The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1891-10-16
THE TRUTH ABOUT FARMERS.
The Relation of the Alliance to the
Politics Of the Country.
Louisville Courier-Jomnal,

The editor of the Alliance de-
partment of the Farmers Home
Journal discusses in the current |
number of that paper "The True
Province of the Alliance" He u
thinks that that province is that of
an educator, organizer, and.co-op-
orator. "The Alliance is not" he
says, and can not be a political
party, though it may weld a great
influence over all parties"
In this non-partisan view Of the
Alliance the Journal is unques-
tionably right. The plan of COM
bining all the farmers Of the United
States into one political party is
visionary to the lastdegree. There
is too much divergence of views
too great conflict of interests. The
notion that persons engaged in the
same business will think alike on
matters pertaining to their occu-
patton, or on any other subject, is
altogether baseless. Nearly every
farmer believes that half Of his
neighbors are incompetent to con-
duct their business to the best ad-
vantage, and as to being controlled
by their judgement in politics, re-
ligion, educational interests, or 9TH
er matters Of importance to him, he
has no such thought. And even if
all the farmers could be mustered
into one political party, they would
still be minority of thevoters Of the
country. Moreover, the majority
against them is continually increas-
ing, as the drift of population is to
the towns and cities. There was a
time when the agriculturists could
have controlled the country in their
own interest; but that time is past.
Thus, if the farmers of the Unit
ed States desired to take possession
Of the Government and conduct il
in their own exclusive interest, they
= would find the task beyond their
$ powers Justice to them demands
} the statement that they do not de-
: sire to do anything Of the kind
l Some over-sanguine enthusiasts
i among them have had dreams OF
that sort, but the majority Of the
!, farmers know that great country
like ours can not be controlled by
i men of one occupation, and that il
ought not to be. They are content
to be on an equality with others o.
theirfellow- countrymen, and ifthey
complain it is because they believe
themselves the victims of unjus
discrimination not because they
are not in position unjustly to dis
criminate against others.
= The short experience of the ALI
! ance shows that persistence in thu
. attempt to use it as a political agen
E cy will result in its going to pieces
! By its constitution it is a non-po
! litical, Or, at least, a non-partisar
= organization, and when this provis
: ion is eliminated, if the politician
! prove strong enough to eliminate
it, a large part of the members vii
go with it.
AS an educational agency the Al
lance might be made very effective
The demand, for intelligent meth
DDS of culture is already pressing
and as the natural fertility Of GU
soil suffers further exhaustion
becomesmore and more imperative
W BY promoting interchange ofviews
d stimulating inquiry, and bringin!
h the results of individual experience
l. and experiment into a common
O fund for the benefit of all, a farm
IL ers' organization may do much t
+. advance the interests of its mem
/ bers. In the matter of co-opera
a ton it may also do something
1-o,,4 ~, t1,i,, ,Nroo4,oo1 Invite IN,