Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-07-10
THE CONVENTION TO-DAY.

The meeting to-day in Fort Worth
of representative members OF the
Farmers Alliance is an occasion OF
more than casual importance. That
| the Alliance OF the state Is, when
rightly directed, a powerful influence,
is undoubted. The organization holds
in its membership a great many thou
sands OF farmers, among them some OF
the leading men of the state. Solid
| arity in action would make them
almost irresistible. But that solidarity
| is wanting. Disagreements as to pol
icies have made divisions in the order.
The men who have got into positions
OF importance have diverted the Alli-
ance from the way of its original inten-
ton, corrupted its virtue, and deceived
its members who took upon themselves
the obligations Of membership under
the teaching that they were not to be
required to depart from their political
associations. To protest against this
course of The leaders, to expose the
prostitution that the order has beer
brought TO in the furtherance of their
ambition, and to demand return to
the original spirit of the organization,
are the reasons for the coming together
of Alliance men in Fort Worth to-day.
In national representative meeting
held at Ocala, Fla, certain demands
were laid down as the principles OF The
Alliance. At meeting Of representa-
tives of the state organization, held in
Waco it was resolved that the mem
bers OF the Alliance should not support
any man for Office unless he should
pledge himself to accept the Ocala
platform as his own declaration OF
principles. The action OF those two
conventions was q denial to the mem
bers OF political freedom. Certain poll
cies were formulated, and the direction
was issued that no member should sup
port any man, Democrat or Republi-
can, who should reject those policies.
What is the Fort Worth convention
going to do about it? And what will
the sub-treasury faction OF the Alliance,
which has the control of the official
machinery. do about the Fort Worth
convention?
About the only thing the Fort Worth
convention can do, if it does anything,
is to declare against the authority of
the Waco convention to commit the in
dividual members OF the Alliance to
definite political lines, and to an
nounce their independence of any au-
thority that takes upon itself to direct
their political thought and conduct.
And then it will be time for the
other side to act. Such an open de-
fance of the Irregular" organization
cannot be permitted, if that organ iza-
ton would maintain its authority.
That it has the spirit to take emphatic
action was shown by the treatment of
recalcitrant sub-Alliance which de-
clared its confidence in the conduct of
an Alliance member of the legislature
who signed the famous thirteen" cir
cular. The charter OF the venture
some sub-Alliance was called in. If
such action were taken against so mild
an offense as that, what can be done to
meet the enormity of the sin of these
members who come together and defy
the whole sub-treasury faction-who
have, as it were, denied the very holy
ghost? We may look for the fulmina-
ton Of decree OF anathema maranatha
against the apostates as soon as the
Macune crowd get together.