The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1891-07-25
The President of the Minnesota Alli-
ance Talks About the Wheat
Combine.
He Cautions Them Against Being
Tools OF Either Bull or Bear
Factions,
But to Use Their Own Judgment As to
When to Sell--Not Endorsed by
MinnesOta's Alliance.

ST. PAUL, July %. To hold wheat or
not to hold it, that is the question at
present, end it appears to be a question
upon which the Alliance leaders are
much divided. The National Alliance,
with headquarters at Washington, de-
vised the plan of sending out circulars
to Farmers Alliance men throughout
the wheat raising districts OF the coun-
try. advising the holding Of wheat for
better prices. The work Is now in pro-
gress. most of it being done from st.
Paul on account of its location in the
centre of the great wheat belt.
w. H. Aver, secretary to President
Polk, in an interview at Washington,
said that there have already been
40O, 100 of these circulasr sent out from
Washington, and that during the next
few days an average of more than
100000 day win be mailed until more
than 10000 circulars altogether are
issued. The circular, he said, will also
be published in about 1000 weekly
papers with which the bureau is con-
nected. Whether or not the circular
would have the desired effect he could
not say, but he thought it was already
being felt in the receipts ut wheat CEN
tera
Mr.. Donnelly's Views.
But now comes Ignatius Donnelly,
president of the Minnesota Farmers
Alliance, with q circular to the farmers
of the state. 1t is quite long docu-
ment, and not at all In accord with the
National Alliance circular. After ex-
pressing the hope that the scheme may
turn out fully as bright as 1t is painted,
he says:
But realize that when few men
undertake, without proper pre-c concert
and consultation, to affect the price of
. great staple like wheat, and do It,
either directly or indirectly, in the
FsTmers' Alliance, they are entering
upon tremendous and dangerous az
pertinent, which may not only In its rs-
coil crush them, but injuriously affect
the Alliance itself. desire, therefore,
70 have It distinctly understood that the
State Farmers Alliance Of Minnesota ie
In no wise responsible for this moye-
ment, or for any consequence that may
dow from 1t. The time is not far dis
tant when the whole farming popula-
tion of the United States shall be
banded together for self protection, and
to resist the efforts of spcculators to
break down the real value OF their pro-
ductions; but to do this through con-
sultation and wise action are necessary.
together with the establishment of some
bureau that win direct the sales; other
wise some farmers would get out at
extravagant prices and others be caught
in the collapse OF the boom. / see Mr..
Pil]sbury, the great miller of Minneapo-
lis, declares that wheat will touch 90 q
bushel within the next twelve months.
understand that the English syndicate,
owing to the Minneapolis mills, now
hold 15, 000, 900 bushels Of wheat. IF the
price Of wheat goes up 90 cents under
the holding back OF the new crop, those
gentlemen would realize $3. .000, 900 and
get out. In the meantime the farmers,
who are hoping for % bushel
Would BE Caught In the slump,
and might have to sell in the spring ut
ruinously low rates. And then every
farmer in the state would turn upon and
denounce the Farmers Alliance, and
our great organization would be de-
stroyed. And then the CRY would GO
forth, why did not our president warn
Us of these lawyers? He must have sold
out to the syndicatet"
Where farmers can avoid rushing
their wheat into market, they should do
30 by all means; but let them keep
their eyes open. and do not become the
tools Of bulls or bears either. In any
event, understand clearly that the
Alliance gives You no advice and is not
responsible for the mutations OF the
future.
For the present the interests of the
millers are identical with the interests
of the farmers in the great secret
and world-embracing battle which is
now raging, and we should do what we
reasonably can to help them in their
efforts to advance the price of our great
cereal. But this is a world of selfish In
terests, and we must watch ever our