St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-01-01
THE NIGHT SESSION.
Which Was Largely Occupied by
Suggestions by DOnneIly.

THE NIGHT SESSION.
Which Was Largely Occupied by
Suggestions by DonneIly.
The evening session was rather Slim
ly attended, hardly three-fourths of the
delegates being present. This three
fourths, however, was deeply in earn
est. and received all of President Don
le!ly's suggestions with the applause
which is so delightful to him. AS soon
as the meeting was called to order, Mr..
! Donnelly announced that he would read
a few suggestions he had noted down in
regard to needed legislation and re-
| forms.
The need of more money to carry On
| the work of the lecturers was comment
| ed upon, and the appointment of a leg
| iSlatiye committee was urged. the duty
| Of which should be to wait upon the
| close of the session. The speaker
| thought the dues Of the Alliance mem
| bers should be increased from 30 cents
to 81 per year. With the aid of CORDS
| of Alliance lecturers Mr.. Donnelly
| thought that the number of Alliances
could be increased to 1900 during 1891
eff this year." said MI. Donnelly,
1--WE had had 81 each from $4,000 mem
bers, we should have elected our whole
state ticket and carried both branches
Of the legislature. 1t is marvellous that
so much was accomplished with so little,
and great credit is due to those who did
the work. 1t shows the deep-seated,
passionate sense of wrong and injustice
throbbing through the people, when,
without an efficient organization, with
out funds and almost without speakers,
we came within about $4,000 votes of
carrying the great state OF Minnesota.
A change of 1880 votes would have
given US the state"
The scheme of turning the Alliance
into a
Vast Purchasing Agency
Mr.. Donnelly thought should be handled
carefully. He thought with an eXecu-
tive committee composed Of good
men it would be all right.
The fact that the two hail in
surances are bucking each other was
mentioned and union of the two was
suggested. He also suggested that the
fee be raised from % cents per acre to
so cents.
II would call your attention." said
Mr.. Donnelly, ''to another matter. 1t is
very evident that, if we are to seek re-
dress of grievances at the ballot box. we
must induce the wage-workers of the
cities to cooperate with us. Our inter-
ests and theirs are largely identical.
We are all producers, and we suffer
alike from the oppression OF false capt.
talization. the domination of monOpo-
lies, corruption and the degradation Of
labor. But when we reach out the hand
of friendship to the toilerS of the towns
and cities we encounter great organize
tons that are forbidden by their funda-
mental constitution to take part in poll
tics. We find other organizations that
have been marshaled together at the
bidding of the very corporations we are
fighting to oppose the farmers and
protect the ill-gotten gains of their
employers. Some of these found
of our convention in July last. l am
glad to see the laboIng men of the
cities have risln up to protest against
these wolves in sleeps clothing. We
are also, as things are now, constrained
to accept the support of volunteer clubs
of lab0rers, made up on the spur OF the
moment, packed, it may be, by corpora
lions Or politicians, with malice afore
thought to injure or destroy us. 1t
seems to me, therefore, that as we must
have the cooperation OF the wage.
earners of the towns and cities, it would
be we'll for us to organize citizens
auxiliary Alliances, open to all wage
Garner S, with city and district organiZa-
tons, and state organization over all,
maintaining the most cordial relations
with the Farmers Alliance, but holding
their own conventions, electing their
own officers and owning their own ma
chinery of action
But it was upon the subject of legiS-
lation that Mr.. Donnelly waXed elo-
quent He referred to the rumor of an
attempt to organize the legislature in
the interests of the corporations. If
this was done he declared the Alliance
would carry the state by $4,000 in 1892.
He declared that the Alliance did not
propose to start any revolutionary
speaker was called Republican, Demo-
cratic or an Alliance man, but he must
be in sympathy with the people. He
thought the executive committee OF the
Alliance ought to have the
Right to Demand
the naming of chairman and major
ity of the members Of three of the prin-
cipal committees of the senate and
three of the houSe-railrOadS, banks,
and grain and warehouses.
''It seems to me that it would be we'll
now," said Mr.. Donnelly. ''for this an
nual meeting of the State Alliance to
discuss the qualifications Of the different
candidates for speaker of the house and
throw the influence of our expressed
preference in behalf of the man best
fitted for the place. He should be an
Alliance man. an honest man, straight
affiliations with the rings or corpora
tions, and possessed of some legislative
! experience. If we have any power in
| the premises we should use it. Ger
| tainly our enemies will use all their in
| fluence TO elect man who will pack the
| committees in their interest. 1t is
square battle of the plundered against
| the plunderers, and we cannot afford to
| lose single advantage"
| The state farmers institutes were
| criticized and Mr.. Donnelly demanded
that the control of them be placed in
the hands OF the executive committee
of the Farmers Alliance, The
state, he thought, should also
| lecturers of the Alliance to make a CEN
sus of the Indebtedness of the farmers
of the state. The harvest machinery
trust was roasted and its great power
referred to. Mr.. Donnelly thought the
| Alliance should purchase only from
those companies not in it,"
II. V. Poor, of the committee appoint
ed to watch the meetings Of the board
of equalization. made a report of the
manner in which the board had treated
the requests of the Alliance men, and
declared that the farmers ought to have
| a larger representation on the board.
Hon. Alonzo Wardall, of South Dakota,
presented an appeal for aid from the
Alliance in South Dakota. Robert Eek
ford. secretary of the Donnelly-Fish
Hail Insurance company, made re-
port, and the following committee was
appointed to investigate the affairs of
| this and the Austin company: Messrs.
McGrath, Meighen. McGhee, Plowman