The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1891-11-21
THE FARMERS ALLIANCE,

There is an old and well-known cpl
taph which, beng only slightly para
phrased, might be appropriately used
upon the tombstones OF third parties in
the United States. 1t is: "B4ing so
soon done for, what were they begun
for ?" 1t is an epitaph which is appar-
emily more likely than not to be soon
applicable to the last of the third
partles-the Farmers Alliance.
This political organizA ion, whether
under one name Or another, is merely
the resurrected body or the materia
lied spirit Of the Granger party, j. HIGH
figure so ConspicuoISly in the West
ern Congressional aud legislative
elections of 1874, and which ceased to
have an effective Influence only a
couple OF years later, it having no
part in the Presidential contest OF
1876. The Granger party was scarcely
cold in It's grave when, in 1873, the
Greenback organic alton made quite a
formidable exhibition of its strength
at the polls, not alone in the States OF
the West, but in some OF the most con
servatlve Commonwealth of the East.
As previously the Granger party exer-
cised no Influence in the national con
lest of 1876: the Greenback organiza
ton exercised none in the Presidential
campaign of 1884.
The Farmers Alliance, which arose
from the ashes OF the Granger and
Greenback parties, had suddenly grown
to such great proportions in 1890 as to
seriously alarm the Republican mana
gers in the West and East, as well as
the Democratic leaders in the Souln,
by Its stated purpose to put its own
Presidential ticket in the field in 1902
The political and demagogic doctrines
which were proclaimed at Ocala, aud
endorsed subsequently by the Conven-
ton which projected the Peoples party
at Cincinnati, seemed to fad favor
with the farmers of all sections, who
joined the ranks of the new organIzl
ton and threatened to make its great
numbers an important force in the
next National campaign.
But the managers OF the two regular
parties evidently have nothing to fear
from the Farmers Alliance or Peoples
pare now. Kansas and Nebraska
were lis strongholds, but in the elect
tons there of the Sd instant II appears
to have gone to pieces and ceases to
exist as a serious menace to the success
Of the Republicans or Democrats. In
Kansas, in 1890, the Alliance swept the
State, and i'll Nebra k4 their votes ex-
ceeded those of the Republican party.
In this ye-I's elections all the previous
conditions were reversed, the Repubh-
cans defeating the Alliance at nearly
all important points by large maJorities.
The Alliance was doomed to an
early death, partly by its class character
but chiefly by some OF its so calI1d
principles, some of which were 1ema
gog'c, some socIahsiic, and some
opposed by good sense and the lessons
OF experience, Apart from the ALI
aace's demand for unlimited silver
coinage and its Sub Treasury plan,
both as pernicious and dangerous as
any fiscal theories could wei be, it pro-
posed that the Government should be
made largely paternal, and that Ii
should, IN a measure, support the
people, instead of the people support
ing it. Much of the Alliance scheme
was subversive Of the soundsst political
financial and economic principles, and
its success, which was impossible IN a
country so intelligent and honest as
this, would have had the most disas-
trous political and financial results.
The Alliance was greatly helped to
grow because of poor crops, or large
crops and low prices 1t has been
helped to its decadence by large crops
and fair prices. But it failed chiefly
because the good sense and the good
conscience OF the American people
were opposed to is policy. They
want neither an unlimited debased
currency, nor {. national pawnshop, nor
governmental paternalism, which would
interfere with private enterprise
PHILADELPHIA Ledger.