Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-11-19
ALLIANcE ANnDEMoURACy.

The third party has pretty nearly
quit breathing. The nondescript or
ganization, consisting mainly Of out-of-
a-iob Kansans. sorehead Ohioans, and
Methodist Jim" OF Texas, which less
than d year ago assembled at Cincin-
natl under the fostering leadership of
Ignatius Donnelly and other political
piowmen, and solemnly christened the
infant, are confronted with the fact
that what they stood sponsor for under
the belief it would assume suddenly the
proportions of giant and crush ex-
isting parties into powder. has de-
veloped into not only very diminutive
dwarf, but q dwarf that has gone into
rapid decline.
The result of the elections in Iowa,
Kansas, Ohio and other states where
the third party adherents were
thought to be most numerous, has dem
onstrated that this ephemeral organi-
zation has been showed under too
deeply for the resurrection trump ever
to reach it. AS if to add to the effec-
tiveness and impressiveness Of the bur-
ial, John f. Tillman, secretary of the
executive committee of the National
Farmers Alliance, which assem- bled in
convention at Indianapolis last Tues
day, in his reply to Mayor Sullivan's
address Of welcome, makes this signifi-
can't declaration:
members of all political parties may join
the organization and it never will become
third political party"
If this does not mean that the Alli-
ance intends to fight its battles inside
the lines of one or the other old parties,
there is no virtue IN words. Certain it
is that the farmers do not intend, like
the uIrishman's COW, to go off in
gang by themselves. They have seen
the third party go up like rocket.
They have likewise observed its descent.
What is the reason?
It is sought in the history OF third
parties generally. The political
history OF this country is strewn with
the wrecks of third parties. In the
political arena there is really only room
for two parties. The third party is the
fifth wheel to the wagon. Its leaders
are usually extremists who hold off
colored ideas on almost every imagina-
bic subject. Reason ought to, and gen.
orally does, tell the third party people
that their leaders are not the right
sort OF men.
There is no doubt that there are
many things on which the farmers and
wage-workers of the country need rem
edial legislation. Members OF the
Alliance ii they desire to see these
measures brought about should unite
themselves with the great political
party which is, and always has been,
foremost in the cause Of reform. IN
doubtedly the farmers of the United
States have, during the last few years,
done much timely and cogent thinking.
They have learned how they have been
burdened in the interest of system OF
legaIized subsidies; they have learned
in whal way the laws may be changed
so as to afford them relief from some OF
their burdens. They are in politics
and are probably in to stay. But they
will learn, if they have not learned
already, that they can accomplish little
or nothing permanent by the Alliance
as a distinct political organization. If
they will compare the platforms of the
two parties they will find that the
Democracy, though it does not go the
full length OF the very radical ideas
advanced by some Alliance leaders, is
yet essentially a party of reform, OF self
government and of fair play. They
will discover in the Democratic plat
form as adva.ced and progressive