Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1891-02-25
NATIONAL CITIZENS ALLIANCE.

Beaumont, EDITOR.
At the meeting of the National Farm
ers' Alliance and Industrial Union at
Ocala, in December, there were two
forces present. One came from Kansas
and Dakota. flushed with victory, aris-
ing out of independant p litical action,
by which they had succeeded in rout-
ing ''horse, foot and dragons" the
politicians of both the Democratic and
Republican parties. This force imme-
tliately upon its arrival began to crys-
talise and sigh for more worlds to
conquer" There were with them a
large number of enthusiastic friends,
who were not delegates, and some of
them were not even members of the AL
lance. Two of these, General Rice, of
Kansas, and Captain c. A. Powers,
OF Terre Haute, Ind, were at once
active, and drew up petition
calling for conference to be
held at Cincinnati, o., February %.
1891. This call on the first and second
days received quite large number of
signatures. Then public sentiment
upon that question began to change.
The delegates from the South began to
murmur, and reasoned with their West
ern brethren, thus: Your people in the
North and West may be able to indulge
in independent political action. But
here in the South we are different.
We have only had two years of educa-
ton upon these questions among our
people; besides we have powerful par
tisan feelings to overcome. To force
this question of third political party
upon us at this time would turn the
wheels of education back two years.
But put it off twelve months and the
matter will be far different.
After this statement a more thought
full consideration was given the subject
by the cooler heads from the North
west They began to look over the
field with more careful survey. In
the State of Missouri the Alliance in
the last campaign was by some of it's
leaders made to play second fiddle to
the Democratic party, while in the
State of Iowa the Alliance was made
by its leaders to play second fiddle to
the Republican party, and the only in
dependent sentiment in those States,
the Union Labor party, was strangled
by these tactics. East of the Mississip-
pi river, outside of the State of Illinois,
where the Farmers Mutual Benefit AS
sOciation members were divided be-
tween the two old parties, there was
but little organization, barring small
nucleus of the National Farmers Alli-
ance and the Industrial Union In the
States of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania
and New York. Besides this outside of
the State of Kansas there was no or
ganization at all in the cities that had
the remotest idea of going into political
action.
1t was at this juncture that several
members of the Kansas Citizens Alli-
ance requested that the farmers broaden
their platform to take in those different
callings in the cities and towns who
were in sympathy with their aims. This
the farmers declined to do, but appoint
ed a committee to confer with these
representatives of the Kansas Citizens
Alliance, among whom were J. D. Hol-
den, of Emporia; Frank Williams, of
Wichita, and General Rice, of Fort
Scott. At the conference of these men
with the farmers committee it was de-
cided that the best thing that could be
| done was to form another organization,
to be called the National Citizens ALI
ance, that was to occupy the position
in the towns and cities that the Alli-
ance did in the country, advocating the
same platform. This was agreed to and
the organization formed with the fol-
| lowing officers President, j. d. Holden,
of Kansas; secretary, Ralph Beaumont,
of New York; treasurer, L. P. Wild, of
| Washington, d. G.
| At this point the report of the chair
man of the Alliance Executive Commit
tee came to the rescue and turned the
| tide of opinion as to the conference at
Cincinnati February %, 1891. The fol-
| lowing is an extract from the same
which caused the tide to turn:
| In this emergency he thought he had
compromise to eff r that would meet the
| case exactly, and that was for this body to
| hereby say that it gives its sanction and call
| for meeting to be held about February,
| 1892, to be composed of delegates from all
| orga9 cations OF producers upon fair basis
of representation, for the purpose of gen
| eral and thorough conference upon the de-
| mands of each, and to the end that all may
| agree upon a joint set OF demands just prior
| to the next National campaign, and agree
upon the proper methods of enforcing such
demands. If the people by delegates coming
right from them agree that third party
move is necessary, it need not be feared.
This recommendation was carried out
later on by the body passing the follow
ing resolution:
| Whereas, We have already adopted the
| port of the chairman of the executive board
| in part, and whereas said report did recon-
| mend that this body authorize a call for q
! convention of all labor organizations to be
| held in February, 1892: now, therefore, be it
Resolved That this body elect commit
tee composed of one from each State here
| represented, 10 b. known as the National
Executive Com anittee, for the special pur-
pose of comforting with like committees
! from other organizations, and deciding
! questions to time and place of meeting
! basis OF repr sentation, and TO submit to
| their respective States the demands OF all
| such other ibJf organ cations will prob
| ably be repres ntcd az such labor confer
! ence, each member to be ex- officio chairman
| in his State AMI to have authority to appoint
| Cong essiousl district chairmen, who in
turn shall appoint county chairmen, foy the
| purpose % bringing our demands AMI those
/ of the other abor organizations squarely be-
| fore the people during the coming year, and
ksecure an expression from them to what
l conc essions they Will make in order to Sc
cure general 90 operation and what methods
thew Will adopt to secure the same.
The passage OF the above resolution
put an end to the possibility of the Ma
tional Farmers Alliance attending the
conference of February %, 1891, and
those who persisted in pushing the
same did so knowing that such was the
case. A committee was appointed, of
which Ben Terrell, of Texas, was chair
man, to carry out the spirit of this res
olution. This committee issued the
call for a conference on the part of
other organizations to assemble in
Washington January 81 This commit
| tee met upon that date There xera
representatives from the National
Farmers Alliance and Industrial Union,
the National Colored Alliance, the
Knights of Labor and the National Cit
zens' Alliance.
This conference organized and drew
M, a r,ln form, r,,,.-,rliah H. o.i1 II