Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-06-18
RATIONAL FARMERS ALLIANCE.
. voting Strength of Nearly Two and q
aslt MIllions-Sentiment in the
Various States.
New York Herald, June s.

tca. < little question in the minds of the
us of the order that the joint meet
ea,,ioy of the National Farmers ALI
he 1, and Industrial union, the National
sLLforsi Farmers Alliance, the Northwest
CIV Ailiaucc. the Farmers mutual benefit
srfl ,';etjon. the Citizens Alliance and the
SSss;yb;s of Labor, which is to be held in
Tn.a1.gFiD-ton, February %, 1892, will finish
np-,-oriy begun at Cincinnati and formally
eunrh tie new party.
>yI-:;.b the practical certainty that presi-
- Iominations will be made by this
~, in 1892, il becomes matter of legiti-
~ ,lIb,ic interest to find out Just what
W. the movement will have behind it and
-, .ra1d Of sentiment among the rank and
- ~ the Alliance throughout the country.
HTifl his end in view, requested the
.,o+a presidents and secretaries of the
s,'.for4I Farmers Alliance and Industrial
~ n answer for the Herald questions
,a-pr;ug these points:
The present strength of the Alliance.
me growth OF the order since the
,,ee+.rg ii. Ocala last December.
. mic General trend of sentiment in the
,..arfg.rion IN regard TO the nomination OF
tY~5sIn.g,e lent candidates for the presidency
and presidency in 1892.
The probable proportion OF the mem-
,,rsvLo would support such nominations
hand hey be made.
IN -n.,c questions more or less compre-
,s1sir. ans w6rS were received from nine
.ser 5 ates. and they are given herewith.
Suspicious OF TIE PRESS.
There is a well defined suspicion in the
minds OF many good Alliance men that the
t,,apffa!-.ic press' is against them and is
he champion of the gold bug" and hence
emo Of them declined TO give any infor-
nation aOou, the matter.
t-r.r. official sources, however, / am
aha IS supply this deficiency. In Colorado
tfe Strength OF the order is now about
,bree thousand members, nearly all of them
5ar.ng come in since the Ocala convention.
n California there are 10000 Alliance men,
n whom 5000 are new members. Georgia
has about eighty thousand on the rolls.
This state is thoroughly organized, and the
growth IS therefore slight. Iowa has add
p, 10000 members TO the 5000 who were in
he order in December last. Kansas pays
1ges Oh 10000 men and women. Ken
lucky has nearly one hundred thousand,
Missouri about ninety thousand, Maryland
from SIX 10 eight thousand (mostly in the
eastern shore counties), Mississippi 5000,
Virginia $1,000, and there are about sixty
thousand in the territories.
WORKING IN NEW FIELDS.
These are all the states which have per-
t,c,ed STATE organizations. Work is being
vigorously pushed in Oregon, which now
has lvO sub-illiances with about 1000 men,
bars New Jersey, with 80 sub-alliances and
500 .nanbers Wyoming, Idaho, Minnesota,
Washington and Wisconsin. The national
oajcials eav that in the February convention
every state except those in New England
vii be represented. Work has not begun
taIlv in these latter states, but they Will
be attended to before long.
The total strength of the Alliance then is
about 10 900; but from this number must
lstakeu about twenty per cent, represent
ing the women and minors. This would
leave the voting strength of the order at
sbout 100000.
In addition to the National Farmers AL
lance and Industrial Union there are ac-
.grdmg % Colonel r. NJ. Humphrey, $780,,
tll yoieIs in the Colored Farmers Alliance
almost wholly in the Southern States. Then
l1era IS the Northwestern Alliance, with
its strength in Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa
and Wisconsin, with about $4,000 men,
geIs tut Farmers Mutual Benefit Asso-
ra,.ou. strong in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio,
with $50 600 members; the Patrons of Hus-
baHii1-, with about 200,0 600 members; the
Knights Of Labor, with 100000 members,
nc the Citizens Alliance, the membership
(which IS problematical.
VOTERS BY THE MILLION.
Making reduction of twenty per cent in
these organizations for non-voterS and 20
the strength Of the Alliance must oe added
l4lNUJJ voters, making the total voting
Strength of the combination 2,476, 900
throughout the country.
It is questionable, however, if this
strength can be held. The 100000 negroes
are unreliable and the grangers or patrons
ofhlsbandry are not inclined to the third
parry idea strongly.
In the West the feeling for independent
action Is strong, and the people from that
section are determined at all hazards to put
allyErt in the field next year, no matter
what the Southern wing does.
FEELING IN THE SOUTH,
Tie feeling in the South IS, perhaps, rs
clearly expressed in the following editorial
from the Southern Alliance Farmer, the
organ Of the state Alliance. It says:
"In The Cincinnati convention the South
5rD Alliance men did all and everything in
heir power TO prevent or postpone the
oFEanilaiion of new political party. This
action gives the lie to the statements of
partisan papers that the Alliance leaders
are trying to wreck the Democratic party
II order 10 further their own ends. Now,
mad these Southern officers given the least
Oounieuance 10 the new movement. YOU
would today see the third party fairly
.auurhed on the political sea. As 1t is, final
az definite action has been postponed until
february 1892, so that the Democratic
show It's interests in the welfare of the
reopc.
This action was right and proper. The
Southern Alliance men are the backbone Of
lie Democratic party, and have battled for
IS success IN days that tried mems souls.
i they can secure relief in the old party
they greatly prefer doing SO, and will
PROVE is loyal in the future as in the past.
oEt let the Democratic leaders bear in
mind mat the eyes of brave and determined
nen are turned upon them, and they are
expected 10 right the wrongs of the toiling
masses of the land, and not only reform our
t1quitous tariff laws, but give the country
financial relief"
NEGROES WILL VOTE.
In speaking Of the situation in the South.
one Of the national officers of the Alliance,
himself Southern man, said: 1.-The whole
tendency Of things seems to force third
party If it comes, and | believe it will,
you NAV depend on one thing-the negro
will vote, and his vote will be counted, too"
The leaders of the movement are not at
al bashfpl about making claims. No less
distinguished men in the Alliance than
President Polk, Chairman of the Executive
Committee Macune, and National Secretary
Nilitts of Kansas. have expressed the SEN
umeut that in case the Alliance is forced
INTO the Ihird-party movement by the old
parties refusing TO recognize its demands
aud nominating men who are distasteful TO
the Alliance, the candidates of the new
party will not throw the election into the
house of representatives, but will carry
enough states to have 4 clean majority In
lie electoral college.
Below are given the letters showing the
growth and sentiment of the Alliance in the
different states: