The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1891-05-15
PoLk's GREAT SPEECH.

4 POLk'S GREAT SPEECH.
Tho President Of the Alliance Announces
the Principles to BE Fought For.
One of the largest Alliance meetines
ever held in Washington was the one at
Concordia hall, at which President Polk.
of the National Alliance, made an ad-
dress.
Mr.. Polk said he desired to discuss
principles and not parties, because prin-
ciples came of God, while men were of
the dust of the earth. He said mighty
forces were being marshaled to test the
virtue, manhood, patriotism and love of
self government. The march of human
progress was strewn with the wrecks of
empires, kingdoms, systems and govern
ments, and we stand in the midst of q
great revolution-the mightiest social.
industrial and economic revolution the
world has ever witnessed Justice, euui-
ty and truth was Che watchword, and
from all parts came the demand, Equal
rights to all and special favors to none"
Mr.. Polk spoke Of the rapidly advanc-
ing civilization, and said we should
profit by the lessons of the past, and yet
agriculture was languishing. There was
now no such thing as contentment and
peace among the American farmers, but
a universal and dismal wall of hard
times all over the land. He then gave
facts and figures to show that from 1850
the farmer and laboring man had gradu-
ally grown poorer, and that the cost of
production had grown larger each year.
The system of mortgaging farms was
dwelt upon at great length, and its oper-
ations were given by states, showing that
very soon the tillers of the soil would be
required to step down and out. Colonel
Polk said:
AL over the face of this broad land, the most
princely heritage ever given to man, may be
read the same sad, sad story; and if you would
read the fearful record of the frightful ravages
of money power on the industrial energies of
our people, go to your census bureau in this
city and you will find piled up the abstracts Of
100000 of mortgages on their homes-a mort
gage for every seven of our population, or er-
aging about one mortgage to every family in
the whole Union.
But this law of supply and demand is mex
orable and unchanging in its effects and opera
ton as.applied to money. Scarcity of money
means high priced money; a plentiful supply of
money means cheap money. The high priced
dollar lessons the price of labor products, the
cheap dollar raises the price of labor products.
Look at our public debt. In 1886 it was $2,7S3,-
100000. We have paid in principal, interest
and premiums on that debt the vast sum of
s., l9S, 1871 1851, and yet it would take moro of
labor products today to pay the remainder than
1t would have taken at the prices in 1855
have paid the original debt
He then pointed to the abandoned
farms of Massachusetts, New lIamp-
shire, Kansas, New Jersey and other
states to show that his assertions were
true. and said that the cry of ''over pro-
duction" was an entirely false one There
could be no over production SO Ions as
the cry for bread from single child was
heard. It was under consumption and
not over production. It was not the
fault of the farmer, but of the financial
system Of our government. The former
in every instance had the burden to BEAR
In referring to the Alliance Colonel
Polk said:
They have formulated and announced to the
world platform of principles which they be-
ieve will bring the greatest good to the great
est number, and will conserve the highest and
best interests of all the people Of this great
country. Alliance men, Democrats and Repub-
licans alike believe that these principles en-
body the very quintessence Of Lincolnian-Re-
publicanism and Jeffersonian-D Democracy But
we are told by presumptuous and arrogant par
tisans and self-constituted leaders that farmers
and other laboring classes should not go into
politics. that we will ruin parties and ruin
the country" Who constitute parties in this
country? To whom do political parties belong
to the people or to the few who arrogantly as
sumo to control them? Who has better right
to go into politics than the farmers of this
country? Do they not clothe and feed the
world? Do they not pay from their hard earn
in0a oiohfv of dollar IF ha
try? OF the 81, 0OO, 0OOO 600 expended by the last
congress did not $500 900 of it come from
their pockets?
Without the farmers all our mighty network
of railways would grow up in grass and weeds
in ninety days; without them all progress
would be paralyZed and all civilization would
perish.
The organization of the National Farmers
Alliance and Industrial union is not, nor can
it be- partisan in it's character; it does not and
cannot interfere abridge in any manner the
most perfect freedom of its members as to their
political action. 1t seeks to inculcate proper
conception of the great and important respon-
sibilities Of citizenship, and those essential
principles of free government which are found
ed in equity and justice and leaves the member
to follow the dictates of his conscience and
judgment and patriotism as to the best
methods for securing the supremacy of these
principles Our order has no more right to say
crat, shall or shall not be Republican. shall
or shall not be an Independent, than it has to
say that he shall or shall not be a Baptist, a
Methodist or a Lutheran.
The picture. he said, was not over
drawn, but hereafter the farmer pro-
posed to place his petitions in the ballot
box. They had pleaded for relief long
enough; they had suffered and endured
long enough.
The Fifty-frst congress, but recently ad-
5ourned. was in session thirteen months. Dur
ing that time it expended in round numbers
81 100000 900 of the peoples money-asu equal
to 81, 100000 per month, SIT 900 per week,
$25OO,000 per day, $104 900 per hour, 81 ,733 per
minute and S2s per second! Let us bear steadily
in mind that eighty cents of every dollar Of
this vast sum came from the agriculturists of
this country. These suffering millions besieged
the doors of the Capitol during that time plead
ing for relief They were turned away empty
handed-their opportunities disregarded, their
entreaties ignored. and they were insolently
admonished to keep out Of politics. to live
closer and work harder The great mass of
the industrial classes, north and south, Demo-
Gratis and Republicans, without regard to Sec
tional or geographical lines, with one purpose
and with one heart, have locked their hands
and shields in common cause.-the cause Of a
common country.