Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1891-10-29
FRANK M'GRATH.
The Ex-President of the Kansas
Farmers Alliance Talks.
THE VINCENT FACTION SCORED.
BIddle, the New President, Must Steer
Clear of Them or There VIII BE Dis
ruption-The Order Losing
Members.


TOPEKA, Kan, Oct 26.-Frank Nc
Grath, ex-president of the Kansas
Farmers Alliance, arrived in the city
yesterday morning from Salina, ap-
parently not much the worse for the
defeat of all his plans at the hands of
the state convention As a private in
the ranks he feels less restraint in dis
cussing matters pertaining to the or
ganization and the state convention,
and he said: 81 am Just as good an al
lance man now as l ever was. am
going home to look after my business
affairs and will work as hard and
harder for the alliance cause, provided
that the policy of the new administra-
ton is not dictated by the Vim
cents or their friends. If President
Biddle is Influenced in the slightest de-
gree by that class of men, l will have
nothing more to do with it, and will
fight it as hard as 1 know how. lam
not expressing my individual feelings
now, but those of my friends who stood
by me in the convention. They formed
the conservative element there, and
they represented the conservative men
of the alliance in all parts of the state.
THE peoples party is doing much to
disrupt the alliance, for the reason that
in has been controlled largely by a
class of men who are not in sympathy
with the farmers. A year ago the
Farmers Alliance in Kansas had a
membership of 40, 900 in good
standing on the books. Now it
has less than 10000. Until the
real farmers realize fully what
effect the demoralizing influence of
the Vincent gang is having upon the
alliance and cut loose from it, this
membership will continue to grow less.
If the order is saved from total wreck,
wind and gush must give way to
brains and sound business Judgment
Politically it must gain converts among
the better classes in the cities, and that
class must be prescribed a different
kind of medicine than has been given
to the men now identified with the
movement.
''Our supply of talent and brains is
not large and unless it is all used in the
right place we can hope forno recruits.
The present crowd and their ideas
1 cannot support and majority of
the members of the alliance repudi-
ate them. They are free lovers, as
their fathers were before them; they
are atheists and fight every principle
which goes to make up good society.
They never supported any man for
Office vino was not in sympathy with
their revolutionary heresies, and will
not be identified with any organization
in which their voices are heard in the
councils.
president Biddle is an honest man,
thoroughly devoted to his church and
his honor, and he will strive to conduct
the affairs of the alliance in straight
forward, honest manner. He is not
possessed of much will power and
no executive ability. His administra-
ton policy will depend largely upon
the advice of his counselors. If he
listens to the Vincents and their friends
the alliance will be destroyed and the
peoples party will be simply another
name for the old union labor party.
For the good of the order think it
is better that Utley was defeated and
Biddle elected. Had Utley won the
union labor crowd would undoubtedly
have deserted the organization, so bit
ter were they against him. As it is,
my friends are standing Loyalty by the
order and hope that President Biddle
will see the dangers which menace it
and keep clear of them. AS for the
defeat of Utley it could have been
averted had we consented to a PROPOSE
ton to desert Secretary French and
vote for Mrs. Vickery. This we
would not do and the result was Utleys
defeat and French's election. Utley's
defeat was a mistake anyway. Many
of the delegates voted against him be-
cause they wanted him for state lectur-
er, and had they understood the situa-
ton would have voted for him for
president. Had he been elected presi-
dent, P. j. Maxon would have been
chosen vice-president and been given
charge of the executive affairs of the
office.
81 want it distinctly understood that
while | regret the mistakes that have
been ma am still as devoted to the
alliance Sc as l ever was and / will
do everything in my power to advance
its interests. Remember, however, that
the alliance is not the peoples party
and the two organizations should not
be confouuded."