The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1890-05-01
AIMS OF THE ALLIANCE.
THE RELATIONSOF THE ORDER TO
PUBLIC AFFAIRS.

A Plain and Practical Statemont FROM n
Prominent Farmer-A Word About Fol
1hcs.
Col. e. L. Stackhouse, president of
the Farmers Alliance Of South CARO-.
llna,has written the followiuglettcr to
AL. II. }. Pate Of i}arnwull:
DEAR BRorHKR---lOur lcttor contain
ing clipping, The Alliance and its
Ams, nni resolutions III reference TO
same by the Bamberg Alliance, was
received during my absence fruin
home.
Perhaps | can best answer yoir
letter by stating rs briefly uspossible
what } conceive to be the relations of
the Alliance to politics.
The first declaration Of intuntions
i'll our constitution says: "To labor
for the education Of the agricultural
classes III the science of economical
government, in strictly non-parti-
san spirit.
This declaration is full Of sueges-
tive thoughts. The thought suggest
cd IL that these classes need to be
educated III the scieaco Of cconomi-
cal government. This leads natural
ly to the inquiry, have these classes
been careless about this kind of edu
cation, and if SO, has this careless.
ness made them victims Of vicious leg
lslation-legislation that is unequal
and oppressive to thcso classes! The
Alliance assumes (and we think cor
rcctly) that such has been tho case.
Tariff protection might be cited as
ali illustration of this kind sfuncuual
and oppressive legislation. And it
may be we'll to remark here that tar
III protection is more distinctively q
party lsslIo (as between the two great
political parties in this country than
any other. Tariff protection taxes
the agricultural clnsscs-thc largest
consuming classes OF manufactured
products-to build up and enrich the
Sroat manufacturing industries Of
this country. The Republican party
favors the protective pclcy. The
Democratic party opposes IL. The
Alliance bids it's membership to ii2e
themselves from partisan preiudiccs
tho great party blmd-and to ex-
amino this question in tho light Of
reason and right. nnd then do what
would be for tho greatest good to tho
greatest number
Then, if We take up the financial or
money question, which is moro n
class than ~ party Question-ncithor
Of the great political parties having
looked after the interests of the ag-
ncultUral classes in the financial leg
wlatlon for tho country since 1865.
In proof Of this VIC might cite the OK
traordiRary privileges granted to the
National Banks, the discrimination
against the farmers securities in the
establishment Of these banks, tho de-
monotization of silver, the reduction
IN tho volume OF currency by tho re
tircment of the United States bonds
and tho canceling Of National Bank
hotcs, and III short, the establish
ment and maintenance of n financial
policy that ID surely reducing the
great middle class to q condition of
dependence and want. This policy,
If long continued, will make q strong
and centralized government q ncces
Hlty to'protcct the rich and to hold
tho poor in subicction AS rcmarkod,
tins IS more q class than a party
question; but partisanship has bcen
the blind that has blinded the farm
ing classes to the great wrong that
was inflicted upon them. OF course,
II all tho great farming classes could
have freed themselves from party
and sectional prcjuliccs and if they
had been educated III tho science Of
political economy they would have
stood together and these wrongs
could not have come upon them.
In tho above brief illusions to tho
necessity of educating The agriculture
al classes L have trenched on the goe-
ond important suggestion, viz: tho
spirit Ill which it is to be donc-"In
strictly non-partisan spirit" That
party zealhindcrs or prevents investi-
CATION IS too patent tOrcquirc demon
stratiOn. This might be illustrated
by case i'll our own State and in
your QSanwclD county. I noticed
quite recently that IN honorcd and
distinguished Cnrolinian, II citizen of
your county and one Of the most dis
tmgulshcd farmers in the State, was
reported to hay" said II am a Demo
crat first, second q falmer' BY which
l understood him to rlcm that his
love and his allegiance to the Demo
cratic party was such that ne held it
would be wrong to discuss State pol
ICY inside the Democratic party, for
fear of cndangorjng Democratic su-
promacy in tilc State. I am sure
that my distinguished friend held, as
l hold,that there is nothing dishonest
i'll the administration of our State
government. This being admitted
on all sides, where could be the dan
ger Of the proposed discussion of
State policy-insidc The Democratic
party! Surely, there could be no
danger from such discussion if it be
conducted III non partisan, non fac,
tlous-~and Alliance members will on
gage in such discussion in no other
spirit.
II