Los Angeles herald., 1891-10-21
VERY SECRET.
The Alliance Has No Use
for Reporters.
President Cannon Fires Off His
Address.
The First State Convention of the
Alliance.
President Polk Greeted with Hearty
Applause-President Cannon Tells
what He Has Done-The Pro-
gramme for Today.


IuG b0dJC COAfOhglOh Va tlC Il al AnCAo
Alliance and Industrial Union was
opened yesterday morning at Turner
hall with a star-chamber session. The
doors leading to the hall were closed to
all corners who had not been initiated
into the mysterious open sesame which
alone could throw the gates ajar. The
secret knock consists of a rap, pause
and two raps in quick succession. Any
one who is careless enough not to care a
rap or two, cannot get into the sanctum
sanctissimum. This truth was rather a
surprise to many who have been in
thorough sympathy with the principles
of the alliance, and who have always
supposed that there was nothing to be
ashamed of in the business of the
alliance.
President Marion Cannon of the state
organization was in the chair, and at
10 o'clock raped for order, and asked
State Chaplain Mrs. J. Renneau to in
woke a blessing upon the work to be
undertaken. The roll of officers and
delegates was then called, and
the convention was ready for busi-
ness. Before anything was done,
however, the announcement that Ma
tionai President Polk was about to enter
the hall created great enthusiasm. A
committee was appointed to escort Mr..
Polk to the rostrum, and Mrs. Henri
Fairweather played triumpEal march
on the organ as Mr.. Polk approached the
stage The applause was great, and
after it had subsided the regular busi-
ness was resorted to.
A committee on credentials was then
appointed, consisting of Messrs. Thrash
er. of Butte county, Evert, of San Ber-
nardino, and Hiatt, of Los Angeles.
Acommittee on the presidents address
was also appointed, consisting of Messrs.
Gardner, ofOrange, Crull, of Sacramen-
to, ard Bridge. of Stanislaus.
William Penn Rogers, of San Bernar-
dino, then offered the following resolu-
tion, which was adopted:
Resolved, That the Farmers Alliance
and Industrial union, in convention as
sembled, hereby emphatically indorse
the Ocala demands without reserve,
especially emphasizing the sub-treasury
and railroad planks of that platform.
Resolved, That State President Can
non be requested to telegraph this action
to the state conventions of our order now
in session in Florida, Colorado and Kan
Has, with our raternal greeting.
These matters occupied considerable
time, since they were most thoroughly
ventilated, and the noon hour had ar
rived before the convention suspected
such thing. An adjournment was
then taken until l O'Clock, the conven-
tion having decided that one hour is
enough for any ones luncheon.
President Cannon's message was
placed before the members of the con-
vention in an extra of the Alliance
Farmer before iC was read. 1t was an
able and eloquent protest against the
social system which obtains in this coun-
try, a system which tends to favor capi-
tai at the expense of labor. After
general introduction on the purposes of
the alliance and this convention he
said:
''I visited San Francisco last April for
the purpose of correcting the secret work
and to attend to important matters
which came before the executive COM
lnittee. | sent out my proclamation
putting in force the lecture system,
giving instructions to the lecturers
throughout the state. | met the district
lecturers in San Francisco July 22d, and
organized the state legislative council.
Isent out a railroad petition, demanding
the seizure of the Union and Central
Pacific railroads for the debts they owed
the government, and that they be run
by 6tle government in the interests of
the people. placed the alliance on the
highest grounds in the Nicaragua Canal
letter to the chamber of commerce, viz
That the people of this nation had voted
their last subsidy to great corporations
for the purpose of controlling commerce,
or Matching out new brood of million
aires. That if the government desires
to invest 800 900 900 in this enterprise
it must own the canal and run it in the
interests Of the people.
These, with many letters upon oul
different demands, are what suppose the
Garden City alliance designates my
State Papers, [ have travelled over
5000 miles and delivered several lectures
during the last year, and have given all
my time to the cause. have been able
TO visit only four different counties al
their county alliance meetings, on ac-
count of the meetings being all held at
the same time. have offered an
amendment to the constitution to
remedy sthis. 1 visited Paso Robles on
August %, and presented our demand
for sidetrack to our warehouse to the
EHttEO2Q COLnnl6SlO4cIc, VlO dSICCO W
recommend the track being put in, since
which time the Southern Pacific railroad
company has been trying to get our
company to accept track that would
be almost worthless TO us, while ii
would incur an extra expense of more
than $500 by purchasing right of way
and in the additional length of track re-
quired.
while they own the land up to and
adjoining our warehouse on the front
they pretend to have leased sixteen feet
In front of our warehouse to rival
corporation. This lease is not of record
and I could not find out it's true purport
bat it was evidently made for the pur
pose of keeping US from reaching theil
railroad from the front of our ware
house. have demanded of the rail
road company an equal right to ap
proach their trains anywhere in thi
state. If they can lease their land t,
expIoiters who follow up this great pub
lie highway and make us pay tribute Il
them at Paso Robles they can complete
Iy bar the farmers OF this great stat
from building their own warehouses
and force us to put all our crops through
rival houses, thus creating, or / shoul
say, continuing the most graspin
monopoly in the state. This mean
war on the alliance, and | propose t
resist it with all the means in m
rrowar and think they are ample