St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-04-22
So the Sage Jumps Upon Car
rington Phelps and Climbs
His Frame,
Accusing Him as a Banker of
Defeating the Usury Bill
in the House.
Binding Irvine and Campaign
Debts Are Sources of An
noyance.
Does the Sage Want to Bounce
Eva Mcdonald From the
Committee?

The executive committee of the State
Farmers Alliance met yesterday in
Room 9 at the Merchants. President
Donnelly directed the proceedings, and
there was full attendance of members.
The committee was in session all day,
adjourning at midnight to meet again
this morning. The subject debated at
length was the work accomplished by
the legislature, and the president had
also great deal to say in regard
to the failure of the passage of
several bills he championed. and
which, he claimed, were clamored
for by the members of the Alliance.
OF course. the fault had to be laid on
some ones back-the Alliance members
of the Legislature have got enough to
answer for when they return to their
conStituentS-SO to turn the tide little,
Mr.. Donnelly drafted the following res
olutiOn, which was fathered by ID. G.
Lister:
Whereas, Darlington Phelps, who calls
himself chairman of the Alliance state cen
tral committee, went before the committee
OF banks snd banking of the house of repre-
sentallyes and, speaking in behalf of the
Alliance. labored with the committee for the
defeat of the bill to reduce interest from 10
to per cent and to punish usury; and,
GWhereas, Mr. Capser, chairman of that
on the floor of the house to influence the
vote on Senate File No; by showing that
the Alliance was opposed to the bill; and
Whereas, The said Darlington Phelps
spent weeks on the floors of the senate and
house, working in the interests of the banks
and usurers to defeat the reduction of inter
est and the punishment of usurers; and
Whereas, the said Darlington Phelps also
helped to defeat the bill for the separation
of the state agricultural college from the
state university, and
Whereas, according to the constitution OF
the State Farmers Alliance article Y, sec
tIon L, the executive committee of the State
Farmers Alliance is the only committee
having any authority to speak for or repre-
sent the State Farmers Alliance; therefore
Resolved. That we denounce, in the
strongest manner, the course of said Car
rngton Phelps in laboring as pretended
representative of the Alliance to defeat legis-
lation demanded by nine-tenths of the farm
ers OF this state, and we publish him to the
state as "a wolf IN sleeps clothing and all
enemy Of those reforms which the Alliance
seeks to obtain.
The Introduction of the resolution
created some considerable discussion.
Mr.. Phelps is undoubtedly one of the
ableSt men i'll the ranks of the Farmers
Alliance, but he does not see, 'eye to
eye" in everything that the iIragi-
native brain of Mr.. Donnelly may con-
ceive. Consequently, the president of
the Alliance bears no very great love
for Mr.. Phelps, while on the
other hand, the said Darlington
Phelps" is in no wise an admirer
of the Sage. AS MIR. Donnelly practic-
ally manipulates the executive commit
tee of the Alliance. 1t is. to say the
least, taking an unfair advantage to
publicly brand an unfriendly member
OF the Alliance as an impoSter, as this
resolution does Mr.. Phelps. Such
great organization as the Farmers Ali
ance should not be made the vehicle to
get even" with an opponent The
adoption of such a resolution only indi-
Gates to what al end the Alliance is be-
ing used for.
o, Miserere.
The everlasting binding Irvine queS-
ton was before the committee The
Alliance officers appear to be fearfuily
afraid that after appropriating nearly
5000, 900 to the state prison for the pur-
pose of supplying farmers with binding
twine at cost, so at the instance of w.
&. Meighen, the following was in
dOrSed:
Whereas, The state, at the request of the
Farmers Alliance, has entered upon the eX
pertinent of manufacturing binding Irvine in
the state prison at saltwater, and
Whereas; There is general fear that at
tempts will be made TO make the business
failure so as to secure the use of all the con
Wet labor for the old state prison ring. and
at the same time rebuke the farmers for in
terfering in the matter therefore
Resolved, That the Farmers Alliance of
Washington county are hereby requested to
meet and elect committee of farmers living
near Saltwater, to give their personal super
vision to the management of the state prison
in reference to the manufacture of binding
twine, and report from time to time to the
state executive committee as to the good
faith of the board of managers of the state
prison on this work. and as to the quality,
price and disposition of the Irvine manu-
| featured.
Resolved That the executive committee of
| the State Farmers Alliance shall exercise a
| genersl supervision, from time to time, over
! the management of the twine industry IN the
| state prison. with view to keeping the
| farmers of the state informed as to the prog
reSS of the work.
Not content with this. MessrS. Poore,
| Meighen and Bohall were appointed a
| committee under this resolution.
Resolved, That the executive committee
! proceed to elect a subcommittee of three
| members, whose duty it shall be to confer
| with the business agency and with other par
| ties, without expense TO the State Alliance
| with Il view of ascertaining how the farmers
| of the state can be furnished during this crop
! year with binding Irvine at the lowest posi-
| HE prices. They shall correspond with East
ern manufacturers, and report the results of
| their Investigations TO the next meeting of
! the executive committee.
The Other Fellow Did 1t.
With an increased tax levy and nearly
thousand general bills un2cted upon,
| it is difficult to conceive how the action
of the Alliance legislators can be COM
mended. But ignoring the fact that the
| Alliance party were largely responsible
| for the organization OF both houses,
| upon the proposition of Miss Mcdonald,
| the following was adopted:
Whereas, The Alliance executive committee
| recognizes that the Alliance members of the
| senate and house were in so hopeless a mi
nority that it was impossible for them to
| shape legislation and accomplish the reforms
| desired bv the Alliance; and,
| Whereas, We have carefully watched the
| course of our members and find that they
| have labored earnestly and faithfully. be it
| resolved, That the executive committee
| desires to express Its approval of the course
| or Alliance members of the house and senate
| and to insure future success would urge that
| the Alliance see to it that we have major
| ity i'll the next house, because i'll no other
way can we hope to make available the
| earnest efforts of our representatives.
Mr.. Donnelly and Mr.. Bjorge did not
vote on this resolution, which otherwise
was carried unanimously.
Campaign Debts.
A mass of routine and other work
was disposed of. 1t appears that the
committee is being constantly impor-
| tuned' to settle the debts of the ALI
ance campaign committee. The COM
mittee, not having received a report of
the receipts and expenses of the cam
| paign committee. passed resolution
calling upon Albert Warren, secretary.
ito Immediately furnish complete and
detailed report of all transactions in re-
laton to the last campaign" The ex-
ecutiye committee claimed the right of
| the Farmers Alliance to name counsel
| to represent the agricultural community
in the investigation to be continued
| luton was passed that ''the people of
Minnesota will not be satisfied I'M
| Less Mr. Erwin is retained with