The Opelousas courier., 1891-08-08
The Farmers Alliance a Proba'
BILE Danger.

Two years ago the Republican lead
ers boasted that they would divide the
Solid South" through the Farmers
Alliance. How well they have kept
their pledge it is only necessary to
look at the political contests in num-
Der of tile Southern States: the quarrels,
acrimony, bad blood, suspicious, foul
examinations and re- ordinations among
neighbors, former friends and the whole
hosts of the people Of our beloved
South Land.
The oft asserted truism that the
only hope for the South is with the
Democratic party - has been so often
asserted that it is believed to be the
true doctrine and has been universally
followed by the Southern States. 1t
needs no argument to prove that the
Democratic party is the friend and ally
of the South. Why, then, should we
pursue the suicidal policy of dividing
and throwing fire brands into the party
ranks and endasa gering it's life and use
fulness, when We can reap no benefit
by it's destructian I'm but only disaster and
possible ruin - our prosperity and
safety? For Months the Alliance
brotherhood ha3 been fighting like cats
and dogs IN mississippi and other
States, endangeSing the election of some
of the noblest hen the South has ever
produced. Las1 winter the Alliance
fought Gen. Gordon of Georgia, be-
cause he would not subscribe to the
heresies of the Ocala Manifesto; Nc
Cune, the Alliance editor of the Nation
al Economist, and No, | as an Alli-
ance oracle, was sent down there from
Washington with his pockets fall of
money and railroad passes to fight the
election for United States Senator of
that grand old patriot and to elect, if
possible, Pat Calhoun who is said to be
an out-and-out Republican. Not all
perhaps have forgotten the charges pre-
ferred against This sane McCune for
bribery and corruption IN this affair at
the Ocala meeting, and how the white
washing committee reported him clean
and without guile. But one member
refused to sign the report, and it has
not been generally known who that
man was until quite lately as the mat.
ter was suppressed in the reports, and
he says lie was hissed soundly, because
he woul@-not subscribe to lie. This
gentleman was Col. Hatch of Missouri,
| who is now president of the Farmers
Alliance of that State, and in his speech
at Fort Worth, on the 10Th of July, be-
| fore the Texas Alliance State Conven-
| tion he says that he was the only
member of the committee who refused
to sign the whitewashing report of that
| infamous scoundreli'. These are his
words, not ours Be this as it may
there is abundant evidence from Nc
Allister, Congressman Beeman and
others that McCune virtually acknowl-
edged before the committee that the
charges were true, yet all but one oi
the committee signed the report as they
said for me good Of the Order.
That the Republicans are in earnest
to divide the Solid South y is evid.
enced in the fact that there are no les:
than two United States Senators, one
or two xCongressmen, togetherswltl
a herd of smaller frye, both men and
women who are tramping through tht
/ South from town to city and from pic
mic to barbecue holding meetings an6
addressing thousands, both indoors an(
out of doors, advocating the desertioI
of the Democratic party and joining
the third party, together with all tht
heresies of tho 0cala Manifesto, anG
which we might add here are largely an
i ti-democratic.
1t has long been q source Of anxiety
to the statesmen and wise men OF th'
i South, to what extent these heresie
| would lead and how much this seemin!
fanaticism would weaken the Demo
cratic party and impefil the peace AM
prosperity of the country. At las
i Congressman Oates of Alabama, ha
sounded the alarm that the Democratic
party is in danger aud appealing to al
democrats TO cease this nonsense AM
j rally to its support and save the part.
from possible ruin. The Texas Atlianc
has re-echoed the alarm and answers
the call manfully By repuaiating th
former Alliance heresies Of sub treas
4 ury, land loan and Government contro
of railroads, and have called a conyen
ton which is to be Nalbaai in eharac
ter of all who are itII sympathy wit
them. Noble lexas
Il But what of Louisianag The Farm
ers' Union of Louisiana is in a pitiabl
q plight and is honeycombed with repub
Eslican poison, Already the Catahoal
parish convention has resolved 8 that
good Farmers Union man cannot be
member Of the Order and at the sam
time Democrat Several othe
parishes have followed saitin about tll
same style, aud the whole brotherhoo
!, throughout tho State appears to b
more or less weakened by many friend
of the third party Or Republicans, wh
would be delighted to see the Demo
cratic party destroyed that they {
their friends might be elected to som
Office. The people in the Red Rive
district have not forgotten how Lectui
er Guice was put forward by the Farm
ers' Union in several parishes for Cor
gress at the last election in oppositio
J to the regular Democratic nominee
and how be was only pulled down b
, the loss of his coat tail, and he, alas
reported to be Republican of the fir
water BY some Of his home papers.
Are. our friends willing to see Il
Democratic party destroyed What
the RESULT II, by the dissensions cause
by the alliance, another Republican Coz
4 gress is made possible together with
i Republican Administration, let US te
q You that at tho first session and prob
j bly, during the first month OF the Sc