St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1891-10-10
CANNOT BIND IT'S MEMBERS:
Colfax Chronicle.


ment is being INDUCED in of late as t
whether members of the Alliance can b
bound politically. We asserted positivel,
twelve months ago that members of tn
Union could not be bound or controlled
politically, and that if any such attemp
the letter as well as the spirit of the con
stitution. For SO holding and contendin,
we have met with considerable unpopular
lty among the more thoughtless member
OF the Union. Our position is the result O
twenty years experience as member of {
| labor organization, as wellas information
obtained by reading agf associating witt
knowing and understandingsh be Alliance
to be kindred organization ofstlabor, diff
fering only in that it seeks to keepeu the
price of produce, while the others seek on
ly to sustain fair and equitable prices fol
labor, we have held al aalong that the
Union has no right orpower to bind its
members politically, and that any such at
| tempt was an infraction upon Individual
right. The late telegram from President
Polk to Mr.. Guice, while at Lafayette
| plainly and Enthusiastically enunciates this
fact. Says President Polk:
Individual members of the Alliance
must be left free to act according to their
own judgment. The action of the Alliance
cannot bind individual members to sup
Under this ruling, and the well known
fact that guarantee is given every candi-
date for admission to the Union that his
oath will not in any way abrogate or effect
his religious or political rights, it becomes
very interesting to know how the third
party agitate-s expect to hold the support
of the brethren to their wild and unrea-
sonable political theories
In talk with Mr.. B. A. Fortson, on last
Saturday, he said we were perfectly Cor
rect in our position that neither State, par
ish, nor sub-unions have the right to con-
troll the political action of their members
When asked how, then, were they to be
held to the Ocala platform, he said they
could not be held to it by any rule or right
of the order, but that nearly all would sup
port it from choice and because it suited
their views. We then asked if majority
OF the Grant parish union should deter
mine to support the Democratic party,
would he feel bound to go with the major
ity; to which he promptly replied no.
Z Thus it will be seen that while Messrs.
;Fortson, Guice, Taylor, Brian T. Co.. are
brewing their little tempest in Winn and
Grant, and kicking like mustang ponies
because majority of the order have seen
ut to go with the political party of their
choice, they have no power to hold in line
even the few whom they have hoodwinked
by their mistaken zeal and clamor. As in
uAsiuudiS GiIC u Tile state unions
had perfect right to pledge their support
to Democratic measures, but that action
cannot bind Others only so far as they see
tit to follow. True, the unwritten law and
obligation to stand by the the decision of
the majority will hold all sincere and loyal
men to the compact made at Lafayette,
and, with the exception of the unions of
other parishes, the great majority are favor
able to the action of the State union but |
all old-time Republicans, Independents, |
dreenb nbackers, and parties with private axes
20 grind will be found to be the most noisy |
md vigorous kickers against that COM
,ine. But whenever they seek by abuse
md ostracism to coerce their fellow mem
,ers into following their lead they are
yiolating the rules of the order and nsurp-
ng right they do not posses, to say moth
ng of the bad faith and treachery display
d toward the majority.
In this connection we would state that
We have been agreeahly surprised to meet
everal members of the union within the
'ast week who deplore the inconsistent
md wild action of the brethren in Grant
nd Winn, and we feel hopeful that the
ounsel of these few viii prevail and all
'ad faith be redeemed by more moderate
md conservative course than has been
pursued for the past few weeks. The Alli-
nee is non-pclitical in its very nature, and
)cala or any other platform It's only
egitimate sphere of political action is to
make its demands, and then urge the
members to support that party which con-
edes most. 1t can no more afford to at
empt to control the political views of it's
members than to interfere with their reli-
ion. As it cannot bind to the support of
ny platform, the Inconsistency and mad
stability of the union attempting to turn
ts organization into political machine is