Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-05-15
Aword to Il. NJ. Sullivan ard Others.

son TO call same. Respectfully,
}. L. GOODMAN.
| Word to II. VI. Sullivan ard Others.
| Brother Sullivan is very kind indeed, 70
| put himself III print in a paper ike THE
| GAZETTE. that is fair and honest enough to
| admit both sides of question into its col
umns. II is remarkable that paper claim
| ing to be honest as the Mercury does, and
! claiming as il does, to represent the only
| honest class of our people, and advocating
as it claims the only honest politics of the
| times, is perhaps the only paper in the state
| that would refuse both sides OF question.
| But then little else could be expected Of a
! paper that was violently taken from the
| Alliance, and placed in the hands Of
| chosen few that it might be used just that
| way. Friend Sullivan has my waTmest
| thanks for having and exercising the hon
| esty and courage to come out of the brush as
| he did. Mr.. Sullivan puts great stress on the
| oath we had taken. We take an obliga-
| ton 10 be true and faithful Alliance men,
| Judged BY the declaration Of principles, and
| not by what the Macuue crowd requires
| and enunciatcs. When we assumed that
| obligation we reserved all our religious
! and political rights and principles, and the
| Alliance can lawfully exercise no power
| that will abridge them and no member owes
! any 49, ance TO any power that undertakes
~ -. So when it was declared that a
| treasury not excepted, by the action Of the
ma iority the whole Alliance system was
| virtually broken, and the order practically
| converted into secret political organizd-
| ton, and of very strong partisan bases
| and tendencies. Then does Friend Sullivan
| for moment believe under this condition
| of things, with division growing up every
where and all of them from political differ
ences. that an effort coming from the
| minority side based on the causes Of diyiS-
| ion would have resulted in any thing but
| another whitewash, The innovations, and
| even fragrant violation of the spirit and
letter of the Alliance all along the line, was
| too glaring TO leave any hope TO the con-
trGry. The results at Austin clearly proves
| this. There was a case when the president
| of State Alliance exercising Z very doubt
! ful power, TO say the least Of it, brought
the order into disrepute ami weakened its
influence fofgqed, by appointing what he
was pleasedtostYe = legislative commit
tee, when thereays1o necessity for it at
all, for thsre werefn the legislature nearly
| forty merabePs asrfrue, loyal and Intelligent
| Alliance mem as>hissommittee, And perhaps
more 50. AMI Ekehhe was asked by these
t Aihnss 6a aaS 9 ssn aess Of
Alliance principles Gbd reofms, being
weak as he is, ardt,{lnder the con
troll OF q jarta deyerTnined ITO make
| all the political capital out of the situation
| possible, lie utter y refused to DO II, thereby
preciptating allfthe trouble we are in
! volyed in. Iefn the face Of all this au-
| tOcracy and assumption of unwarranted
| power, and the repeated efforts to cleanse
! the Augean stables without turning on the
stream Of public light, he pirates about
| broken oaths, treachery, and settling those
matters in the Alliance. Talk about treach-
ery--let US see who are the traitors. Who
tried 10 hand the Alliance over to Wall
street and railroad power in the attempt 10
| elect Pat Calhoun and defeat Palmer Who
| is it that have declared that our political
| reservation in taking the obligation only
allows US the choice Of party utilization and
not of political convictionI In other words,
we may affiliate with any party we choose,
but must advocate and work for all meas
| ures the Alliance may indorse? Who is it
that have practically declared that no I'M
pOrtant matter should be discussed il the
Alliance unless it is trSt Endorsed at head
quarters, and then to be ordered Endorsed
through the descending channels by mere
machine force, as have the resolutions de-
nouncing the Austin circular and its signers
in which Brother Sullivan has taken q
lively hand, glad to do the bidding Of his
bosses!
1t is time to let up on this ''traitor'
racket. Brother Sullivan has made him
self liable 10 the same charges he makes
against us as juStifying the use Of the
word traitor and other harsh epithets. II we
had violated our obligation by publicly criti-
ciSing our leaders instead of bringing
charges in the Alliance, did he not
commit the same Ofense or crime IN
publicly denouncing US as traitors and going
out of his way to misrepreSent and abuse
us, as they did, without first giving Us a
trlall Two wrongs never make right,
and then if it was true as stated, that |
was not member of the Alliance, why did
they undertake to subject he to its obliga-
tons and duties Simply because the bosses
who apply the lash with as little mercy
as any party ever exercised, had touched
the wire at the upper end, and II must Vi
brate down to the other end. Principle and
obligation We're not SO much the moving
causes as partisan zeal. 1t will be a late
day when Brother Sullivan can convince
my IeighbOrs and those who know me
outside of few sub-treaSury and third |
party advocateS-that have acted treach- |
erously to the true principles of the ALI |
ance, or that my reputation for truth and |
honor is to be impaired By the false and !
malicious resolutions passed by the late |
Bell county Alliance. where less than one |
in each seventy of the voting population of |
the county was represented. If we did |
wrong as all mortals are liable to, or gave |
cause of oferSe, our brethren who claim to |
be so much better than we are. should have !
given US fair and impartial hearing, and |
opened the columns of our organ, in which |
some of US had paid our money, that all |
might hear both sides of the matter. That |
is what tho manarers>were afraid of, and |
chose the cowardly and arbitrary course |
they did. in closing the paper to us, while /
they invited abuses from the other side.
W p. HANCOCK.
Salado, Tex, May 10, 1891.