The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1891-01-23
THE FARMERS MOVEMENT,

TheAmsraGog Agricutturtsf has opened
its pages to a symposium on the lessons
of the farmers movement to which a
number of we'll known and representa-
tive men contribute. The lessons drawn
for the movement are, as naight be ex-
pected, not infrequently eolored by
the predictions of the contributors.
Mr.. Bellamv, for example, regards the
movement as the sure precursor of the
great National party of the people
(which is destined to establish nobler
and happier civilization in the land"
patterned, presumably, after the state
of things depicted In Looking Back
ward" Several lecturers and organizers
of oranges and alliances iHterpret the
movement as one of the great perma-
nenee and growth Secretary Rusk
thinks that the Mckinley bill, while af-
fording to agriculture products more
recognition than had ever been accord
ed to them before, was felt by many far
mers to be revision of the tariff not in
the sense of a modification, but of an
increase of protection. Congressman
Hatch. OF Missouri, regards the farmers
demands, including, of course, an in
flated currency and the sub-treasury
scheme, as 80 patriotic and 30 closely
alliedte the fundamental principles of
our Government that the wonder is that
they were not universally accepted and
complied with. President White, of
Cornell, finds in inequalities of taxation,
which bear heavily on the agricultural
and rural population, the deeper eau Q
of the movement. The AgricaleTist it.
self attributes the dimensions of the
movement to the rapidly increasing dis
proportion between the urban and the
rural population of the country, and
thinks that the way out lies in perma-
nent financial cooperation on a modif
cation of the Rochdale system Prob
ably if the symposium had represented
twice as many contributors there would
have been twice as many different il
terpretations of the lessons of the move
ment. This is due in part to the fact
that the movement has developed so
rapidly, and is, at the same time, so
crude and i'll digested in its acknowl-
edged principles that it is somewh hat be-
wildering. Bot deeper reason for the
confusion of ideas is that no one expla-
loi 10
it is not due to any one cause The far
mers' discomfort in the Dakotas is &C.
casioned by drouth, short crops, and de-
mands for interest which it is difficult if
not impossible to meet; in South Caro-
lima the burden and waste of the credit
system and the arrogance of political
oligarchy are potent factors; in Nebras
ka real or fancied grievances against the
railroads are upermost. The Alliance
has proved a convenient means for or
ganizing these varied forces of discon-
the Alliance to be figure in National
politics for any great length of time. 1t
can not be held together for operations
on an extended scale. The underlying
common sense of the American people
may be trusted to bring about the aban-
donment of some of the crudest and
widest issue formulated by the Alliance.
But,out Of the somewhat incahote mass
of political activity, misdirected as it
may be, there will come influences
which will contribute to a greater en-.
lightenment and more intelligent par
ticipation in politics.