St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1891-05-23
RuRKITT AND MeALLISTER.
Bo,h Sides OF it.
BURKITTS SIDE

BURK1TT's SIDE
OKOLoNA MISS. April ~ -Captslp
Frank Burkiti, State treasurer OF sn'
Farmers Alliance, has written letter IL
reply to the charges preferred against MN
BY w. s. McAliister and Il. Beeman'
accusing him of whitewashing Macunr
and Otis and the Ocala meeting of the Ma
t,onal Alliance among other things, cap
tain Barkltt says:
at is not III, purpose to engage In
controversy with Colonel McAllister and
NJ Bsemsu, Indeed decline most EN-"
nhatically to do 80; but trust | may be
nerm,rted to stat few facts not lncon-
s;stept with nv duties to the alliance and
the general public. which may possibly
account for the ungenerous and un"ar
rsnted attack on mo.
1.-THE supreme council of the Farmers.
Alliance at its annual convention assembled
at Ocala In december last with largely
increased representation on call OF = ates
| reaflrmed the doctrine enunclated 1T s..
Louis one year before by majority vote
| of more than 8 ~ l that the two vlrtuous
| brethren who are not so much more con-
| cerned over what we owe to principle I'D
| contradfstnction to harmony may, II they
choose, enlghten their friends. (the enc
| mics of the alliance) and give the news
| papers an excuse to headline some other
| loyal member Of the organization by ex-
posipp all that was said and done on tia
| occasion. shall concede them monopo
| " of this unworthy business and can con-
eratulste them and all true alliance meu
everywhere that they only have one rival
| In America
IF the charges of Colonel McAllister,
supported b, Congressman ,eman. DO
not convey false impression, they are TO
be pi,isd for HAVING fallen into den of
thieves, for believe am correct il say
| ing that Only three men out of about a
hundred officers and delegates have ever
verify and justice of the reports made an
adopted a. Ocala, and tleir self-respect
should prompt them to disconnt ct them,
selves with so debased a crowd at The
earliest possible moment. In their wrath
at being unable to divide the alliance in
Mississippi and cause it 10 subserve the
purpose of scheming politicians, Messrs.
Beeman and McAllister seem to have over.
looked fact we'll known to one of them
at least. namely: That they could not,
even If they withdrew from the alliance
without violation of their ohligatioD)
expose to outsiders matters which trsns-
pired in q committee room on the hoor Of
| a meeting held wth closed doors, and
they should lave r. hected that an intelli.
gent public ca ,cc.pt only cum grano
sails any statement made by gentlemen
who place themselves in such an unenvl,
able attitude.
'If could so far forge. my duty to my
self and the alliance as to initiate nv &C
cusers by discl sing what TRANSFERRED IN
| the COMMITTEES room and on thu ,or Of the
supreme couacil, my vim 1ication would be
complete, but since in doing SO | must
prove as r. creant to the trust reposed in
me BY an honorable and praise worthy Or
ganization as ny ASSISTANTS prefer while
this campaign of calumny lss,s to stand
silent In the presence of misguided pub
lie sentime Mt, manufactured by vindic-
tive parti. an press, until reason and justice
may resume their sway. In the meantime
1 shall not be surprised to be charged by
the minions of putocracy in and out of
the alliance with any crime in the calen-
dsr, but dissgreesble as such contest
must be, neither foes without nor traitors
within, shall deter me from the advocacy
of the cause of an oppressed people"
! McALLIsTER's SIDE.
WEST POINT. MISS, April % w. 8.
McAllister, assistant State lecturer for the
alliance, is here to-day and listened to
| senator Georges speech. The senator
explained how the Vance bill, No. 1906,
| had been Recommended by President Polk
and Mscune, and spoke of IFS urconstltu.
tiona ity and rejection by. the committe-,
as the bill is dead, il connection with the
further fact ,hat it was virtually aban-
doueu by TIL .tional Alliance council in
F"nrus's 49,. TIE Southern Press News
staff CORES pendent interviewed Mr.. Meal
lister on the subject as follows:
"Havipg heard Senator Georges state
ment in regard to Senate bill no 1896 what
are the facts as to what aspect of the sub.
| treasury question now presents itself to
the peopls3"
THE Picker and Vance bills" said Mr..
| McAllister, "before the last Congress, up
on which Ca plain Burkitt makes the issue
with senators George and Walthall, were
| virtually abandon ed by the National
alliance legislative council which n ct in
Washington City last February as Is shown
by the fact that the council, after con-
siderirg the bill. concluded that they
| were impracticable aud would not afford
the relief desired. Accordingly the council
applied to legislative committee to frame
a relief measure growing out of the GOALS
platform and more in accord with its
spirit than the other of the bills now pen.
ding"
"Then, In what attitude is the sub
treasury scheme before the people IS
legislative issueS"
lin NO sense whatever" said Mr.. Nc
Allister. "I,'s Lot before the people IS a
legislative issue and cannot be until the
legislative committee frames q measure
for pres entation to the fifty -second con-
gress."
"Why then does Captain Burkitt make
an issue with George aud Walthall on the
Pickler and Vance bills3"
"In answer to that will saw that Cap
tain Burkitt has the senatorial bee in his
bonnet mighty bad. Between every line
of his recent 'Good-by, senator's there is
a declaration of senatorial candidacy to
any man we'll acquainted with Captain
Burkitt's tactics Senators George and
Walthsll hsving never sttac:ei the Ocala
platform, the only thing left for Burkitt to
do in order to spring int" issue wi b them
was to attempt to reinstat the Picker and
Vance bills, which he we'll knev were
dead legislative issues before the people
1t cannot be predicted what kind Of q bill
the legislative committee will submit.
They have not prepared it yet, and until
they do this discussion would appear pre-
mature"