Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1891-12-17

all other officers and committees should
be appointed from the delegates present
at each meeting. No officer received q
salary but the secretary, and it was the
least expensive organization in the
world.
The St. Louis meeting in December.
1889, sustaining the action Of all former
meetings and made two important addi-
tions to the work which did much to
maintain the adhesive force Of the order
for the succeeding year. First, 1t pre-
sented the sub-treasury plan for the con-
sideration Of the order; and second, it
provided for confederation with the
knights Of Labor, and each order was,
during the following winter, represented
by small active committee on legisla-
tion at the national capital, which accom-
5plished great good.
The Ocala meeting in December, 1890,
sustained all former action, and did two
things which have challenged the inter-
est and devotion Of tie membership
and prevented disintegratton and decay.
First, they ratified the demands, and by
special enactment made the sub-treasury
plan one ofthe cardinal features Of the
movement; and second, they provided
for : political convention IN February,
1892, and thereby gave the producers Of
the nation over a years notice in which
to secure representation in that great
meeting, This hasty review Of the past
national legislation shows that each
national meeting has been productive of
some general policy, around which the
movement has rallied and grown
Tor the next succeeding year. This
has not been the result of accident; it
has been the WISE result OF prudent
forethought and sound Judgment. By
far the greatest danger which threatens
a popular movement like this is the
tendency to division ON local issues.
which is always augmented by the
personal ambition of some who see their
own road to seccesses in local conflicts.
The great difficulty now is, and ever
will be, to supply a general issue that
will act asa unifying and adhesive force
for the whole order, and to which any
local branch or division may return
after local conflict, whether successful
or not. We have seen how successful
No a. o{Rorto 20 o.pa> ~, vo1;el, tb;, $50.
difficult task have been, and the whole
civilized world te-day has eyes turned
toward this meeting, breathlessly wait.
ing to see whether the Indianapolis
meeting will in this particular measure
be up to its predecessors. If it does not,
the reform movement will become a
matter Of history as one that reached its
height in 1891; but if it does, the move
ment will make greater strides during
the next year than ever before, and
nothing can prevent the triumph Of the
principles advocated. in the near future.
The questions presented from last meet
ing have been freely discussed by the
H0OpA0 uuAAA8 VtAC psSg yG0Ie = 4Cy nave
been attacked by the opposition in every
possible manner, and this meeting, in
the light evolved by all this conflict and
discussion, will be compelled by its
action to show whether it stands firmly
and squarely upon the same advanced
ground. or whether it recedes from il,
and IN addition to. this it must blaze
out the path for the future. The former
is appropriate ground for public dis
cussion. The latter should be decided
in executive sessions and only given to
the world when matured.
The Ocala demands. then, with
special emphasis upon the sub-t1easrry
plan, and the great labor convention Of
February, 1892, are at this time the
most important questions of public dis
cussion, and shall devote some time to
each. The Ocala demands are such
a pregnant theme that they alone arc