The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-10-06
THE GREAT ~

Anti-Sub- Treasury Meeting--The Secre-
tary of the National Reform Press
Association Attended--Six States
Represented by II Dele
gates-ExtraCts from
the Proceedings.
The great Hall ,McAllister Anti-Sub
Treasury Bobtail Alliance Convention
of real (0 farmers met in St. Louis,
and the delegates have gone home.
For weeks the partisan press had been
carrying, in flaming headlines, the an
nOuncement of this non partisan con-
ventiOn-this convention of real farm
ers. 1t was called an Anti Sub-Treasury
! Convention, but the call issued an
nounced its purpose as opposed to the
Sub Treasury and land loan schemes
and the Third party" Inasmuch as it
was and is claimed that the cOnven-
tion was to be entirely nOn-partisan,
the writer of this is yet at a loss to
| know by what coincidence it happened
that all the delegates attending were
members of the same party, and why
they should oppose a third any more
than first Ol second party.
X
The whole thing seemed to be in ac-
cord with the programme arranged
| by the political trimmers of the Demo
cratic party year agO-that the de-
mandG of the Alliance should be so
! trimmed that the whole organization
could be prOstituted to the use of the
! Democratic party. Not a single dele
gate there that would not tell you that
relief could be had through either one
of the old parties, and we venture the
assertion that there were not three
delegates in the convention that would
not tell you the Democratic party was
the one.
Mr. ITall and his followers claim to
be the Alliance, and that this meeting
was for the purpose of promoting har
mOny in the Order. Yet it was de
clared from the beginning that no Op-
pOrtunity would be given for the rep
reSentatiOn Of the Sub Treasury people.
| 1t was all a narrow, One-sided affair.
! In every meeting of the Alliance these
men had been granted every OppOrtun
| ity to present their side of the ques
! ton, but in this convention they would
not return the courtesy. When they
! met on the morning of the 18th, the
vast hall was crowded Gn one COrner)
with about 20 delegates representing
six States. Not one of these delegates
| had credentials from the State Organi-
zatiOn, as is usual in national meet
ings.
But they met and were called to
order by L. S. Hail. who stated the
object of the meeting as above, and
that the first thing in order was the
! selection Of temporary chairman.
At this point Iur. Wade (real farmer
from Tennessee, but whose time has
been so taken up in serving his country
in the legislature for eight or ten years,
according to the Democratic creed,
! that he is a little behind in his farm
ing) moved that Mr., U. S. Hall be
! elected temporary chairman. He made
a neat, brief little speech (such as a
| real (0 farmer usually makes on such
OccasiOns) and that settled it. Two or
three delegates seconded" the mo-
ton, and Mr.. Wade put the question.
Mr. Hall was elected unanimously.
With bland smile, but with a sort of
keep off the grass" look in his eye,
Mr.. Hall stepped forward and very
! graciOusly thanked the convention for
what he no doubt knew they would do.
The whole machinery was in excel
| lent order and started off without fric
! tiOn or jar. Just across the aisle from
! Farmer CD Wade, who nominated Hall,
was Farmer @? McAllister, who now
arose and placed in nomination
Farmer (0 Murray, Of Texas, for tenn
| pOrary secretary. Farmer Murray
was elected. Then Farmer Wade
moved that those who were not in
| sympathy with the movement be re
quested to retire from the hall. Some
other good farmer in favor of harmony
| seconded this motion, and We scribe be
gan to think he would have to "gat"
himself out of the place; here some
thing got the matter with the machin-
cry and created considerable confusion,
and we did not hear the result of the
motion, SO we stayed.
Farmer Murray took the platform
under his feet and began his speech by
paying very high and complimentary
tribute to THAT great and distin-
guished statesman Roger Q. Mills"
He stated there was no politics in the
first Alliance and that this convention
would KNOCK the cup Of poison from
the lips of the farmer"
Mr.. Murray is a young man and
dealt in "glittering generalities. He
said he was las good an AIlianceman
as there was under the sum-" that Dr.
Macune and Sledge and their like
fought to put their heads to soak in
salt water as they were entirely too
fresh for the people," The Sub Treas
ury was contrary to the Constitution
and the p0rtU continued the speaker,
1T is DR.. Macune's ightning-bug
scheme, and we'll snow it under so
deep that hell cannot melt it in forty
generations. Yes, We'll bury them and
deliver the KEYS to the Saducees who