Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1891-05-21
WASHINGTON NOTES,
The NeWs From the National Capital as it
Effects the Interests of the West
ern Farmers.
Our Correspondent Tells What Our Of
fciais are Doing in the Capital
City.

City.
WASHINGTON, D. c., May 20.-Spectal
Correspondence: The colored preacher
Jasper declared 'The Sun do move" but
it does not. This is not true of the Alli-
ance movement. 1t ''Do move" Every
where, even in the "effete" east, the
farmers are aroused and 1892 will proba-
bly, see such tidal wave in politics as
has never yet been seen IN this country.
The farmers are realizing their strength
They have been ground between the cup
per and the Neither millstone''-the politi-
clan and the money lender until patience
can endure no more. Hence the deter
mination to no longer be led by those par
ties whose sole object is to bleed them of
all that can be obtained.
The only danger for the new move
ment is that one real man in 1.-THE
strudy hard working farmer-the man
who is made to bear all the burdens-will
not be led astray by cranks, Almost every
great thing accomplished at least in
augurated-by crank, and some cranks
are the most sensible of men. Gallileo
was condemned as crank, when he
demonstrated the solar system. Benja-
mine Franklin was looked upon as a
crank, when he sent his kite up in the
air to catch stray bit of electricity, but
we have harnessed the lightning to wires
over which we talk and make it light our
houses, cars, and steamships, and perform
the work of millions of men, through this
action of Franklin's.
Fulton was called crank, when he
said he could propel boat by steam and
without sails or oars, yet the "City Of
Paris made 5961 miles in one day while
crossing the Atlantic. Stephenson was
called crank, when he declared he
| could make wagon move twelve miles
an hour on a grooved road, and yet the
powerful engine of today draw pullman
train of six cars, weighing hundred
tons, at the rate o., sixty miles an hour.
a . :
Morse was called crank, when he de-
claired he could send message over a
wire instaneously for distance of a
hundred miles, yet we send messages
under the water thirty-five hundred
miles. Secretary Chase was called a
crank, when he said he could make
treasury notes pay a large part of the ex.
penses of the war. Yet the greenback is
as good as the gold dollar
These were all cranks. But it is moi
from such as these the farmers are in
danger, but from political cranks who
join the order for two objects, one be-
ing to advance their own interests, the
the other to lead the alliance into excesses
that will endanger It's existance and in.
sure to the benefit of one of the other OF
the late political parties. Some of these
latter have already gotten in their work
! 1t has been said that the rural popula.
tion is decreasing and the urban increas
ing. This is true only in the states where
the farmers were in minority. There is
no decrease in the farm vote, and under
the new apportionment, which gives the
electoral college 444 members, the
farmers can elect 23S out of 444.
In the twenty-four states which the
farmers control and in which they car
elect 23S electoral votes of the next COL
lege, they can also elect IT'S members Of
the next house of representatives. In Hi
nois and. Ohio they can elect 25 more,
making 200 out of total of 356. In
four years, that is, by 1895, they can have
control of the senate and. with their
president in the White House, have six of
the nine judges Of the supreme court,
who believe as they do in regard to the
powers of the nation being used for the
benefit Of the people instead of. for the
benefit of Spectators, bankers and Wall
Street gamblers. 1t only remains for the
farmers Of the country to organize
themselves, act together, result will be
that they will beyond the shadow Of a
doubt, control the legislation of the
country. As they are not the only class