The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-02-12
PHI THE TX KANSAS ALLLLIASos

Pr! G6Crawfoftl. the Washington CORE
spnudent of the New York Tribune, in
the Saturdays ISSUE Of that paper, gives
a,ve ryinteresting account of the rise of
| the Farmers Alliance party In Kansas.
| The alliance movement was engineered
by representatives from the South, The
! Alliance in Kansas was originally started
| for the simple purpose of relieving agri-
cultural distress, which was due partly
Ito sbad.eropsa but more tn eXtravagant
expenditures and wild speculation.
Farmers had borrowed money right and
left and were living like kings, on their
Indebtedness. 2dWhen the day of payment
came they could not pay, and in the re-
action many farmers were left in a com
pletely destitute situation. Some of
| them saw actual starvation sta ilg them
in theface. They were in this state o!
mind when the robel bIigadiers came to
counsel with them, and to take Charge of
| the movement. the farmers were told
that tie Republican party was opposed
to fiat.money for the relief of the pe9ple,
and that ii was OH the side of the bond
| holders and sustained a villainOus tariff,
which was specially formed for the pur-
pose of Y0bbing the farmers. Under the
instructions of these ex-rebels an inner
council OF six was formed The pro-
ceedings of tlIis'cOuncil were secret, and
laterthe whole State Alliance became a
secret body, bound together byan oath,
NJ. Crawford slys;' a'~'i 1850. .. =.
The "A lliaiice sent into every township
lecturers Who were called teachers.
Their expenses were paid and they were
furnished With all kinds of pamphlets
and documents for the dissemination OF
cheap money and no tariff As the cam
paign Of last ye1r went on, doctrines were
advanced which, If carried out to the
end, wouldIprodute anarchy, The Ali.
anCe lenders seized upon every class OF
S6eialle6ture for the purpose of stirring
up the discomfort Of the people. Few OF
these lectures were reported in the great
papers The real history of the cam
Ipaitn is as yet unwiitten The move
ment was secret and the means employed
TO carry the end were so out of the ordi
nary way that it was only when the ne
suit WIS reached that people began Il
ask questions concerning the Kansas
campaign. In this Kansas campaign
there were lecturers from the socialist
and anarchist classes, ST Chicago, people
who took part IN tho anarchist riots anC
who called the HaYmarhet assassins mar
: tyrs, and who cried out through tn
length and breadth of Kansas for n re
venge in their name Two womenreprc
t senting the Chicago anarchist press wer
also permitted to have engagements un
der the direction, of the Alliance. Thes
, women came into the CANVASS with tier,
/ eyes, with wild, lOOse-tiying hair and in
famed faces. shouting with the fury o
a viragOes worse doctrines than were eve
$ uttered by the representatives of til
I commune in Paris, Il1d Iu HInNug
o With this key. to- the movement til
. rest will be readily understood. Til
n people were suffering and their destitu
: ton was charged up to the capitalists q
= theiOountry. Republicans who were il
= great financial distress, followed til
h guidance of these new leaders, misled b.
q the delusi0n that some good might b
n accomplished, 1T was the same old argu
v ment OVER again, to try Il new course !
. politics for Just this once. with the assul
v anoe that their relief would be certain
y They yielded. Upon election day, il
\ said that the discipline of the Allianc
a bad reached its height Themembers Q
!. the Alliance were cOnvenOdin the vHiOu
:. school houses throughout the Stat
q They were placed under the direction {
n captains, aud iirstiswOrI to speak to n
q iOne and to answer no qnestlnns az
f dressed TO them 10y any, one until thei
: votes were cast. Then they WEI
3 marched out fonr abreast, silent an
. grim, under the direction of their leader
!. to tile ballot boxes, where they vote
: with the regularity and silence of wei
n disciplined military platoons. l... /
Q This is the new peril the country la
q to face, and if it develops will yet Ter
j the capacity of the people for self-go'
=, eminent as it has not been tried sine
d 1861. The movement is engineered b
! men who have more to make in geneIs
1 wreckage than to save. Mr.. Crawfor
! closes his communication as follows
= 'Itis party which will co, operate wit
v the Democratic party, and if it is to b
i judged by the principles advocated !
q Kansas, will not rest in its onward mare
until it has established free trade, prC
n vided for the printing of fiat money an
"a the wiping out of National banks, an
n republication of all debts public and pr
| yate, and the division of property upO
i purely communistic basis."--MesseI
i gef, sluprt B. o.. 'HHf.' It .I.