The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1891-05-22
Mr.. Steers Straw Alliance.

as well as the Alliance people in buffeting
Farmers Alliance. This straw effigy Of
Mr.. SIS has no resemblance to the Alliance.
We fear Mr. Steel is not searching after
truth, but rather resembles a certain class
of Bible scholars whose search is for obscu-
rity rather than light. Like Ephraim he
appears Joined to his idols, but the Alliance
are not cruel enough TO let him alone"
We mean TO break the idols in the temple
Of Baal, and overturn the golden calf.
These priests of Baal and the golden calf
which Mr.. Steel prefers TO worship have
soWn this land with famine and want, idle
ness and crime ON one hand, and with
wealth and luxury, peculation and specula-
tion on TIE other. Both these conditions
are antagonistic TO happiness and social
prosperity ard subyersiye of republican
form of government
Mr.. Steel has read very considerable Of
Alliance literature he tells us, but appears
TO have misconstrued il all, and is convinced
that the financial policy Of the Alliance, if
adopted, would work incalculable harm TO
The country and the farmers Mr.. Steel like
the monopoly press does not attempt TO
point any Of these apprehsnded dangers,
and until the danger is pointed out he must
excuse the Alliance people for not being
frightened.
Mr.. SIS idea of a subsidized press is very
literal and altogether rural when he SUP
poses il simple act of paying the publish
ers money for their support. That would
be very unsceniific and imperfect method.
If the Baltimore Sun is alone depended
upon for light on the burning questions Of
the day very little will be obtained, Tor all
of its utterances on finance are along the
we'll worn thoroughfares of Threadneedle
and Wall street, and We are not surprised
to find him cropping in darkness. The fol-
lowing paragraph from Mr.. Steel's article
will satisfy any Alliance member that he
doesn't understand even the A B G Of the
Alliance:
sAgain both these writers assert that /
was mistaken when / said that members
will be required TO vote as the Western
farmers dictate. But went to their own
fountain head of authority-their national
official organ--and proved from it that my
statement was correct, for it says that any
member who cannot support all the demands
of the Ocala convention is an enemy of the
Alliance. The western farmers being in a
majority, they of course control the national
meetings, and as the members are required
to support the demands of 1.-The national
meetings, they have to vote as the Western
farmers dictate. The Western farmers run
the Alliance and it is useless for our Alli-
ance men to attempt to deny it,"
Well, we do deny this whole statement,
and include the assertion that he has
s.proved it from the fountainhead of
authority The Western farmers are not
in the majority and do not control the
national meetings. The president and nearly
all the principal officers of the national
Alliance are Southern men.
Here is another quotation intended to
prove that the Alliance is arbitrary.
ssThese demands haye been accepted and
adopted as the platform of principles of the
order, and every member who seeks to breed
strife and discomfort among the brotherhood
in regard 10 the whole or a part, is an
enemy Of the Alliance and should be treated
as SUCH"
And this is a universal law applicable
alike to civil and religious bodies, organ
izatisns and orders throughout the world
and to society as we'll. Any member who
stirs up strife is adjudged an enemy every
where and under all conditions and is ont
lawed, by government, by associations and
by society. This kind of quibbling evasion
and Misrepresentation exposes Mr.. Steel's
animus and reveals the weakness of his
contention. Another specimen OF this Curl
GUS reasoning is in respect to the Alliance
becoming third party" We assert on
the authority of its constitution, its ritual
and the entire frame work of the order that
the Alliance cannot become political party
any more than gold coin can be converted
into finger ring and retain its prerogative
or function as money, and that the Odd
Fellows, Masons or Knights of Pythias
might as we'll attempt to form political
parties as the Alliance.
The department in college which gives
Instruction in history, the science of gov
eminent and political economy is in no
sense political party, but teacher of
political methods. The Alliance is COM
POSED Of members OF the Democratic, Re-
publican and Prohibition parties, of Odd
Fellows, Masons temperance and other
orders, of Methodist, Presbyterian and other
church denominations, and the obligation
the member assents to tells him he is not
required to sacrifice any political or re-
ligious belief. The Alliance is an associa-
ton formed for the purpose of assisting
farmers and other laboring and producing
classes in securing information on all polit-
ical questions. 10 bring the people together
who pay the most of the taxes and collect
information from all aiiainable sources,
throwing light on the methods practiced by |
politicians and other classes to examine
into laws which influence business and |
particularly the nature and functions of
money ION which subject there is an i'm
mense amount of dense ignorance among
even the most intelligent class of people,