The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1891-02-26

apprised Of the wishes of their constit-
uents Each order may be compelled
to make some concessions for the sake
of harmony, and delegates should
know Just how far they are entitled to
curtail the demands for that purpose.
Perhaps one of the most important
and hardest questions to settle will be
how to enforce the demands after they
may have been agreed upon. Some
may favor the plan mentioned above, of
offering both parties a chance; others
may be too magnanimous to ask breth-
rem to overcome their repugnance to
party they have fought all their lives
and join its ranks For example, breth-
rem in the South when they have
whipped the Democratic party into line
and forced it to swallow the Alliance
platform can very consistently remain
in its ranks and vote the ticket, but
they would not urge lifelong Repub-
licans to hoist its banners, and il they
did the chances are that it would only
awaken resentment. Or suppose the
Alliance in the North should whip the
Republican party into line and the Re-
publican Alliance members urge the
Alliance to all declare for the Repub-
lican party. Such condition as either
of these propositions would subject AL
lance fealty to a test which many be-
lieve to be unnecessary and unwise,
and believing SO will contend for indie
pendent action. Delegates should be
prepared from the people to meet this
question without finching or evasion.
They must meet all the principles In
volved in the demand, and then the
policy of presenting each must also be
sustained. They must meet the princi-
Piles involved in a new party movement,
and must also defend the policy of their
action. Some will say that it is folly to
attempt to enforce the demands by a
third party move, because majority of
the country would have to be converted
to the party before its mandates could
be enforced, while, under present cir
cumstances, with only two parties, and
they of equal strength, that majority
of one party, or a fraction over one
fourth of the entire vote, could be made
to carry out the demands They forget
that by the same process of reasoning
there would be three parties equally
divided, and that therefore it would
only require a fraction over one-sixth
the entire vote to enforce the demands.
The fact is that both processes of rea-
soning are false, and no demand should
be contended for that would not benefit
the whole people.
The platform adopted by the joint
committee of confederation simplifies
the process of presenting the demands
to the people. This platform is agreed
to by the National Farmers Alliance
and Industrial Union, the Knights of
Labor, the National Citizens Alliance,
and the Colored National Farmers AL
lance and Cooperative Union, and will
be the basis on which all organizations
will cooperate in the movement In
conclusion, this action can not be con-
strued as ''having gone into politics or
as having refused to go into politics. I"
1t is simply biding the verdict of the
people.
There are some tracks in this road
that it might be well for the politician
to study closely. 1t is cool, calm, con-
servative and dignifed; there is nothing
''hurrah" about it. There is no threat,
and still there is effective preparation
for the enforcement of the demands.
Can any observer of the signs of the
times doubt that should the politician
examine the trail in February 1892, he
will find the tracks all pointing the
way?-National Economist.