The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1892-03-03
THE ST. LOUIS MEETING.
HOW THE OPENING CEREMO-
MES WERE CONDUCTED.
Zen Tcrril1. Of Texas, Presiales - Council
man walbiisige Delivers the Address of
Welcomed. l.. Polk. T. v. POwdcr1y,
and 1gnatiuS Donnclly Respond.
TWINS II Great Gathering.

OF Industrial Organizations in st. Louis.
Ono was the vigOr, determination and
carnestness that characterized the dele
gates. The other was the enthusiasm
that was evoked by every declaration to
the effect that the industrial and granger
elements could no longer afford to trust
to the ndcr mercies of the two old par
ties, but that hereafter the wateh~orl
must be. Burn the bridges"
When the gave. fell it treuglt into OK
istercc a convention from the dclil c:G-
tons of W hich Cate the definite begin
n'ng OF the most notable political rcvo-
luton this country has ever known.
Every man who sat in the Exposition
Hall as a delegate believed in his soul
that he sat there as his:ory-makcr.
lie had beyond all question good reasons
for 50 believing. hc ,ause as Il gathering
of disaTected political elements ready
on honest grounds to come mo one har-
monious who.c, separate and distinct
from all existing parties, the ca. as
senhlaSc in the Exposition Hall at St.
Louis stands unegualcl probably in the
worlds his. .o,y.
III many respects it surpassed in in
hcrent possibilities of history making
power the gathering of patriots in Car
pentcr's Hall in the Quaker City CEN
turS and more ago. 1t surpasses that
cYochal conventic n, because, like it. the
convention in st. Louis stood for the
people, and because it stool for many
millions more than did the patriots of
1876. against wrongs even greater than
the injustice:of monarchical power which
brought its prototype into being.
That the convention of the Industrial
Association of America in 1892 held its
opening session on the anniversary of
Washington's birthday is considered Il
propitious cmen. It's leaders and dele
gates claim that the day will C. me when
Feb. %, 1892, will be recognized as the
date of the birth Of movement which
will give additional reason for the cele-
brat;on of the day.
There could be no doubt of the intel
lcctual force represented in the gather
ing. There were present in that body
men and women who have made their
mark already upon the thought and ac-
ton of their time. Leaders in the dis
cussion and solution of the problems Of
the social progress of the age were
there. In the front of the delegations
crowding the grand hall and on the
stage, facing the delegations. sat such
men as l.. l.. Polk, OF North Carolina,
President of the Farmers and Latorers
Union Of America; Terence V. Pow
derry, Grand Master Workman of the
Knights of Labor; A. T. Strce.er. OF
Illinois. champion Of the Anti Monopo-
lists; Hamlin Garland, the novelist EN-
thusiast of the Single Tax doctrine;
Representative Ta,lbcncck, of Illinois,
and Robert Schilling, of Wisconsin, the
apostles of the Peoples party; Ignatius
Donnclly, the Minneapolis sage AMI stu
dent; Secretary Hayes. of the Knights
Of Labor: Congressman Davis, Judge
Snyder, of Kansas. Post of Georgia,
Washl urnc OF Massachusetts, Gen. j.
Il. Weaver of Iowa, Congressman Liv-
ingstone Of Georgia, NJ. c. Rankin, and
others.
Less forccful thinkers and reformers
than these have before now carried the
people with them in movements which
shattered the organization Of old lO.iti-
cal parties and changed the apparent
trend of political dcstinics.
Ben Terrell, Of Texas, the national
lecturer Of the National Farmers and
Industrial Alliance, called the confer
ence to order. In doing SO he said that
justice to all and special privileges to
none should lc their motto. The
wealth of the country was concentrated
majority were paupcrs. The masses
were expecting Il second declaration Of
Independence and they would get one.
The time had arrived when they should
lay aside their prcjudices and do their
duty like men. At the same time they
should be conservative and just in their
demands. He asked the delegates to
limit their declaration to the questions
Of land transportation, taxation and
money. As 10 the first, those that own
the land now own the people, and the
time had come when the masses should
own the land themselves. They must
prevent at all hazards the condition of
landlord and tenant from obtaining in
this country. As to the question of
transportation, it was full Of abuses, and
the only satisfactory remedy was tn
purchase If the highways by the Gov
erEment at fair valuation.
The inequality Of taxation would be a
disgrace to any Government, while q
radical change in the financial policy OF
The Government had become u neccs-
sity.
Following the opening speech the del
egates were welcomed to the city in Il
neatly turned address from c. =. Wal
bridge, President of the City Council.
Col. Polk was called upon to make the
first response, ard delivered a vigorous
address. He said:
You r.rrcs cnt those that feed the voclt
that clothe the world. that house tho world
You are the representatives OF the un
crowned kings OF the earth. We are loyal
to our country and t. 1t. flag. Then why
are we here: Go and look up tho recor Il
of Chang, in Wall street. see them loar
money Mt ~ TO lcr cent. Then go t
Milwaukee. or Topeka, or Vicksbury, C1
Dallas, or Savannah. and you will see tt
IL per cent. demanded for the same money.
That is one reason for this great assem-
blngc OF the tOilcrs OF America.
The farmers arc paying SO Ter cent. o
the taxes and they own less than 90 pc,
cent OF the land. That is another reason
II money Can be borrowed on wheat ant
cotton at :1a per cent. in New York, why ir
the name OF reason and Justice can 1t MOI
be borrowed at the same rate on wheat ant
corn in the West? To-day cotton is scllin;
in st Louis at o-ln. year ago it WA
selling at ga decrease Of 2s por cent Ye
The staple fabrics manufactured from whea
and cotton, and which tho farmer mus
buy, have not decreased farthing. Where
has that big percentage gone: Have thu
operatives got II? No; 1t Is in the pocket
Of the plutocrats.
solemn protest against these unequal con.
1itions. And right here let me say on m,
own responsibility that the remedy can b,
found only when the Northwest and koutl
and West Join hearts aud hands togcthe
and take possession OF and run the country
Run It In the interest OF the people them.
selves.
As n Southern man, as one born and brct
In that region. I tell you that the people o
the South arc ready to exercise their power
to effect q change In the policy OF tn
government to bring II back to the princi
plcs OF tho fathers We have already pre-
sentcd our complaints to the two srea
parties. not through their political conven
tions. but in the halls OF Congress. The,
admit that tho complaints are Just. bu
they tell us to 70 home and live closer.
We want rclief; we demand relief; W
will have II. We will have it II we hav'
to wipe the two old parties out Of existence
We do not stand before the world beggin,
for sympathy or charity. but In tho digni.,
of true American manhood We stand be
fore the world demanding Justice, and b.
tlS,i isoln NJ >1 W., yvi1 vnt