The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1891-05-08
THE THIRD PARTY WE NEED

What does the Alliance in Ten
nessee propose to do? In the con
sheraton of this question, there is
an unmistakabIe feeling of uncasi-
ness apparent IN the popular mind.
In the organization in this state
there are great many thousands Of
men who undoubtedly hold in the
palms of their hands very great POI
litical power. With all of their
strength and enthusiasm and de
termination concentrated upon any
one man or political end, the pol
itics of the slate could be most Sc
riously embarrassed. That the
farmers of the state are well organ
ICED, there can be no doubt. That
they prefer to work out their ends in
the democratic party is also we'll
understood. But there is much
danger of mistakes, which may
prove disastrous, not alone to them
selves, but to the democratic party
and to the state. The leading fall
lacy, which for a time, had the
wide spread support of the Alliance
was the sub-treasury scheme. The
possibilities which enthusiastic adj
vocates believed its enactment into
laws would have made certainties
gilded the broad horizon of the AL
lance vision with millions of rain
bows and capped the termini OF
each with the mythical bags of gold.
But the sub~treasury, though still
warm IN the affection of many a
hayseeder, has seen its best days in
Tennessee, and may now be forev-
er laid away with the caresses of
dozens of other iridescent dreams
winch have similarly sprung into
existence, been for briet spell the
craze and then passed out of the
list of living issues. But there is
another greater danger which
threatens the Alliance and the de-
mocracy of the state. 1t is the
greed for public office. The mania
seems to have siezed upon the
masses of the organization, and to
have made the whole organization
its victim. In the hands of men
like Mcdowell, who lusts for the
post of honor where ducats are most
numerous. and who, before assum-
ing the responsibilities and emol-
uments of one office, is reaching
outward and upward for another
still greater, there is no telling
where it will end. Sub treasury is
fast fading from off their brilliant
standards and ''public office" ID
with equal celebrity inscri hing itself
thereon. SO pote Mt has become the
cry that the professional office seek
er and the aspiring trucker and the
ambitious upstart who cannot COM
pete successfully with the intelli-
gence and patriotism of the demo-
cratic party in party conventions,
flies to the Alliance and by dema-
gogulsh pleas for endorsement sud
denly looms into prominence as a
dangerous factor IN the politics of
his state. The corruptine influence
of such a condition Is as certain as
the existence of the condition. 1t
means that the democratic party
must take hold of the evil at its vital
point and crush 1t to death. 1t
means that truckers and bombas-
tic upstairs and sycophantic preten-
ders must alike be driven beyond
the pale of respectable politics even
though in third party of their
own. Such is the only third party
which is possible. In the Alliance
there is too strong a democratic
spirit which permeates aud pervades
for treason and ldiocy to ever
phaIanx its majority against the
only party which the people can
now depend upon. Such a third
party democracy could welcome.
Its ranks might be thlnned, but of
only the hangers on and booty
hunters. 1t would, In the mean
while, strengthen itself for all future
time in the respect of honest and
virtuous yoters.-Herald.