The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1891-07-10
THE CAMPAIGN OF sLANDER.
The Poor Weapons Used Against tn
Alliance Are Har,nless

The Poor Weapons Used Against the
Alliance Are Harmless.
A good way perhaps the best way
to ascertain whether o movement II
right or wrong is to find out who its
enemies are and the reasons for their
enmity.
II it can be shown that the only am
munition Of the enemy is slander and
false reports, then the movement may
be regarded as absolutely just and right;
for in this age of intelligence and en-
lightenment no false, narrow or super
ficial movement can escape fatal crit
icism founded on truth aud broad
justice.
1t requires no elaboration of tlles.
promises or incidents in point to con
vince the people Of this country that the
Alliance movement is right. The very
classes who have opposed and are oppos-
ing the Alliance have shown the public
the necessity and justice of it by the
methods they have adopted to heap con-.
Stumely on it and break it up First, one
individual prominent in the movement
is virulently attacked and slandered.
Ailthe slanders are hurled back in tho
teeth Of those who put them out and
proven to be the grossest and most mali
cious falsehoods. "a
Then some principle of the Alliance is
taken up, twisted and perverted out of
all shape and meaning and then hissed
and ridiculed galore. But note one fact:
The partisan men and papers that go
into this ''ridicule" business always take
pains to first twist the principle they at
tack out of its pure shape and meaning.
They do not dare attack the principles
as they stand and should be understood
in the Alliance platform.
X <
Let's have case or two in point: Last
year a Kansas paper-the Topeka Capt.
tal-published Il long and utterly ground
less SANDER on the Alliance president,
said he was Il rebel hrigadier, that he
captured a number Of Federal prisoners
at Gettysburg, and when they were
about to be ecaptured by their com
rades he ordered them to be shot down
indiscri,ninately This colossal lie was
trumpeted through the land by both Dem
ocratic and Republican partisan news
papers. The report has been corrected
from military official sources, showing
that the Alliance president never held a
rank in the army higher than that of
lieutenant, and that he neither captured
nor had charge Of any prisoners at
Gettysburg. Yet not single one of
those papers has had the honesty and
manliness to try to correct a report
which they circulated with all possible
vigor and energy. So much to show the
process of attack on individuals of the
Alliance, though many similar instances
can be produced.
The New York Tribune has probably
capped the climax in dealing with Ali.
ance principles. 1t takes up the sub.
treasury plan and actually asserts that
it demands that the government shall
loan farmers money and take as security
gooseberries, pumpkins, beets and the
like. After making these statements
4 The Tribune just rolls up it's sleeves ant
walks into the subtreasury plan ant
demolishes it, and then throws up it
hat and hurrahs. Of course. It makes
one think of a couple of Dickens char
acters-(1uilp and Brass Quilp couldn'
whip Brass, SO he went home stuffed al
old coat and pair Of pantaloons will
straw and sawdust, set them up in 6
corner and said Samuel Brass" And
then he jumped into Brass and literally
tore him all to smash. The Tribune
wanted to tear up the subtreasury plan
but it had to make the thing over as ii
wanted it and then set it up in a corner
before it could do it.
Last week the bureau showed how
desperately the partisan press was try
ing to create the impression that the
Alliance was splitting up and losing it's
independent attitude as a political fac.
tor. The report was simply a scheme
hit upon by certain politicians who
sought to influence the people who were
holding independent political meetings
IN Ohio. Iowa and other states about that
time.
These things are cited to show that the
partisan press has totally abandoned all
honorable and fair means of fighting the
Alliance and the people, and is now
STOPPING to the lowest and most de.
graded methods that even bitter and un.
reasonable partjsans can devise. They
will keep up their fight and opposition
along this line. Now let the people de-
eide once for all how far they can follow
and sustain press or a party that will
deliberately practice such methods.
H. W, AVER.