The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1891-02-05
THE ALLIANCE OBLIGATION.
Fealty Of Alliancemen as Demanded by
the Ocala Platform.

the Ocala Platform.
To the Editor of Tha Herald and
News:-I ask that you will reproduce
the following editorial which appears
in the last number Of the National
Economist, the official organ of the
National Alliance, that members Of
the order may know the truth and
learn that my position is correct in re-
gard to the obligation of members.
The writer has voted since 1852 and
never voted any ticket but the the
Democratic ticket. His life has been
devoted to work for the common good
and general welfare without reward or
the expectation of reward. He is will
ing for the people to say whether he is
or ever has been an office seeker. He
is now an Allianceman, standing firm
ly on its principles, demands and meas
ures, and knows no party that opposes
them. He knows principles, demands
and measures alone, and members OF
the alliance who do not stand where
he does are ignorant Of their obllga-
tions or reckless Of them.
No official can sell out the order
while he is a member of it without eX-
posure if he knows it. The traitor in
all ages has been the scum of mankind.
The members of the order in Kansas
are loyal and brave. They heroically
stood by their colors and elected an
alliance champion to the United States
Senate over ingalls,, the bloody-shirt
squatter. They were not sold out.
The editorial in the National Econo'
| mist, volume +, No. l9, page 300, reads
as follows:
"The question is constantly being pre-
sented as to how much fealty each In
dividual member of the Alliance owes
to declarations of the National Farm
ers' Alliance and Industrial Union al
| Ocala and st. Louis. There is nc
question but that delegates to both the
Ocala and the st. Louis meetings, who
were present and participated in the
discussion and then voted upon the
| measures, owe allegiance fully and
completely to the decision arrived at
| but in order to fix this doctrine as one
| of the fundamental principles of the
Alliance, and to make it certain tina
every such delegate did owe such allie
glance, the following resolution wa!
adopted by the Supreme Council a
OcaIa:
| Resolved, that we discuss freely, fully
| honestly and throughly all measures and res
| olutions presented for consideration, ant
| that where the action OF the majority ha
| been had that we delegates pledge our unltet
| support TO them, believing when this bod.
| has spoken it is our duty to stand as uni
! to the outside world"
"The adoption of this resolution for
ever settles it as to fealty on the par
of those who participated in the meet
| ing of the Supreme Council.
LAS to the question of fealty to thes
demands by the Individual member
ship much might be said but sine
| these delegates to the Supreme Coun
Gil were representative elected by Stat'
Alliances, which in turn were repre-
sentative bodies composed of delegate
elected by the counties, and they il
turn were representative bodies com
| posed of delegates elected by the sub
who composed the individual mem
bership of the Order now, therefore
every single member of State, county
and sub Alliances must ofnecesslty b'
bound by such action unless they re
pudiate it. 1t is one of the Oldest ant
best established principles of law tina
the principal is always bound by tn
act of his agent when the act o
the agent has been made knowr
to him: and he has not repudiated it
Silence is a full and complete ratitica
ton of the act of the authorized agen
under all circumstances. This, it mus
be admitted, fixes the question as t.
fealty throughout the entire Order, ant
pledges it firmly and irrevocably to tn
St. Louis and Ocala demands, excep
| in such cases as it may have repudlatet
| such action. Brethren should remem
Der this when they hear an indiscree
brother attacking the platform Of th'
Order and ridiculing it, and talking il
the opposition. They should hold hin
personally responsible, bringing hin
before the proper authority and tryins
| MIN in regular form.
1.-THE question may be asked, how car
the Ocala platform be repudIated ? Tht
answer is, the State Alliances can re-
pudiate it if they choose, and so cal
sub-Alliances, and so can County ALI
ances. True an individual cannot take
any personal action in reputation
but if he is not in accord with tht
same and ready to endorse it, ht
should withdraw from the Order, anc
join the ranks of those with whom he
belongs
The writer kindly requests all news
papers in the State, friendly to the
Alliance, to reproduce the above edito
rial from the National Economist fol
the information of alliancemen.
Respectfully,
| ELLISON S. KEITT.
| ENoREE PLANTATION, S. c., Janu
| ary 81, 1891.