Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-15

laoorer, country mechanic, oeun5lg ,fsool
teacher. country physician, q5antry
minister of the gospel, anf editor OF
strictly agricultural Journals 81 good
moral character; believes in Js<existence
of supreme being, Us of en-
dustrious habits, is white per.
son, and over the age of sixteen years.
Further, when any member of the Farm
and Laborers' Union of America shall en-
gage in any occupation which would render
him ineligible before. initiation, said men,
Der shall at once be dismissed from the or
der and furnished by the secretary writ
ten statement of the cause of his dismissal :
provided, that the above shall not apply to
members of the order who may be selected
to buy and sell as merchants under the su-
pervlsion of the ORDER provided, further,
that any kind of brokerage, banking law or
commission business shall debar those en-
gagged in the same from membership"
See also article ), section 2, reads: "Any
person employed in merchandise, either as
| proprietor or clerk, even though he may
| at the same ime own and conduct a farm
| Is by virtue of such employment rendered
| ineligible to membership in the subordinate
bodies under the jurisdiction of the ALI
ance; provided, the above shall not apply to
members of the Alliance who may be Sc
| lected to buy and sell as merchants under
| the supervision of the Alliance
| l quote the above sections for several
| reasons:
l. That the membership and outside
| world may know that a majority of the
| present leaders of the order are not and
! never We're eligible to membership in the
| order
=. That great many who were formerly
| eligible are not now on account of their
| connection with other business.
j. And lastly to show that this high
| handed fight against the anti-sub-treasury
membership of the order is being waged
| and urged on chiefly by set of mug
wumps who never should have been ad-
| mitted sthoy being ineligible to member
ship.
Now, Brother Taylor. since have called
your attention to requisite qualifications
necessary to become a member of the or
der, shall wait and anxiousiy look for
your application for a withdrawal card on
the grounds of your owning stock in Il
bank, and that you are directly interested
in the management of said bank, by reason
of your being one of its directors, and
Knowing that you are an honest man. feel
all the more assured that you will not con-
tinue to hold membership in an order
wherein the constitution is so plain in
pointing out your ineligiblity to membsp>
Ship to-wit Banking.
will next call your attention to the Ali
ance constitution IN regard to charges.
specifications, suspensions or explosions of
member of the order. See article g. sec
ton 3, which reads rs follows:
''When an officer or member shall be
guilty of conduct unbecoming an Alliance
man, or when personal differences shall eX-
ist between members, and, after reasona-
Bile efforts, cannot be amicably adjusted an
officer may be impeached. charges and
specifications in writing may be preferred
by any member at stated meeting of the
nS,,t NF n,.l,rS
preferred a copy of the charges and specif-
cations shall be furnished by the lecturer
to the party charged. The chairman of the
board shall notify the parties at variance
in writing, of the time and place at which
they will take, in writing, all testimony of
persons not members of the Alliance and
report the same at next meeting of the
board, and upon the report and such other
testimony as may be procured in the ALI
ance, the board shall proceed at once in the
trial and intiict such punishment on either
or both OF the parties, as the board may de-
termine."
See same article, sec. 4: ssAll trials Of the
officers or members of the Farmers Ali
ance shall be tried by the Farmers
Alliance; all trials of the officers or MEM
bers of the county Alliance shall be by the
board of the county Alliance; all trials of
the officers or members of the state ALI
ance snail be by the Judiciary committee of
the state"
Bro Taylor, you stated that under a reso-
luton passed by the state Alliance I was
not member in good standing. then
requested you to state on what grounds,
when you replied under the resolution and
that was sufficient without going into
details. l will now quote the resolution in
full and then notice its application and
compliance with the two sections of the
constitution above quoted. The resolution
reads
Whereas, certain so-called Alliance |
members have organized themselves into a |
foul conspiracy to fatally stab, if within |
their power, the Farmers Alliance of the |
state of Texas. First, by issuing a circu- |
lar known as the Austin manifesto, aud |
secondly, by establishing paper known as |
the Farmers World, at Dallas and whereas,
the issuing of said circular and the pub |
fishing OF said newspaper We're clearly in /
tended to do fragrant violence to the pros |
perity of ther order in the most far-reaching |
manner; therefore be it resolved, that all |
persons whose names appear as signed to |
said manifesto, to-wit: And that all So |
called Alliance men who are now managing |
the publication of the Farmers World in |
opposition to the Farmers Alliance of the |
stateof Texas be, and the same are declared, |
no longer members in good standing of the |
order and all sub-Alliances of the state, by |
the adoption of this reSolutin, are so mott |
fed, and charges preferred.
Now, Brother Taylor, did you vote for the |
adoption of the foregoing resolution If 50. |
which presume you did, you certainly did |
not understand the constitution of our !
order.
Was l member of the state Alliance? |
If SO, any member of that body could have. |
under the constitution, preferred charges |
against me, and the president of said body |
order trial by the Judiciary committee of |
the state Alliance. when the chairman of |
the Judiciary committee shall notify the |
parties and deliver to them COPY of the
charges at least ten days previous to the
day appointed for tyial.
Now if were not member of that body,
as body had no right to prefer charges
against me or any other member of the or
der. and l challenge you to show any section
Or clause within the constitution of our |
order that confers on the state Alliance any !
such right or authority. Admitting for the |
sake of argument that the state Alliance |
had such authority, and could, by the adop-
ton of resolution, prefer charges against
me (Which deny, am not presumed to be
innocent and entitled to all the rights and
privileges of our order until my guilt is es-
.ablished beyond a reasonable doubt2
Whoever heard of man being hung |
without trial before an impartial jury, ex-
,ept by'mob law violence!
Now, Brother Taylor would you mind to |
ell the membership Of our order and the
FOOD people of our county, through the
,ress, what member, if any at all, ever pre-
erred charges against me and lust at what |