The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1891-01-09
DR.. DIXON TALKS FOR FARMERS

DR.. DIXON TALKS ron FARMERS
He Outlines tho Meaning and Principles
Of the Alliance Movement.
The Rev. Thomas Dixon preached yes
terday morning in Association hall. Pre-
ceding the regular sermon Mr.. Dixon
read his customary pulpit review, select
ing for his subject ''The Moral Import
Of the Farmers Alliance" The lecture
seemed to be .favorably received, as at
its conclusion the lecturer was greatly
applauded.
1.-THE real sensation Of the year" said
Dr.. Dixon, lis the advent of the National
Farmers Alliance and Industrial Union.
It is no mushroom growth. It is the re-
sistless movement of millions who have
suffered under the aggressions Of oentu-
ries. The advent of these embattled
hosts is the most pregnant event of this
generation. It is the beginning Of q
revolution that will shake this continent
and the world. The first time they
gathered around the ballot box was Nov.
4 last. They poiled between two and
three million votes, elected governors Of
three states and sent forty men to con-
gress.
what is the moral meaning of this
great movement?
"First-It is the protest of the patient
burden bearers of the world, who have
toiled through weary years, struggling
beneath the wrongs of economic and po-
litical superstitions. In America the
farmers have become the beasts Of bur-
den to the nation. Their business has
been to feed over $4,000, 900 people, and
then through the winter exc out a miser-
able existence wrestling with their mort
cages, cyclones and floods. While they
are doing this we laugh and grow fat,
dance and make merry in the city and
gamble how much they will make next
year, buy and sell their crops fifty times
before they are planted, and charge old
'Hayseed' with all our losses.
"Second-This movement means the
education of the masses as masses, of the
farmer as farmer. It means the asser-
ton of the manhood of the yeomen of
the nation. This is real education. We
have to climb out of the humble sphere
in which we were born into the so called
higher sphere. The smith learns to de-
spise his anvil and the clodhopper to look
with contempt on the pillow. They rise
to higher things. They become lawyers
and doctors and preachers and bankers,
railroad men and politicians. We now
have fully 5000, 900 men in this country
educated to be presidents of the United
States. We only need about dozen in
a hundred years-an awful waste of raw
material
THE farmers are learning and teach
ing to their children in this organization
that the work of the farm is as sacred,
as noble, as honorable as that Of any
sphere in life. Women, too, are admit
ted to the order. Well they may! There
are more farmers wives in the insane
asylums of America than any other class.
They have actually recognized the fact
that woman is human being.
''Third-This movement means coop
Grafton as against competition. It is in
this principle of socialism that the order
has its strongest foundation. They are
all pledged to cooperate with each other
in the production of economic goods,
and not only SO but To cooperate in the
distribution of these goods They are
learning the secret of associated power
that in union there is strength.
Fourth - The organization means
brotherhood. It is benevolent and
fraternal order, with principles Of love
and fraternity, wide as the world, uni
versal as the race.
1.-The fifth and sixth articles in their
St. Louis declaration Of purposes, a sec
ond declaration Of independence, read
thus:
"'To constantly strive to secure en-
tire harmony and goodwill to all man
kind and brotherly love among our
selves. To suppress personal, local, Sec
tional, national prejudices, all unhealthy
rivalry and all selfish ambition.
"They went into politics because they
have been forced there. New York
Star.