Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-04-19
CONSIDER THE END, NOT THE
MEANS.


Mr.. McGrath of the Kansas state Al
lance has written letter, as it is said,
to some OF the Southern Alliances, con-
tanning a very extraordinary CON-
mand and accompanied with a very
provoking threat. The Southern Al
liances generally opposed the third
party movement and agreed that the
reforms called for by the Alliance
could be best carried out by acting
upon and through the Democratic
party. So Mr.. McGrath, third party
man, got angry and wrote q letter to
the Southern Alliances commanding
them to withdraw from connection
with the Democratic organization and
threatening that if they did not do so
he would return to his allegiance 10
the Republican party.
If Mr.. McGrath has done this thing
it is only so reported, and it may or
may not be true he has acted foolishly
and iniuriously to the Alliance cause.
We are TO suppose that the Alliance
is the materialized protest Of the farm
ing class against abuses which they
want corrected. These abuses come
from legislation which, the farmers
declare, is for the advantage of the
few, and which places a burden upon
them. To correct these abuses and re-
lieve themselves from these burdens.
they ask for certain Legislation.
Now the only question for them to
consider is, how best to secure that
legislation. If the Farmers Alliance
Of Kansas believe they are strong
enough to control that state as dis
tinct party organization, their duty to
themselves and to their principles de-
mands that they shall nominate candi
dates for congress and for the state
legislature who viii represent them
and carry out their policies. But if in
other states organized farmers are not
strong enough to hazard everything
upon political contest, it would be
foolish and impolitic to make nomina-
tions and go into movement that must
end disastrously. And if the Farmers
Alliance OF Mississippi and Tennessee
can send their agents into the Demo-
cratic meetings and control the nomi-
nations so as to select men for congress
and for the legislature who are APP
proved by them, and who will do their
work, they will have acted much more
wisely than if they should risk all and
lose all by going into a political move
pent and counting defeat. The farmers
of Texas elected its governor and its
legislature, and the Farmers Al
lance of Kansas elected the legislature
of that state. A comparison of the
work of the two legislative bodies will
show that the welfare of the farmers
was as carefully guarded in the new
made Texas laws, as in those devised
n Kansas. Working in the same way,
through the Democratic party, the
Id liICIS ulCldutu VIC SOHtIHOIS vi IcA-
~.g-ee and OF South Carolina. They
have elected Irby and Gordon to the
United States senate, and they have
done more in the South, through their
strength in the Democratic meetings,
than has been done in Kansas or any
where in the North through separate
and Independent party work.
Mr. McGrath stultities himself when
he threatens TO return to the Repub-
ican party if the Southern Alliances
fail to obey his commands. Why did
he cease TO be Republican? Because
he despaired of relief from that party.
BY going back to it he undoes what has
been done in Kansas and leads the
world TO believe that the Farmers
Alliance is an organization more OF
means than of ends. He emphasizes
The suspicion that he is more Of party
man than farmer and reformer. and
ne weakens and discredits the farmers
movement all over the land. If the
Farmers Alliance in Kansas will be
true to themselves, the organization in
the Southern states will try to take
care of their own interests.