The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1891-11-13
"The Alliance and Democ.

Ae'1A VIC Ah0 ObhCA6 Va AthO ORlAiOAs
"The Alliance and Democ.
racy.
Nashville American: Our esteemed
contemporary, the Memphis Appeal
Avalanche, has an article on the subject
of the "Alliance and Democracy" which
is, in the main, sound and well consid-
cred; but we think our contemporary
will find some difficulty in making the
average man see the distinction which
it attempts to draw between attacking
the Alliance as an organization and at
lacking the measures, the policies, the
methods and the leaders of the Alliance.
AS originally constituted there was no
just ground for attacking the Alliance,
because it distinctly disavowed any
purpose to control the political action
Of its members, but claimed to be an
organization devoted to the moral, So
cial, intellectual and educational adj
vancement of it's members. Its first
departure from this constitutional basis
might not have justified unqualified
condemnation of the order if there re-
manned hope that wiser counsels and
less selfish leadership would again come
into control. But no man with average
Intelligence longer hopes to see the AL
lianOe break loose from it's corrupt lead
ership or the wild and foolish schemes
TO which it has become committed.
The Ocala convention repeated the fol-
lies of the st. Louis convention and
with open eyes and full knowledge gave
over "the machine" into the hands of
its corrupt leaders. 1t has already been
made plain beyond the shadow of doubt
that the next National Convention viii
follow in the footsteps of it's predecess-
Ors. The rascsls will have things their
own way, and an honest and intelligent
man who should undertake to raise his
voice for salutary warning or prudent
counsel would be Missed out of the con-
vention. In fact, to such a low ebb has
the Alliance leadership sunk that we
should not be surprised to see John Nc
Dowell or G. w. Macune or DIR. Roberts
of Johnson County, elected President.
The same heresies, the same dark-lan-
tern undemOcratic methods, the same
corrupt leadership, will continue in the
future as in the past.
We know of no way to separate the
man from his sin in pronouncinR judg
ment; and we have experienced the
same difficulty with respect to political
organizations. We may, indeed, while
there is hope for reform, judge lenient-
ly of human errors and frailties, but the
time comes when the spirit must cease
to strive. In our opinion the spirit of
Tom Jefferson is getting very weary of
foOling with the Farmers Alliance. OF
all the hideous abortions of demagogy
and fanaticiSm that ever came sprawl
ing into the world the thing which was
born in the Ocala convention is the ug-
Hest in feature and most distorted in
limb. How long shall the fruitful
mother Of these political, financial and
economic freaks be allowed to spawn
her hideous offspring upon the world
and then charge their paternity to the
Father of Democracy? And why
should we be wasting our anathemas
on the brats while condoning the offense
of the creature which brings them into
the world? What is the sense in pro-
testing that you are not against the AL
lance, but are merely opposed to what
it is and says and does and to all it
hopes and intends to accomplish?
We are opposed to the Republican
party because we are opposed to its
methods, it's policies, its principles and
it's leadership. The methods of the AL
lance, its leadership are every whit as
bad as those of the Republican party.
Inasmuch as there is no hope of divid-
ing the Alliance from its heresies or
from the evil influences which control
it, how is it possible to divide your
Judgment between the Alliance and
what the Alliance stands for? AS
Democrat how can you indorse politi-
cal organization which excludes large
class of worthy Democrats, and admits
a large class of worthless Republicans
to it's deliberations, and which then in
secret meeting behind barred doors,
formulates political creed which is
binding upon the conscience of every
member of the order? What right has
a Democrat to admit a Republican into
a political conference which is to make
political platforms to control the action
of both? What can be said by Demo-
crat in defense of an organization in
which this spirit of political prescription
towards Democrat and of fraternity
with Republicans prevails?
The organ of the Alliance says that in
the Alliance ga Republican is as good
as a Democrat" The only political
organization we believe in is one in
which all Democrats are equal and in
which no Republican has right to
show his face. For this reason we are
opposed to the Farmers Alliance. We
are opposed to its corrupt and incompe-
tent leadership and opposed to the
organization which willingly follows;
we are opposed to its secret, dark and
midnight methods, to it's proscriptive
and exclusive character, to its fratern-
ization with the enemies of Democracy,
and we are opposed to the organization
which is devoted to such methods and
fond of such company;w we are opposed
to the crazy schemes and visionary pro-
jects which it has indorsed; and we are
opposed to the organization which has
bound itself beyond hope of redemption
to these undemOcratic heresies.
That there are good Democrats in the
Alliance we cheerfully admit. There
are many as strongly opposed to the
methods and the demands of the order
as we are. But they are helpless.
President Polk has invited all these to
get out of the order. They should ac-
cept his invitation with thanks. 1t has
come to the point that a man cannot
follow the Alliance and follow the
Democratic party. He cannot accept
orders from a mixed convention of Re
publicans, Greenbackers, Anarchists
and Democrats, and execute them in
Democratic convention without being
false to the Democratic party. The
Alliance is an enemy of the Democratic
party and it must be treated as such.
OVER THE STATE.