Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1891-11-19

attendance. Mayor 1homaS L. Sull1-
van was introduced and welcomed the
alliance in the following words:
Iconsider myself fortunate that 1 am per
| mittcd, in the name of the city of Indiana
polls, to welcome you gentlemen to-day
| You have come from all parts of the country
| for the purpose of consulting together in
regard to the best interests of that great
body of citizens you in part representative
farmers of the United States No office could
be more honorable than that you have come
here TO discharge, and no guests could be
more W leone to Indianapolis than you.
gentlemen, coming with your credentials in
your hands.
The citizens of indianapolis are deeply in
terested in the conclusions to which you
may come. May they be founded In wis
dom. May you always remember that be-
cause the farmer and the farm are the basis
of all prosperity in this country of ours
when you consult as to your interests, you
ut the same time consult as to the interests
OF everg class of American citizen.
Permit me again to welcome you to Indi-
annapolis. 1t Is goodly city. full of hospit-
able people in who e name greet and wei
come you. whose guests you are. May your
wo k of the coming week result in good to
your country; and. after it is over. may the
recollection of your visit here give you
pleasure and satisfaction all the days of
your lives
J. F. Tillman, secretary of the ALI
ance executive committee, responded
to Mayor Sullivan. After thanking the
people of indianapolis for their warm
welcome and paying tribute to Presi-
dent Harrison, he continued:
1t is the farming and the laboring people
who feed the world, who fought the battles
of this country and to whose energy and
nIO Of
ours is indebted for its richest blessings o.
liberty and peace. 1t is not our mission to
tear down nor disintegrate our honestly
conducted industries. but to preserve them.
Yet we do mean the death knell to all ille
ultimate combinations and monopolies that
tend to destroy the very spirit and
intent of the constitution. We are
not here "a politicians, seeking to
disrupt partisan political parties
or to promote the fortune Of any political
aspirant, nor are we here in the interest of
any third party, for by the very organic
teachings we have the right to vote with
whatever political party we may think will
best advance good government
1 desire to call your attention to the last
billion dollar congress. Its expenditures
reached the grand total of 1O09, go, Al, which
Is nearly two thirds of all the existing
United States money. More money wa
spent by that profligate billion dollar con-
crosses during the first seventy-two years
of this government 1t Is more than 81, H.
100 for every day from the time that the
Fifty-irst congress met in December, 1889,
till it adjourned March 4, 1891. You can
easily calculate it for yourselves and you
will find it to be So a day for every day since
the birth of the Saviour of mankind; SIG a
minute for every minute since the Declare
ton of Independence. A billion and nine
million for two years Is more than half
billion for one year. 1t Is more than s. for
every man, woman and child in the United
States. And counting the families to con-
tain five persons e 'ch, 1t makes a tax of "a
a family to support the government of the
United States alone; and remember this
does not include one cent levied for state,
county and municipal purposes. What
would the people of the United States
think of a tax of $40 upon the head
of every family7 Yet this Is exactly
what we have. How long would they en-
duFe it If collected directly from them in
stead of indirectly. as it is now collected
through our tariff? Say what you please
about the tariff, but it must and shall come
down to a reasonable basis of taxation, and
these reckless expenditures by congress
must be stopped, or we will continne TO
change the personnel of every congress.
Yet this Is not all. nor is 1t at the bottom of
that which brought about the uprising OF
the people of all parts of this great country.
can best illustrate 1t by the use of the
three rs that are the first letters of the
three words. These words are Transporta-
tion, Trust and Tariff Here is the trouble,
and there are three C's which are the first
letters of three words, Crush. Change and
Control, the unwritten and ironbound oath
that our friendly political newspapers abuse
us so much about I will now tell you what
this oath is: It is to crush the trust. change
the tariff and control transportation. What
is the condition of the farmer to-day? No
nopoIies, high tariff and combined trusts on
one side OF him. unjust discriminat ons by
railroads upon the other side and billion
dollar congress on top; money powers and
the unm-rciful manufacturers controlling a
high protective tariff by bribery In behalf of
their own interest: railroad kings controll-
Ing unjust Determinations in their own in
terest and against the farming masses.
PRESIDENT Folks ADDRESS
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, Nov. 1s.-Last
evening President Polk, of the National
Farmers Alliance, delivered his annual
address. In opening, he said:
Assembled here as the accredited repre-
seniatives of the farmers of almost every
state in the union. you cannot be unmindful
OF the weighty responsibility attaching to
your position Upon no body has greater
responsibilities fallen than upon this since
the meeting of the continental congress
The demands of the latter for equal
rights were no more just than are
yours against the inequalities which
threaten 20 undermine the liberties Of
the people and destroy the great agri-
cultural interests of the country. DiligeRt,
earnest research. as to the causes which
have forced the American farmer to the
verge of bankruptcy have forced upcn him
the conviction that the most sacred
tions OF the governms-" ne
by a favn-- nave been usurped
LEU rev to the detriment and ruin
of the neglected millions.
What are the alleged grievances OF the
farmer? Let the record show. From lsOO 70
1850 farm values increased lol per cent )
from 1870 to 1881 the increase was only per
cent At the same time the aggregate wealth
of the country increased from 1870 TO 1851
over IS per cent The ten staple crops OF
the country brought in the year 1881 less
than Der cent. more than the crops in lso6
The crops OF 1867, though less than bali as
large as those Of 1851. brought the farmer
79.7II-0 90 more. Daring the last decade
AGRICULTURAL lands have decreased 10 FaiEc