New-York tribune., 1891-05-15
THE ALLLANCE-wHAT DOES 1T CoSTf

THE ALLIANCE-WHAT DOES 1T GUST
The dispatch from st. Paul, stating on the
authority of W. S. Renna one OF the most
monument men in the Farmers Alliance Oh
Iowa the position of the Alliance in that state
regarding the tariff, corresponds substantially
with other information. There has been Ia
hored effort, ever since the election In Novem-
her To make il appear that the Farmers ALI
anoe and the Democratic party are bound TO-
getber by essential unity of purpose, because
the Alliance is especially devoted TO Free Trade.
Nor is there any reason to doubt that many
mombers of the Alliance, including those who
aro in reality Democrats and have always been
Free Traders hope to use the organization IN
harmony with Fpe-Trade purposes But 1t IS
by all admitted that the great majority OF mem
bers in the Western States are men VINO were
neither Democrats nor Free Traders, ana 'here
is great lack of evidence that their opinions
on the subject Of the tariff have been changeo
in any way Mr.. Renna not only contrauctS
the statement that 90 per cent OF the Iowa
farmers favor Free Trade, but believes that
not % per cent of them are of that opinion, and
declares that the Farmers Alliance does not
teach adherence to either policy as to tariff.
II is not many days since Mr.. Simpson, the
Alliance leader from Kansas, in stating his IDEA
as to the future of the organization, declared
its complete accord with the Democratic parry
on the tariff question, and stated that Free
Trade was gaining enormously in various sec
tions. notably in New-England. MIR. Simpson
appears to be one of those who went into the
Alliance movement because, whatever his parry
associations may have been nominally, he was
in fact and in opinions Free-Trade Democrat
before the Alliance ever came to being. 1t
was his idea, nevertheless, that the money ques-
ton ought to have the precedence, and that no
other would command the hearty support OF a
great number of farmers. To all appearance
his journeyings at the East have somewhat
modified his own impressions on that subject
and have led him to realize that the Alllance
has small chance of National influence, un-
less it subordinates or gets rid Of the currency
notions which have hitherto been most prom
inent in it's organization. When Mr. simpson
came East he insisted that the money question
was the one of all absorbing importance. NOW
he talks as if the crude ideas OF the western
farmers on the money question might be al
tered without much inconvenience, but their
devotion to the cause of Free Trade would form
the basis of their future political action. These
things appear to indicate that Mr.. Simpson IS
the sort of person known in this part OF the
country as Democrat.
| When the most prominent men OF the ALI
ance differ thus widely among themselves re-
garding the purposes of the order at the North
it may be well to remember that differences
equally wide appear between leading members
of the organization at the South. In Mississippi
there is an open rupture the organization hav-
ing gone to pieces on the Sub-Treasury issue.
The Democratic leaders, and those members OF
the organization whom they can influence, are
opposing this crazy scheme because they know
that it would be fatal to their party in the
Presidential election if it should be in any
way committed thereto. But apparently the
larger body of members of the Alliance adhere
to the plan with fanatcal zeal, and are max
ing war most unsparingly upon the leaders who
oppose it. A somewhat similar state of facts ex-
lists in other Southern States, though lin no other
State has the antagOnism of opinion broken out
in direct rupture But when the Alliance men,
bers and leaders both at the North and at the
South are unable themselves Ito say what the
organization believes what it wants, there is
room for other people to have some doubt
whether it will be influential or long lived.
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