The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-07-08
THE ALLIANCES STAND.
PRESIDENT STOKES TALKS OF THE
NEW PEOPLES PARTY.

Democratic Leaders Must PaS More At
tention to Alliance Demanas--The Mat
ferofCan6i6ates Must be Considered.
ORANGEBURG, s. c., June 90
Ever since the thiri party was promul-
gated there has been certain amount
of curiosity Throughout the state and
elsewhere as to how DR.. J. W. Stokes,
president of the South Carolina State
Alliance, stood on the matter.
This curiosity has amounted to anX-
iety and every once and a while some
one of the states weekly journals comes
out with he great question of the hour:
s.How does the president Of the Alliance
stand on the third party question:"
To satisfy these papers and the puollc
generally, your correspondent visited
President Stokes at his office yesterday
and asked his views concerning the
third, or peoples party.
DR.. Stokes seemed perfectly wiling
for chat, and what he had to say | give
as follows:
sit does seem that our newspaper
friends will get Lervous every once IN
while, ard then they try to make others
nervous and clamor for somebody's
views on this or that question. have
frequently expressed my views upon
co@nate questions. ard ] have quite re-
;eot.y been in print upon the specific
oarss:, OF Alliance relation to the new
party, SO tl.at our inqulstors are respon-
sible for the repetition.
ssFirst, then. as to the action OF the
Cincinnati ccpterence.' AS we under
stand the proceedings of that body, it
did not EJECT itselfinto separate party.
Indeed. one plank in its declaration OF
Purposes explicitly sets forth a refusal
10 erect a party until the results Of GER
tam other conferences to meetin 1872 are
ascertained.
s'Still, its avowed purpose is to as
sumo distinct party existence, unless
satisfactory concessions are made before
the campaign Of '92 opens.
Its platform hugs the lines OF AlL-
apce demands very close; and hence
enod Alliance men must regard 1t as
GOOD platform to fight on if a separate
q Int is determined upon next year.
whether they elect to fight on 1t or not.
-. AS to the attitude of the Southern
Alliance towards the new party,-f It
become a party. It is assumed that the
question has exclusive reference to ma
tional issues; Tor why should any new
party be recognized in local and state
politics at the South? Surely the farmer
has the remedy for local abuses here, II
any exist, in his own hands. He knows
this, and be is reasonably content with
his local affairs; his principal complaints
relate to national legislation, and his
demands are addressed to national par
ties.
ssOnce again, then, let US repeat that
tie Alliance will never assume any at
tltude toward the new party, any more
than it has or will toward the old par
ties. It's constitution does not admit
its assuming an attitude toward any par
ty whatever; and it would be bad policy
ifthe constitution allowed. Its junction
is purely educational. 1t seeks to ar
rive at and promulgate economic truth;
and then leave the conscience apollhcal
as we'll as religlous) Of the membership
free TO express itself in its OWL way.
.'As a matter OF course, since the
platform of the proposed new party con-
ours 50 Closely with the conclusions al
ready reached by the Alliance, its claims
upon the Individual conscience OF Alh-
ance men must needs challenge careful
consideration. If the old parties turn
--tAsir-h backs upon the demands OF this
long suffering class Of people, II only IN
eol5ness. the case will assume great
gravity. If, however. as now seems de-
plorabiy prevalent, the Democratic
press and leaders, not only turn in cold
ness-but, refusing to listen with pa
tience, intolerantly attempt to read out
of the party all who are slow to accept
their dogma as to men and measures,
thesituation will assume the proportions
of political tragedy.
This is no mere alarmist utterance.
An opinion of existing conditions IS
asked; and frank, honest judgment, II
anv, should be given. And our deliber-
ate Judgment is that il the current lntol-
Grant expressions Of Democratic leaders
and papers fairly represent the spirit that
Will dominate the party, the party must
calculate upon losing goodly number
of its hitherto sturdy adherents-bear IN
mind the national party is referred to.
ssThe Alliance masses honestly think
thet the Alliance demands are more
democratic than the Democratic party
MANAGEMENT is at present; but they are
wiling to submit their case to the arol-
trament OF reason before the masses OF
the party, if met in spirit Of fairness
sand tolerance. And why should ALI
ance men not strive to control party as
much as enti-silyer democrats? They
find in The Alliance demands every SUBJ
stantial reform that the Democracy has
contended for since its organization.
Besides these, they find certain demands
AIMED at conditions that have arisen
since the organization Of the party
which conditions are equally obnoxious
to true democratic principles. 1nshort,
they find in these demands more OF the
spirit and principles OF genuine democra-
cy, than appears in the practice Of the
party which bears The name.
s.Take Tor instance the tariff and
tinansial issues Of the Alllence for which
It has been most abused. The Demo-
crate press and leaders have denounced
the Alliance most bitterly because It
win not make the tariff the single issue
next year; and yet seeking to look at the
question broadly as patriots, it is appar-
~ Iafy
Democratic tariff tax upon the people as
proposed IN the Mills bill, and that of
The Republicans, as expressed in the
Mckinley bill, is not proportlonate to
the radical difference between the Re-
publican protective policy and the
Democratic revenue only policy. 1t
seems unreasonable that so radical a
difereD e should be expressed by Is per
cent.
1T, av obsarve fi,rfher that The fnan.