Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1891-05-21
ALLIANCE NOTES.
NEWS OF THE ORDER AND IT'S
MEMBERS.
What is Being Done In the Various
Sections for the Advancement
OF the Great Organization
PRESIDENT FOLK INTERVIEWED.

PRESIDENT FOLK INTERVIEWED.
President Polk, of the National Far
mers' Alliance, was interviewed by the
Atlanta Constitution few days ago and
talked freely of the Alliance, its pro
gress, aims, HOPES and achieved results,
On being questioned as to the progress
of the movement in those states which
he had just organized, President Polk
said: THE state organizations, which
we have effected in Iowa, Ohio and New
York, have been made up of the very
best material, and as an indication of the
spirit which actuates those people, the
State Alliance Of Iowa, before it ad-
journed, commissioned and equipped be
tween forty and fifty men, and started
them out from the city of Preston into
the field. In New York found the
same spirit. That organization was
made up of first. cass and very enthusi-
astic material. | find among them the
very same complaint that | find all over
the country-the scarcity of money. which
gives them no price for their products.
The theory of diversifying crops in those
localities that are tributary to large mar
kets and easy of access, with an idea to
making it profitable, is exploded, as is
proven by the abandoned farms of Massa-
chusetts and other portions of New Eng
land, and the mortgaged farms of New
York. New Jersey ought to be the
richest s ate in America to-day, and yet
land all over that state has deprecated
from 80 to so per cent. in the last few
years. In Ohio, when was there not
lpnar ,1,.l
the lands of Ohio had deprecated in
value $S, 600, 600 in the past ten years y
"How will the alliance affect the pol
iiical relations of the agricultural
classes2"
Sin my judgment this movement ought
to eclipse all Others with the farmers I
think that if the farmer is true to him
self, to his country and to his family, he
ought to subordinate all other political
questions to this movement.
what will be the effect of failure
to agree to the farmers demands9"
"That will be the great propelling
power which will drive the farmer into
the third party. If their just claims
and just demands for simply nothing
more than their just rights be ignored
by other parties, no power on earth can
keep the farmer out of third party.
That is my Judgment. They have reach
ed point where they must have relief,
aad | think that they have determined
that they will have it. l think nat it
was unfortunate that. the present aarties
did not pay more attention to thes$p-
peals of the American farmers in the
fifty first congress. We are hoping for
something from the fifty-second.
What is the most pressing question
before the people2n
some system, and to so change the present
financial system of the government as to
furnish the country with an abundance
OF currency to supply the Legitimate de-
mands of the business of the country,
which we cannot get SO long as the cur
rency of the country is controlled bv a
few men. / think that this is the para
mount question.
s'Silver legislation would be step in
the right direction. but we do not be-
heve that free and unlimited coinage
would give us all that is needed. We
want it, however, and are going to de-
mand it. We are solid for that, and do
not believe that there is q man belonging
to the industrial classes of the country
who will support any ticket that does not
stand solidly on the platform of unlimited
free silver coinage,
On the presidential question President
Polk is of the opinion that the Alliance
will not be controlled by either the dem.
ocratic or republican parties.
what about the third party conven-
tion in Cincinnati2"
"My idea of it is this 1t is called |
avowediy for the purpose of considering
third party movement OF course, the
order, as an organization, can have moth
ing to do with it. There will be, doubt.
less, alliancemen in that conventions
sufficient number at least, if they commit
any errors, to have The enemies of the
alliance attribute it to the order. am,
therefore. in favor of good, conservative
men belonging to the order being present
IN that convention, with view to keep
ing them from committing any rash act,
or doing anything premature. If it
does anything at all. in my Judgment, it !,
should simply refer the whole situation
to the people in their primary and SOW
ereign capacity, In other words | do
not think that the conference would be
justified in sustaining or formulating
anything except conservative and pa
triotic address to the people"
In how many states have you nov
efficient organizations?
sour jurisdiction extends to thirty-six
states They ara oroani1;ne, x,e.v ...:1,