Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-09-18
THE ALLIANCE IN KANSAS
President Folks Present Mission In the
West.

Special Correspondents Of The Evening Star
TOPEKA, KAN, Sept. 16, 1891.
year ago Kansas was the camping
ground of the peoples party leaders. They
| came here from North Carolina. Georgia. Ala
bama and other sections of the south. wear
prior Terrill, Macune. Turner and Others had
planted the seed which grew, blossomed and
| ripened into the peoples party. At that time,
however, the alliance, which was the
| forerunner, was welcomed by all classes
OF citizens. It was q non-partisan organ
| ization and its obligation did not
conflict with religious or political opinions
Lifelong republicans looked on the movement
with suspicion because 1t was Offered by
southern democrats, and they did not hesitate
to tell Polk, Livingston and others so. This
objection was removed. however. when the
kansans were assured that in the south alliance
| men were all democrats and in Kansas they could
remain all republicans: Political discussions
were not tolerated in the alliance. Republicans
and democrats alike went into the alliance BY
| thousands Within period of two months the
organization spread into every school district
in the state. Then it was that the state was
visited by horde OF travelling lecturers who
went from school house to school house. and
commenced the agitation which has unsettled
politics and arrayed the farmers against
other classes.
THE PEOPLES PARTY.
Then came the organization Of the peoples
party, and with it came Polk, Livingston and
other southern leaders of the alliance move
ment They were urged to come here by local
| leaders who had been in the old greenback
movement and help in launching the
new party. Polk and Livingston were
stumped great many times when confronted
| by republicans who wanted to know II the
| south was ready to meet Kansas half way in the
severing OF old party ties. They were reminded
nj n fncf hat a.
| Northen Of Georgia and Buchanan Of Ten.
| nessee were alliance men, and that they were
Endorsed by the democratic party. II the
| democracy and the alliance in the south
were one the Kansas republicans were .
| little bit DESTROYS to know why certain
southern gentlemen were SO anxious to array
| them against their party. II the alliance was
purely non-partisan, why should Kansas re-
publicans be asked to leave their party? Why
| not work out these reforms within the republi-
can party the alliance mon in the south
were doing through the democratic party?
| These we're hard nuts for Polk and Livingston
to crack. and right here was the beginning Of
| the third party movement in the south.
| 1t was done in this way: Every republican
paper in the state commenced pouring hot shot
| INTO the alliance movement, referring to it as
a democratic aid society, designed only to
disorsanize and disrupt the republican
was held that Tillman, alliance man. was
elected governor of South Carolina as
a democrat, Buchanan; alliance man, was
! elected governor of Tennessee as o Democrat
Northen of Georgia, an alliance man, but elected
| as democrat; Livingston of Georgia. ;.n alli-
ance man, but elected to Congress as u demo-
| crat. And scores of other instances were cited
| to prove that alliance and democracy in the
south meant the same thing. Editorials
from the Southern Alliance Farnr and
other organs were quoted to sustain the
above statement. No opportunity was lost to
convince republicans who had gone into Polk
and livingstons ''non-partisan' movement
that they were pulling democratic chestnuts
out OF the fro, and it had its effect
ALLIANCE MEN GO SOUTH.
PETER, Jerry Simpson and other leaders Of
the movement in Kansas saw that something
must be done to hold their forces together
Late republicans were dropping out one by
one and going back to the old party and the
new movement WAS losing many voters. So
council of war was held. and it was decided
that a conference with Polk, Livingston, Ma
cune and others must be had. The leaders
got together and Polk and Livington we're told
that to maintain peoples party in Kansas
there must be a breaking up Of the democracy
in thesouth. As long as alliance men stuck to
| the democratic party down there it would be
impossible to hold the republicans Of Kansas in
the peoples movement. PETER and Simpson
declared that there would be no trouble in
carrying Kansas, Nebraska and the two Dakotns
for the people ticket provided the south "toted
fair, but it must cut loose from the democracy.
Polk and Livingston agreed with PETER and
Simpson, but they pleaded for little time to
educate the people and to get them in frame
OF mind ready for the change. Livingston had
been elected to Congress by the democrats, and
he did not wish to lead off, Polk was ready at
any time. The Ocala convention was held and
a platform was framed which the democracy
could not indorse. This would be their excuse
to disrupt an old party in the south.
Another part OF the program, it Is stated, was
to be fulfilled, and it was carried out to the let
ter; Jerry Simpson. ex-Congressman Weaver
| the third party ball to rolling. They did it,
and on their return to Kansas felicitated them
selves over the great success of their meetings.
POLK NOW IN KANSAS.
President Polk has been here in Kansas for
the past week attending alliance meetings. He
came here on urgent solicitations Of the Kansas
leaders Simpson, PETER and others impressed
upon him the Importance Of this tour Of the
state in order to stiffen up the backbOnes Of
| their followers, who had about concluded that
there was to be no third party in the south.
Polk, being at the head of the National Alliance,
came to tell the Kansas farmers officially that
there will be third party in the south next
year in every state and in every congressional
district, and he did it.
asked him if the alliance in the south would
60 into the third party next year.
I'VE may be driven into il" he said.
VINO Wall QrlVe you In! was ventureO.
'The old political bosses and politicians"
"Are they fighting the alliance?''
"Yes, sir. They have nothing too mean to say
Of US
"Who do 70 mean by 'us?'"
81 mean the alliance"
Mr.. Polk vehemently declared that the peo-
pies party would sweep every southern state
I'VE propose to fight this battle out on the
Ocala platform and bury both old parties. l
am neither q democrat nor q republican l
don't care how much they abuse me- am in
this battle to the finish"
He said that he satisfied that Cleveland
would be the democratic nominee but he could
not be elected. The SOUTH he said. was solid
against him and would never vote for him.
1T matters not" he said, "what old parties
do; they arc doomed and the new peoples
party will sweep the country. 1 predict that
within six years the people of the west and
south will be conferred against the east and the
fight will be between the people and Wall
street.
When asked what position the alliance in the
south took on the pension question and why
the Ocala convention didn't define its position
on this matter he said il was above party plat
forms and that the alliance was in favor of pen
| sioning the soldiers OF the Union army
1--WE have decided to let that question rest as
| settled. All we ask is that the pension system
be not abused. We are willing for our north
| ern brethren to draw their pensions and we
will never raise our voice against it,