The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1891-03-28
The Farmers Alliance.
From The New York sun.

From the New ORR sun
The Farmers Alliance, whether regarded as an
association of farmers with certain views to which
they wish to commit the Democratic party or the
Republican party or both, regarded as the begin
ming and nucleus of a separate political movement
is too extreme in its platform and presents too
many startling demands The sub-1reasury, Gov
eminent loans upon real estate income tax,
Government controlor ownership Of railroads; these
and other propositions make much of platform.
sueh A platform attacks too many interests and
rouses too strong opposition and the multiplicity of
the aims must tend to distract and divide the ALI
ance The abolition of the national banks would of
Itself be a big job enough for any party to begin
with but the farmers have laid out for themselves
several other tasks great The natural result will
be that they will be obliged to give up one after
an other of their propositions, and fall back upon
ideas which command wide support outside as
well as within the Alliance.
Whatever in the Alliance platform is sound and
sane will be accepted by the Democrats or the
Republicans; it is not very much Preposterous
schemes like the Sub Treasury plan will have their
little hour and then be sent to the limbo Of moon
shine. The Alliance has hardly had sufficient time
for reflection as yet. 1t has been too much con-
trolled by Missionaries and by men who want to get
power through its means. How far the ST. Louis or
| the Ocala platform represents the views of the
majority of the members must be regarded as doubt
full In almost every State the Alliance seems to be
in the hands of few ambitious leaders, who seek
| to mould it to their purposes. Watching its pro-
ceedings you see plenty of bossing and wire pull
| ing you hear plenty of loud and loose talk, the
| hasty and il-considered generalization of crude
minds in regard TO the most serious and delicate
problems OF finance, political economy, the science
of government but you get little or no evidence
that the farmers, however much they may have
brooded over their real or supposed grievances
have thought out any national remedy for them
They have taken on trust lot OF nostrums, most of
which they will throw away.
The dissatisfaction of the farmers in some parts of
the West and South is undoubted, but they are too
hard headed TO be deceived for any great length of
| time by the impracticable. There is worse than
impraeticabity in their present platform There is
the selfishness of class Interest The farmers are
trying to make themselves into favored and prvi-
legged class and they in reality asking for class
legislation the very thing which they assume to be
the root o. their present evils. Some of the wiser
heads in the Alliance this They know that no
movement the line OF politics can so very far II
it is for the benefit of class and not of the whole
people. Mr.. Ingalls, says that 'the growth of the
organization is not ethereal spontaneous, but has
come with strong undercurrent of reason that will
ultimately land it solid foundation which will
defy all the efforts of the political agators to shake
The prophecy may come true, but at all events the
sure foundation must be something more than the
supposed advantage of the farmers only. An asso-
citation of farmers may make itself temporarily
powerful in a State, but it cannot retain the power
unless il does justice to all interests. Now to the
Farmers Alliance there seems to be- for the moment
no interest but its own.
Is there anything to attract popular support TO the
Alliance in the course pursued by its representatives
| in the States in which they have constituted ma
iority a strong party in State Legislature or one
branch of it, The Missouri Legislature is almost
wholly made up of farmers, and it seems TO be dis
nguished by the introduction of many'foollsh bills
and the passage of few useful ones. The record Of
the lately adjourned Kansas House of Representa-
iyes is notorious The Western railroad employees
have formed association to protect themselves
against the railroad hating granger Legislators
This association is said to number Il good many
thousand members already, and it could easily be
come powerful enough to prevent the Alliance from
gaining ground. The mechanics and the ranks Of
unskilled labor could be called upon if necessary
for help against the farmers. The Alliance must be
dfsabused of the notion that it can injure the rail
road "monopolists" without injuring the railroad
wOrkmen. The latter see their employment
threatened their wages liable to be reduced as the
result of the blind meddling of the granger Legis
latureS. Inc FARMERS nave gone W lne leuSlni IL
they did in the time of the first granger epidemic
attacking one business for the supposed benefit Of
their own. They are trying to fatten themselves at
the expense OF men engaged in other callings. 1t il
risky experiment for organization that hopes tt
grow.
There is nothing in this winters work of the Al
lance in the West to excite hopes fears that it
building greater than the majority of the people
the Eastern slope are willing to admit" 1t ha
shown incapacity else fury to attack the right
of property. 1t has raised fresh crop of enemies
In the South the Alliance has political Importance
chiefly in the sense tn at it tries, and usually by
means succeeds, to make the Democratic leaders dc
its bidding but it has not been able to force the Sui
Treasury idea upon the Democratic party, nor doe
. it threaten seriously to disturb the Democrats
party in national politics. 1t may or may not be
gaining in numbers, but the radical party in it i.
losing ground. So its growth if it grows, is no
! danuproug