The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1891-11-26
rn.rAnxr..s ALLrAsoE.

A
rHE FARMER's ALLIANCE
The annual meeting Of the Nation
al farmers Alliance and Industrial
Union held its sessions at Indian
apoiis last week. The meeting this
ysar was . great deal smaller than
shat Of last year ut Ocala, Fla, and
indicates that the great industrial
organization IL falling to pieces. 1t
il unfortunate for the organization
that it Is SO, but IL can hardly be
denied by anybody that such is not
the case.
There are many things that have
caused the disr ption, chief among
which is the attempt on the part Of
the majority Of its leaders to convert
it into q political engine. When the
order was organized 1t was said to be
non-political, and would in all prob
ability have remained so had the
farmers been left alone TO conduct
its affairs. As soon rs IL waterfalls
ed, however, the of scourings aud
supernumeraries OF the political
world, the INSCRIPTIONS and unprin-
cipaled scum on the body polite at
once saw in il an opportunity to gain
. little power and patronage, and SO
with one accord they all fell to tell
ing the farmers that they were the
most abused class Of people on earth,
aud that every hand was lifted
against them, and q lot more lies.
Then they showed them that the
only way out was to elect to the
Offices the fellows that told them
they were the most miserable Great
ures on earth. Coming at the time
and under the condition Ms 1t did the
farmers hardened to the deceivers,
and allowed themselves to be led by
this band.
Then the Statesmen" Matched o
mighty scheme which was to benefit
the farmer to the exclusion Of every
body else, known to history as the
"subtreasury plan" The PROPOSE
tions of the alleged plan were SO
ridiculous, and its results, IL ever
attained would be SO msuifestly I'M
fair, that the honest and fearless
spirits rebelled and would not en-
dOrse the idea. That I'm brief Is the
main cause OF detection i'm the AL
lance, which extends more or less
over the entire south, the very cradle
Of the Alliance. Added to this the
fact that unprincipled men have
used the organization for money
making purposes, such as the
lecturers etc, there is nothing that
can save it from the odium that IL
now imminent.
In these days Of class orders,
secret societies, labor unions, and
the like it is no more than right
that the farmers should have an
organization OF their own for mutual
protection, and social, moral aud
intellectual advancement. The
farmer, more than any other person,
perhaps, owes it to himself to keep
posted on current events, to under
stand the principles and workings
Of our government. He should be
mindful Of the doings Of the servants
he selects from time to time to take
charge Of his political affairs. But,
that Is not saying that he should
put himself under the leadership of
unpatriotic, unlearned and unprin-
cipled men; allow them to put ring
in his nose, blindfold his eyes, and
stop up his ears. The citizen should
not surrender his own judgment
to the dictation Of anybody. In a
republic the independence and in
telligence Of the masses, and each
individual Is the safeguard Of the
not ignorance and
servility. The farmer, as every
other citizen should hear all sides
and then allow his
own quiet judgment, after mature
rule his actions. Then
he will seldom go wrong.