Omaha daily bee., 1892-07-03
ORIGIN OF THE PARTY
History of the Steps Leading to Coalition
of the Reform Forces.
FIRST STEPS BY SOUTHERN FARMERS
Created in Texas to Prevent Further Spolia.
tiop of the Public Lands.
POLITICS BARRED OUT AT THE BAPTISM
Wonderful Rise and Growth and Woeful
Fall of the Grange Movement
llTICS BARRED OUT AT THE BAPTISM
NORTHERN FARMERS ESPoUSE THE CAUSE
Review of the Various Organizations and
Their Final Union mt Ocaia and st.
Louis - Platform on which
Omaha Delegates Stand.

little moro than twenty-five years ago
the move was made that gave the farmers
alliance its start
Soon after tho close of the war President
johnson sent an sgcnt into the southern
states to Investigate tho condition of the
farmers III that section and report the result
OF his Investigations. One Of the results OF
that journey was the organization of what
was known tho Patrons of Husoandry,
commonly called the grange. 1t was organ
lied in the city OF Washington by seven per-
sons, all but one Of whom were employed in
various departments of the government.
The object was to organize the farmers,
not only of the south but of all parts of the
country, for purposes of mutual protection
against the eucroachments of organized cap
ital.
At that timo the condition OF the public
mind in the south was suspicious and fever
ish; the people were distrustfu OF all propo-
sitions OF n social or political character which
did not originate among themselves; hence
the new organization was not received kindly
by the persons for whom 1t was chiefly in.
tended.
Rise and Fall of the Grange.
The grange, however, grew with great
rapidlty, spreading all over the country, so
that within the next seven years Its men,
bership was numbered by hundreds Of thou
sands. But 1t lacked discipline and after
wonderful growth of nine years it quite as
rapidly receded from public view.
While 1t was the intention of the organic
crs that none but those directly interested in
agriculture should be members, there wa7
! nothing IN the constitution OF the body to pre-
vent any one from coming in, ana in New
York and Boston, and several other largo
| clucs lawyers, bankers loan agents indeed,
all classes of professional men, were mem.
| bers OF the grange; in some instances, even
| stock gamblers posed as grangers. 1t was
| solely IN order to relieve the body of this
| class of its members that national meeting
| OF the patrons was called at st. Louis In 1874,
at which time end !s'asS q thorough revision
| OF the institution sifected, ..tniting the
| membership to the class that it was origins
| ally intended should form the working body
| of the order.
Tho action of that convention cut off every
person who was not either practically en-
| gagged in the work of farming, or was SO
| closely connected with 1T as to be tC all in
| tents and purposes a farmer. This included
! agricultural editors and those who were IN
| any way directly Interested in the practical
! work Of farming From That time forward
the grange membership diminished yearly,
| and at the time of the celebration OF the
! nations centennial anniversary, two years
| later, the order had Ceased TO be strong,
either socially or politically, and about thai
/
| cally passed out OF notice.
| Birth of the Farmers Alliance.
| AS child of the grange the farmers alli-
| nnce born. The first effort was made In
| Texas, the direct object of that first organi-
zation beng TO oppose the spoliation OF tho
| puoic lands OF the Lone Star state.
| Bodies Of spectators were gathering up
| those lands for the purpose of bringing to
| themselves wealth out of the increase in
their value and tho farmers insisted that the
| public interests should take precedence OF
| those of private individuals.
| For two years the movement was purely
| local, and IL was then deemed advisable to
| enlarge the scope and work Of the alliance,
| so to take in tho farmers Of the entire
| state and deal with public affairs generally.
! This extension of the purposes of the alliance
| occurred in 1879.
| Politics Barred at the Baptism.
In organizing the state alliance everything
| of partisan nature was excluded its funo-
tions "being educational and its field Of
| operations limited only by the boundaries OF
| clared to be as follows: Q) "To labor for
the education of the agricultural classes in
the science OF economical govern
ment in strictly nonpartisan spirit;
| (2) to develop better state, mentally, NOR.
ally, socially and financially; 3) to create
! better understanding for sustaining civil
| officers in maintaining lawaud order; (4) con-
| stantly to strive to secure entire harmony
| uuu gOOu VIII dlHOHR HnHtlRlnu anu DrOtu-
| erly love among ourselves; (5) TO suppress
| personal, local, sectional and national preiu-
| dice, all unhealthy rivalry and all selfish
| amoition.n The declaration of purposes also
declared that the laws OF the farmers
| alliance ARE reason and equity; its cardinal
| doctrines inspire purity of thought and life,
| and its intentions are peace on earth and
good will toward mon" These were the
| fundamental principles Of the organization.
| Drew the Color Line.
In 1882, the Texas state alliance was form<
ally organized, ana its membership was lin.
ited TO white persons. Iu four years, eighty
two counties had become interested In and
identified with the work of tho now order.
A meeting was held at Waco January II,
! 1887, for the purpose of taking steps 10
| bring into harmony with the alliance another
| organization OF farmers in the state of Louis.
| lana, known as the "Farmers Union" Dele
| gates from the union were present and tha
| two bodies united, taking the name OF the
Farmers Alliance and CooDeratlve Union
OF America" with q. w. Macune as its presi.
dent.
Spread to Other states.
Measures were taken at that meeting "a
extend tho organization into other states
| and in a short time the farmers alliance wa
operating in Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee
| North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia
Alabama ana Mississippi
! Az that time another farmers organlza-
tion known as the agricultural Wheel, -
WAS operating In the states OF Arkansas,
Missouri and Tennessee, the movement hay-
lpg begun in 1882.
a meeting was held at Shreveport, La, In
October 1857 for tho purpose OF merging
the wheel" into the farmers alliance, ana
tho object was successfully accomplished.
Az tnat meeting, tho states OF Texas, Louis
lana, Arkansas Missouri Tennessee, Florl-
ga, Kentucky, North Carolina and Kansas
were present and participated. This new
organization, embracing the alliance, the
uniO n and the wheel, was finally named the
Farmers and Laborers Union OF Ameri
ca
Movement In the North aud West.