Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1891-08-04
The Leaven is Working.

AuIy SOluS Nv POlOOo e'no ui'O viz
peoples party is not gaining ground
Both statements are not true. The al
lance is rapidly spreading in all parts
OF the country and the new political
movement is taking in recruits every
where. This was to be expected by all
persons who know anything about the
causes which brought these two great
organisations into existence. 1T has
been assumed by persons who wish 1t to
he true that a good crop would dissipate
the alliance, because. they assert.
shOrtness of crops was its father They
assert, too, that with the death OF the
of the alliance will come cessation OF
all political excitement outside of the
two great parties This is a short
sighted view, taken by persons who in
sist on shutting their eyes TO what Is
actually taking place bsfore them. The
farmers alliance was born long before
the short crop years OF 1878. 1t is
the child of the grange-the first great
organization OF farmers-au union OF men
and women to oppose the ncroach-
ments of corporate power and to correct
abuse in legislation. The grange was
broad enough for it's time, and it
wrought good work. Its footprints
are seen all along the years since it
came. The grange spread wonderfully
for time, then rapidly passed out OF
view for time as political force.
About the time it's dissolution be-
gan. the alliance was born. While 1T
was no more partisan than the grange,
it's field of active political work was
wider. In no sense partisan, it's mem
bers discussed in meeting every public
question-not as Dartisans, but as citl-
zens The alliance is political school.
One OF it's objects is: $40 labor for edu-
cation of the agricultural classes in the
science of economical government in a
strictly non-partisan spirit, and to bring
about a more perfect union OF said
classes" This stands first in the
declaration of purposes" And this
was adopted and published to the world
dozen years ago or more. Beginning
in Texas, the order spread first among
farmers OF southern states, and not I'M
til the wheel" and the union, were
absorbed ana the whole south had felt
the influence of the farmers move
ment," that the alliance spread among
farmers in northern states. The
national farmers acknowledgements
ly known as the northern alliance"
was started about the year 1877. begin
ming in Chicago, Ill, The farmers
mutual benefit association" was begun
in 1887, in southern Illinois. Thca
there was the farmers league" and
several other bodies OF organized far,
mers in Indiana, Ohio. Pennsylvania
New Jersey, New York and New Eng
land. The national farmers ALI
ance spread into Iowa, Nebraska,
and Kansas, In 1880 and up to
1882 there were many local alliances.
Kansas had a state alliance in 1888. 1t
passed out of view for time, was re-
vived in 1888 in this state, and was
merged in the farmers alliance and in
dustrial union at ST. Louis. December,
1880. Short crops had nothing to do
with either the birth or growth of the
alliance in Kansas. On the contrary,
the order grew faster in 1889 than it
had ever done before. and we never had
better crop year than that The av-
erage price of $50 corn on the 3lst day
March, 1890 was only ID cents bushel,
because of the enormous yield.
The unrest among the people out OF
which the farmers movement grew was
the result of legislation in the interest
of protected classes OF citizens, legisla-
ton discriminating in favor of money
and against other kinds Of property.
The end of the great war found the
southern states destitute OF money and
needing large amounts. The Cemand
there was fully equal to the surplus
left among the north occasiOned by a
cessation of war requirements: but in
stead OF keeping the circulation at what
IL NraS whom Tho war closed II Oer cent Of
it was withdrawn and put into long
time bonds within four years after the