The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-11-12
A PERVERTED OPPORTUNITY.

! To the Editor of the Eagle.
He who has the temerity to assert that
the farmers as a class in our industrial
society have no grievances to redress, or
that the agricultural interests of this
country have had the consideration in
congress, or legislatures, which their i'm
portance merits, speaks without due con-
sideration or is guided by a narrow
minded prejudice or non-commenda-
bic partisan zeal. The farmer had and
has wrongs to redress, and those who
| have read the EAGLE for the past two
years cannot lack information on this
point. That it should have occurred to
the farmer to organize is not strange, in
! times when other industries and interests
were combining and organizing ID fix
/ prices, prevent improbable competition,
secure favorable legislation and control
markets. If organization In other in
dustries and trades was advantageous,
why not for the farmer also? So the
benefits resulting from thorough organ
ization were impressed upon the farmer S
mind by constant reading of
the things accomplished by others
in this direction. In this the
farmer was right; there is both wis
dom and strength in organized effort
The mistake was not in organizing, but
in perveTsion of the organization, and
its prostitution by incompetent theorists
and designing self-seekers. The larger
portion of the Alliance membership had
no intelligent conception OF proper
measures or methods; so that the organi-
zatIon was easily misled by an incom-
petent partisan press and unworthy de-
signing or ignorant public speakers. By
being misled to the advocacy
of selfish, impractiCable and non-com-
mon sense measures, such as nat
money" government loans" govern
ment storehouses for the storage of
grain, etc. The farmer. as represented
in the Alliance. has antagonized those
interested in other occupations and lost
their cooperation in the accomplish
ment of many needed practical and wise
reforms. The farmer has made woeful
waste of great opportunity. The fol-
| lowing from an article in the November
Forum, by Senator Morgan, Is appropri-
ate in this connection;
They excluded from their body all
classes of men who were not practical
farmers, thinking this would free them
from the intrusion. of professional poll
ticians. This effort only furnished a
cover for the moths that could prey
upon them in the darkness.
almost every man in the United
States who had earned any character as
q statesman. legislator, jurIst, or fnan
cier was excluded from the Alliance,
and, as such abilities are essential to safe
government, their places are filled IN
avoidahly by men of imperfect educa
ton and of little experience IN govern
ment, and often by mere charlatans and
demagogueS.
II was q grand mistake Of the Farm
ers' Alliance 10 shut out all their friends
In other pursuits, and 10 contne their
representatives in the public cOunsels TO
those selected from their own member
shin
1T was not possible 10 thus revolution
lie public opinion of a sudden, and the
effort has lost 70 the Alliance It's most
useful and substantial membership.
They are retiring from it, and their
places are being filled with waits from
the wreckage OF all the many exploded
schemes that have persisted through pub