The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1891-11-27


van was introduced and welcomed the
alliance in the following words:
Jconsider myself fortunate that am per
mitted, in the name of the city of Indiana
polls, 20 welcome you gentlemen to-day.
You have GENE from all parts of the country
Tor the purpose of consulting together in
regard to the best interests of that great
body of citizens you in part representative
farmers of the United States. No office could
be more honorable than that you have come
here to discharge, anu no guests could be
more welcome 10 Indianapolis than you.
gentlemen, coming with your credentials in
your hands.
The citizens OF indianapolis are deeply in
terested in the conclusions to which you
may come May they be founded in wis
dom. May you always remember that be-
cause the farmer and the farm are the basis
of all prosperity in this country of ours
when you consult as to your interests. you
at the same time consult as to the interests
of every class of American citizens.
Permit me again to welcome you to Indi-
annapolis. 1t is goodly city. full of hospit-
able people in whose name greet and vel
come you, whose guests you are. May your
work of the coming week result in good to
your country; and after it is over, may the
recollection of your visit here give you
pleasure and satisfaction all the days of
your lives.
J. T. Tillman, secretary of the alli-
ance executive committee, responded
to Mayor Sullivan. After thanking the
people of indianapolis for their warm
welcome and paying a tribute to Presi-
dent Harrison, he continued:
1t is the farming and the laboring people
who feed the world, who fought the battles
of this country and to whose energy and
patriotism this great and glorious land of
ours is indebted for its richest blessings of
liberty and peace. 1t is not our mission to
tear down nor disintegrste our honestly
conducted Industries. but to preserve them.
Yet we do mean the death knell to all ille-
gitimate combinations and monopolies that
tend TO destroy the very spirit and
intent of the constitution. We are
not here as politicians, seeking to
disrupt partisan political parties
or to promote the fortune of any political
aspirant. nor are we here in the interest OF
any third party, for by the very organic
teachings we have the right to vote with
whatever political party we may think will
best advance good government
1 desire to call your attention to the last
billion dollar congress Its expenditures
reached the grand total of Il Oj9 27O, AL. which
is nearly two thirds of all the existing
United States money. More money was
spent by that profiigate billion dollar con-
gress than was spent BY all the other con-
crosses during the first seventytwo years
of this government 1t is more than 81. H.
go for every day from the time that the
Fifty first congress met in December, 1888,
till it adjourned March 4, 1891. You can
easily calculate it for yourselves and you
will find it to be So day for every day since
the birth of the Saviour of mankind: SIC a
minute for every minute since the Declara-
tion of Independence. a billion and nine
million for Two years is more than half a
billion for one year 1t is more than IS for
every man, woman and child in the United
81, e.,
tain five persons each, it makes a tax of S4l
n family to support the government of the
United States alone; and remember this
does not include one cent levied for state,
county and municipal purposes. What
would the people of the United States
think of a tax of $40 upon the head
of every family Yet this Is exactly
what We have. How long would they en-
dure il if collected directly from them in
stead of indirectly. as il is now collected
through our tariff? Say what you please
about the tar If but IL must and shall come
down to a reasonable basis of taxation and
these reckless expenditures by congress
must be stopped. or We will continue to
change the personnel Of every congress.
let this is not ALL nor is it at the bottom of
that which brought about the uprising of
the people of all parts of this great country.
lean best illustrate 1t by the use of the
three rs that the first letters of the
three words These words are Transporta-
ton. Trust md Tariff Here is the trou BILE
and there are three C's which are the first
letters of three words, Crush. Change and
Control, the unwritten and ironbound oath
that our friendly political newspa pe-s abuse
us SO much about ] will now tell You what
this oath is: 1t is to crush the trust change
the tariff and control transportation What
Is the condition of the farmer to-dav7 No
nopolies, high tariff and combined trusts on
one side of him. unjust Determinations BY
railroads 10 other IL nd hfI1fn,.
dollar congress on top; money powers and |
the unm rciful manufacturers controlling a |
high protect We tariff BY bribery in behalf .: |
their own interest railro 4d kings CONTROL. :
ing unjust determinations in their own in |
terest and AGAINST the farming masses. |
PRESIDENT PoLK's ADDRESS.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, Nov. IS.-Last |
evening President Polk, of the National |
Farmers Alliance, delivered his annual |
address In opening, he said:
Assembled here as the accredited repre-
sentatives of the farmers of almost every /
state in the union, you cannot be unmindful |
of the weighty responsibility attaching to /
your position Upon no body has greater
responsibilities fallen than upon this since /
the meeting OF the continental congress- /
The demands of the latter for equal /
rights were no more just than are
yours against the inequalities which /
the people and destroy the great agri- |
cultural interests of the country. DiIigent,
earnest research as TO the causes which
have forced the American farmer to the
verge of bankruptcy have forced upon him
the conviction that the most sacred func-
lions of the government have been usurped
by favored few to the detrlment and ruin
of the neglected millions.
What are the alleged grievances of the
farmer Let the record show. From 1850 to
1850 farm values increased I0I per cent
from 1870 to 1880 the increase was only per
cent At the same time the aggregate wealth
of the country increased from 1870 to ! $50
over 4S per cent The ten staple crops of
the country brought in the year 1854 less
than per cent. more than the crops in 1856 |
The crops of 1867, though less than half as
large as those of 1857. brought the farmer
S597ii-00o more. During the last decade
agricultural lands have decreased in value
from 20 to 40 per cent. Two-thirds OF the
country's wealth Is not assessed for taxa
tion, yet the farmer. possessing only % per
cent. of it, pays 50 per cent. of the taxes.
With all the modern facilities of transpOrta-
ton and improved machinery, the farmer
dnds himself compelled to sell his produce
at prices barely covering the cost.
Again, the farm mortgages in the agricult-
ural states are frightfuIly large. In Iowa
the mortgaged Indebtedness is Sl0I per