The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1891-05-07
WORK OF THE WOMEN.
HALF A MILLION IN THE ALL
ANCE LOYAL TO RIGHT.

I
| A speech Before the Late Convention of
| the Womnn's Christian Temperance
| Union in Washington. u. e., that Gre
| atcd II Great Sensation.
| Madame President, Ladies and Cen
tlrmen. Fellow Citizens: You will un-
| dcrStand why address YOU as fellow
| citizens when tell YOU that I come from
| the broad prairicS of Temperance" and
| Humanits-IuNing. sunny Kansas. where
! the women lay" been granted the right
| Of suffrage by our alliance legislature.
| The subject assigned me. Women in
| the Farmers Alliance" cannot he intel
| ligcntly discussed nor fully understood
| until the necessity for the formation of
| the Farmers alliance is first shown and
its aims aud purposes briefly stated. 1t
must be evident to every intelligent man
| and woman to-day that there is some
| thing radically wrong in the affairs of
| this nation. and that W" are confronted
| with crisis more important and far
reaching in its results for the veal or
| woe of humanity ihan was IN that crisis
| which eliminated in warfare in 1850.
| Twelve years ago one of our dIStin
| gui>hcd statesmen. who has lately been
|
! following remarkable languages:
| There is no use in any longer try
| ing to disguise the truth. We are on he
| verge of an impending revolution. Old is
| sues dead. and the p"npl" ar" arraying
| themselves on one side or the other of Il
| portcntou~ conflict. On one side is capital
| strongly eutrcnrhrd i'll privilege. grown ar
| rogant from repeated triumph> and contin-
| ued concessions, striving To adj iu>t all values
| to its own standard.
| On the other side IS labor demanding, en-
| pioyment. battling with the forces rf ma
| turc and trying to >uhduc the wilderness.
| Labor starNin" and >ulicn in the cities. rc>r-
! lutely determined to overthrow a system
| under which the rich are growing richer
and the poor are growing poorer: Il system
| that gives to Could or Il Vanderbilt
| wealth beyond even the dreams Of arcrire.
| and condemns the poor Ia poverty in
| which there il 40 refuge from starvation
| but the grave.
| These words wcr" uttered in speech
| in the senate in 1873. and during the
| years that have intervrncd the burden
| Of poverty has grown intulrrahly heavy.
| hrcauS,, of unjust tariffs and excessive
taxation; because of Legislation that has
| robbed the millions Of the benefit Of Il
| few, until to-day. for Il 1rut II and 'criiy
! "" are on tit" verge of an impending
| revolution.
We need no prophetic ear To hear the
| rumble ni the coming storm. sweeping
| Oh with rv"r-incr"a>ing force across the
| prairi"> ri the west. In the ianGuag"
of senator Gnrnan:
We stand on the very brink uf Il ~'nutlticr
n- volcano liable AT any time to break
| forth and .iciugc the land with strife
Less than 400 years ago We received
this continent fresh from the hands of
| God. not track i'll its valleys. not Il
| stump in its fnrc>t>-a continent of I'M
surpassed fertility, unlimited resources.
| magnificent and golden promises for all
| humanity.
Vet. with every diversity nf soil and
| climate. possessing "Nau>ti"SS riches
| within our hord"rs. and owning one
| sixth the wealth of the entire world. the
| wall Of poverty is heard coming up from
every hand: til" cry Of distress growing
louder and more importunate. The
plaint Of dcfrauded mothers. tn" moans
| Of starving children. the curses aud
| threats of law-crcat"d NagahondS are
a>ccndng-a daily and hourly insult
| to the great and generous God who has
given with lavish hand enough, for each
of his children.
| You max call m" an anarchist or a
| socialist If you will but | hold to ftlc
theory that We have starving men.
women and children in this land to-day
because a lrgiSlatiun-f favored few have
NOR" than their share. God spread his
houn1iful table from the Atlantic to
the Pacific. Nature un>tintingly poured
forth her richest resources. but
Il greedy few. through class Legislation.
have supplied not only their oHn hunger.
but haV" filled their rapacious packets.
<"iZrd til" platter and the NiandS. and
millions az" nnfrd and are turned away
gaunt. hungry and desperate from the
gifts that God intended for each and all.
| The SturrhpuScs and granarics filled
to oycrnnving. Warehousrd bales oi
wool and cotton, millions of acres of an
used bound land are in III,
hands Of foreign SyndicatrS aud greedy
corporations. while grim starvation and
gallnt famine stall. broadcast through
this land Of plenty. senator Stewart.
the silver tongued republican champion
! of free silver. gives us the rIn>" of hi.
dcplorablc condition of affairs when he
| tells lis that every act of legislation
| since the war has been in pursuance oi
the treasured policy of til" hondholder>
: to coi1tract the currency and control tho
money Of the country.
|
eyer controls the volume "f nation
money. controls til" commrre" and in
duiStry of that country.
For one hundred Years the stock ioh
bcrs. land robbers hondholderS and pi
rates have knocked increasingly 1T tn,
! doors of congress. and congress has il
| every instance arcrded to their robbrl
, demands. They were given money
! enough To support dozen Kingdoms.
They We're given money amounting Ia
hundreds of millions of dollars. They
We're permitted to faSt"n a uSury-hcar
ing bonded debt upon the people. They
were permitted to tap the arteries anc
veins of commerce aud trade. and with
draw from the body polite tn" circrfai
ing medium. which is the life blood o
the nation. All this and more. mucl
more, was permitted and pronounced
conSti1utinnal: but when for the frs
time in 100 years the farmers came tim
idly knocking at the doors of congress
asking relief through their >}Ib-trra>tr,
! plan. Il howl went mp from the subsi
died press of this country.
, Tn" loafcrs in broadcl"th and th'
irampS in tinc linen, whom Doodle ant
bribery huN" sent 10 congress. hold III
their hands in assumed horror at th'
bid of their Wall street masters and cr,
, Unconstitutional unconstitutional :,
, Swing outward. oh gates of the Future,
| Swing inward ye doors of the Past.
| a giant j. waking from Slumbcr--
The people are rou>ing at last
If God We're to give me my choice +
! live in any age of the world that ha
flown. or in any of the world yet to be.
! would say. Oh. God. let me live here am
now. in this day and age of the world
l history. For we are living III
4 Grand and Wonderful Timc,
IL time when old ideas. traditions am
> customs have broken loose from thei
| mooring> and are hopclrsSly adrft o.
4 the great shorrle>s. bo'lndlcsS sea u
t human thought.
G 4 time when the gray old world be
| Il