. The very existence Of
our free institutions and republican form of
government, the very life and prosperity Of the
agricultural and laboring people depend
largely. II not wholly. upon financial, land and
transportation reformation
THE sUBrREAsURY BILL.
The measure known as the "subtreasury bill"
the adoption Of which is the object towards
which the alliance is working. is framed. the
alliance men say, with the Window silver bill
as a model. only that they apply it to farm
products instead OF silver. Inc purpose of
the bill Is explained in the official declar alton
OF what the alliance wants Congress to do.
A PROTEST AGAINST MONEY RULE.
The report says by way Of introduction: The
financial policy Of the general government
seems today to be peculiarly adapted to further
the interests Of the speculative class at the ex-
pense and to the manifest detriment of the
productive class, and while there are many
forms of relief offered there has up to the
present time been no true remedy presented
which has secured n support universal enough
to render its adoption probable. Neither Of
the political parties offers a remedy adequate
to our necessities, and the two parties that
have been in power since the war have pursued
practically the same financial policy The situ-
alton Is this: The most desirable and neces-
sary reform is one that will adjust the financial
system OF the general government so that its
provisions cannot be utilized by class, which
thereby becomes privileged and is in conse-
quence contrary to the genius Of our govern
ment. and which is today the principal cause
of the depressed condition of agriculture
Regardless Of all this the political parties
utterly ignore these great evils and refuse to
remove their cause, and the opportunities Of
the privileged class have, no doubt often led
the executive and legislative branches of the
government to believe that the masses were
passive and reconciled to the existe nee of this
system whereby privileged class can, by
means OF the power of money to oppress exact
from labor ali that it produces except bare
substance. Since, then. it is the most necessary
OF all reforms and receives no attention from any
OF the prominent political parties, it is highly
appropriate and important that our efforts be
concentrated to secure the needed reform in
this direction, provided all can agree upon