The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-11-03
TEE ALL1ANcE MREr1Na.
The Glee Club Draws = Crowd and Causes Great
Enthusiasm.

The Allisnce held a large meeting at
Peerless hall last night, and it was an en-
thusiastlc meeting, too, for the third party
ties, as rule, are enthusiastic. The fact
of the matter is they had not much to
cause any enthusiasm, for they virtually
acknowledged, themselves, that they did
not expect to elect any candidates but
Babb and Slower. They were particularly
confident that Babb will be elected, and he
was certainly the favorite for he was
cheered for two minutes when be arose to
speak. Crazed old men sent their hats ny
ing to the ceiling, and women who wers
nursing babies and whose hands were &C
cupied in that capacity, stamped their feet
nutiI the babies woke up in establishment
to see what was going on.
The meeting consisted OF men,
women and children. The glee club was
the principal attraction and it sung the
old songs of last year, studiously avoiding
songs which mentioned the Democracy
unfavorabIy. The songs they sung were
old Come All Yez," principally without
any meaning whatever, and yet they
caused enthusiasm that was without
bounds. 1t showed how easy it is to turn
'reformer's head. James g. Blaine,
John Sherman, John G. Carlisle or any
really intelligent statesman couldn't be-
gin to divide honors with a glee club IN
that crowd, and yet they claim they are
the apostles of logic and practical COM
mon sense in political matters.
When an intelligent argument on any
great issue would be cheered once in that
assembly the old song about the Alliance
Train is Coming" would be cheered
twenty times, all of which shows that the
rank and file are an emotional lot Of fell
lows not adapted to conservative methods
of discussion. The meeting demonstrated
more plainly and more fOrcibly than ever
that the fight is between the Alliance and
the Observation-Disclosures Babb and Reed
principally. Mr.. Lewyln called the
meeting to order assisted by Hendee and
few other local statesmen of the radical
Alliance stripe, while Judge Dixon and
men of his class led off in the cheering;
giving the other fellows the cue when it
was time to epthuse.
Mr. Sankey was made chairman and he
made a short speech in which he gave it as
candid opinion that the fight was be-
tween Babb and Reed Moore was not
mentioned at all by the speaker which
shows that he is not considered posi-
bilty
After Mr.. Sankey's remarks Messrs.
Keys and Helm spoke for ten minutes
each after which Mr.. Babb was
called upon who made the principal
speech. His remarks were of the stereo-
typed Alliance variety-calamity, calam-
ity, charlottesville his style Of delivery
betrayed the fact that he is a new man in
the Alliance harness. He scanned TO be
timid and acted just like school boy re-
citing his piece at commencement exer-
cses. He does not know much about the
issues of the day but as he was expected to
say something he had sense enough to
touch the popular Alliance chord by refer
ring to the farmers debts and the protec-
tion of their homes. He quoted literally,
too, from the songs that had been previ-
ously sung by the glee club, and told some
stories that had been chestnuts long
before he was born. The meeting was
certainly a success from an Alliance
standpoint, but no converts were made
except converts from the Democracy to
Judge Reed who saw from the drift of
things that the Alliance was determined
to put J. w. Babb on the bench to save
the homes of few farmers at the expense
OF the credit and good name of the entire
community