Los Angeles herald., 1891-10-19
POLK'S POLICY.
The Farmers Alliance Pres
ident Talks of His Party.
1t Will Consistently Fight Con-
centrated Capital.
He Thinks It Will Elect the Next
United States President.
An Interesting Interview With the Head
of the Party-His Career-Princi-
pies of the Alliance as Out
lined BY Him.

L. L. Polk, president of the Farmers
Alliance and Industrial Union, arrived
Yesterday morning and is quartered at
the Nadeau. He will remain until Thurs
day, when he returns to North Carolina,
to be present at the general meeting of
the alliance OF that state on the Goth
inst. Colonel Polk was born in Ander-
son county, N. c., and is now in his
54th year. OF medium height, why
build, with iron grey hair and beard
and soft brown eyes, he presents the
characteristics of man who has seen
hard service in the most exciting and
corrupting period of our nations his
tory, without losing his faith in hui
mainly nor his love for the oppressed.
While yet young man he was a
member of the legislature of his native
state as a Union Wing. He stood
for the union through all the
stormy debates until the cause of
secession carried, and he then went
with his state. His home was in the
line of Sherman's march to the sea, and
was of course stripped of everything of
value. On his return from the battle
fields of Virginia he found nothing but
desolation and ashes; but he gathered
his family together and began the work
of reconstruction. He shod his own
mules and led his men in the work of
the farm, while his wife, who never
knew hard work before, took her place
in the kitchen, and cooked for husband
and men.
He next began the work of encourag-
ing and organizing his neighbors. One
year before the Farmers Alliance was
organized in North Carolina he had
established 4S5 farmers clubs.
The reasons given and the necessity
for the organization of the Farmers
Alliance are best stated in his own Ian
guage:
"The situation of the southern farm
ers was unprecedented. Their crops
had been unusually large. They were
receiving the highest prices for cotton
known in the history of the coun-
laborer, the tiller Of the soil, was every
was sharing in unparalleled prosperity
cities and villages sprang up as if by
magic. Manufacturing enterprises
were on the increase. Booms and boom
ers were plenty everywhere. Men who
could command capital were grasping
for every natural opportunity and for
tunes were easily made along those fa-
vored lines. But notwithstanding all
this apparent prosperity, agriculture
seemed to breathe decay and death.
Investigation revealed the alarming
truth, unobserved before, that it was all
due to the grasping greed of the money
power, established and fostered by
national and state legislation, through
which a system of spoliation had
been permitted for the robblng Of labor,
which creates all capital, and whose
Chief victims were the agriculturists.
This is no idle defamation, but is borne
out by statistics which any one may
examine for himself. Farm values have
steadily decreased. The value of money
has steadily increased through contrac-
ton of the currency and the demonetiz-
alton of silver. 1t takes more and more
of our farm products to buy gold
dollar with which to meet our interest
and our mortgages.
"Some remedy had to be found, and
in this the south took the lead. They
soon saw that sectional remedy would
not do. They then invited the north to
Join the movement. Today the farmers
of Michigan, California and Kansas
have Identical interests with those of
Virginia, Georgia and Louisiana. The
browning glory of this Alliance is, how
ever, that it has accomplished that in
which even the Christian churches have
failed-it has restored peace between
the north andl south, and established a
feeling of brotherhood between all Sec
tions of the country.
"There are now thirty-two states
in which the F. A. and 1. U. is firmly
established, and Washington will be
organized on the 18th inst. and New
Jersey on the 18th prox., thus making
thirty-four state alliances. The MEM
bership will be exactly known at the
next annual meeting, but it is safe to
estimate it at 3,250,000."
els not this organization more politi-
cal than agricultural?"
''There can be no legislative reform
except through the ballot box. While
the alliance is not partisan in
character, it is nevertheless and most
emphatically political in the best and
broadest sense of that term. Its high
est mission is to educate its members
in all economical and industrial ques-
lions now confronting our day and gen
Grafton. Our demands as formulated
bv the supreme council are calculated to
conserve the highest interests of each in
dividual and do no injury to any interest
or class. We believe that upon the rec
ognition and success of these principles
depend the welfare of agriculturists and
the existence of this republic, and we
will stand or fall upon them. No honest
man would claim more and no honor
able or self-respecting man would claim
less. We must succeed, even If in so
doing we wipe out both OF the old po-
litical parties.
'The southern alliance loses all hope
SO long as Wall street dominates the gov
eminent, and she will not support any
man or party suspected of being under
that influence.
"The south, west and north must sui
fer together from concentrated capital.
To save themselves they must and will
act together. They will select some
clean clear-headed, pure, patriotic man,
known to be friend of the people, and
place him in the presidential chair"
"Your people would not then support
GlauaIov,I orxo;y, Gov fhof off, p,