The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-10-07
THE ALLIANCE Is HONORABLE.
Secretary Of Stale James E. Tindal Pre-.
Scnts Many UnanSwerab!e Arguments
Showing the Alliance to be Upright
and Honorable.

SCIllS IudHS SHslNS W el dDiC al SuiiacNt u
Showing the Alliance to be Upright
and Honorable.
To the Editor Of the News and Courier:
Your paper and some other daily papers
have assumed an attitude toward the ALI
ance which BODIES evil to the whole State.
The people who are not eligible to mem
bership in the Alliance arc taught to believe
that the farmers are seeking to rule them
through secret, oath-boand political So
ciety. This is not true. The secrets of the
Alliance are for business and social purpo-
ses. When one enters a store to buya
piece of goods he finds secret mark upon
it. It is the merchants secret. 1t is his
right, and no one complains of it. 1t is a
very unwiSe business man who parades his
business affairs before the world. And no
one has right to complain Of the secrets of
the Alliance.
Suppose the merchants in their boards of
trade should conclude, from frequent in
terchange of views, that their interests
would be promoted by O certain law, or
by certain changes of existing laws, what
could they do but go out before the whole
people to advocate their measures? (This
is all which the Alliance has done political
ly). In their contest with the Bagging
Trust, and the cruel extortions of the credit
and lien law business, they naturally
enough inquired into the cause of the evil
and the way to remove it. They laid their
unfortunate condition before the country,
and the measures which they think would
relieve them in the most nnhlic manner,
and invited the fullest discussion of them.
They had a right to expect that in other
classes they would find many humane peo-
pie who would consider their case in q fair
spirit
No mans vote politically is bound by any
oath of the Alliance. nor can it be, for the
reason that the Alliance has no right under
its constitution or laws to ask him how he
voted at the last election; and so far as pol
itics is concerned there is no Alliance oath
nor secret. If you can by fair argument
show an Alliance member that you have
better remedy than his for the inadequate
supply of money, there is no Alliance oath
to hinder him from asserting to your prop
ositon. The demand for more money and
the best way to get it is, therefore, as open
for public debate as any political question
which ever was before the people.
Senator Morgan. whom you quote, says:
Before the great Democracy is required to
adopt the Ocala platform, it should be dis
cusSed before the people and voted on in
Democratic primaries and every Dem ocrat
should be heard patiently, fairly, and fra
ternally, who wishes to be heard" etc. That
is precisely what the Alliance proposes.
It seeks to get patient fair, and fraternal
discussion. It has failed to get it so far,
but is making very rapid progress. The
enemies of the Alliance have tried to pre-
vent fair discussion, and to denounce in ad-
vance every man rs demagogue who might
sympathize with the Ocala demands. In
stead of patient, fair, and fraternal discus
sion it has been socialism," 'paternal-
ism," 'undemocratic demagogueiSm, which
is mere abusive assertion and not discus
sion.
When Christ restored sight to man who
had been born blind it caused great wonder
among the people, and they took Him to
their rulers, the Pharisees, to hear an ex-
PLANTATION of it. They denounced Christ as
an imposter and devil. The blind man re-
monstrated that whereas he was blind he
now could see. This argument made them
mad They said: 'tDo you, who art alto
gether born in sin, undertake to teach us?'
and cast him out Of the temple.
It will be an evil day for South Carolina
when every man whose eyes have been
opened to understand the wrongs existing
in our business and political conditions is
turned out of the Democratic party, and
when, as in the case of Col. Aldrich and
George Johnstone, men are denounced as
demagogues who venture to sympathize
with them.
The liberties of this country were estab-
lished by men like Washington and Jetfer
son, because their talents were guided by a
spirit of humanity. They believed that the
best way to secure the rights of the people
was to give to them the right to rule, and to
correct whatever evils may arise. Men
then gained immortal honors by advocating
the cause of the people. But has it come
to this in our day-that man is "deu1-
asogue" who sympathizes with them?
When the cities and towns are arrayed
against the country by the present attitude
Of the press, what must inevitably follow?
The Alliance may have imprudent men,
bers, who say imprudent things. Every
organization has the same-even the church.
But the farmers honestly desire to appeal
to the best intelligence and heart of the
whole country-of every class to aid them
in solving their problems. Discussion in
wise, candid spirit could only result in
good. But if the present apparently pre-
deterium) policy of the opposition IS per
severed in it can only result in evil. It is
unwise aud mcst mischievous in tendency.
It is to our common interest to restore the
unity of the Democratic party and not seek
further to divide it. This will depend
upon the attitude of the city press. That
has lost nearly all influence with the peo-
pie outside of towns and cities. It can only
foster prejudice in the minds Of the urban
population Is that a natural result Of can
dor and fairness? What interest is or can
be promoted by such o course?
My position in the alliance is very
modest one-only private member. l
know, however, that many thousands Of
people have been practically benefited by
it, which they will not forget.
From education and interest am con-
servative, but have an abiding faith in the
good sense and capacity of the people for
selfgovernment and, therefore, am and al
ways have been Democrat I feel it to
be my duty to protest against the policy
you are pursuing, and to appeal for more
fairness and more confidence in the people.
ss%Sthe people cannot be trusted at all, then
the democratic party, and our Republican
poyernme :.:ssscif, are based upon a false
theory and are humbuSs.
For twenty-five years have lived among
the plain farmers. Iknow them. They are
neither communists nor fools. They have
strong sense of justice and are 100 con-
seryative for their own good. I have seen
sometimes their lien accounts and wonder
ed to myself that they were not in arms. I
have seen their desperate struggles against
adverse business conditions-thelr gloom
nd