Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-09-02
DEATH OF A PARTY
Governor ireland Says the Al
lance Party
HAS LOST ITS POLITICAL GRIP
In the South and Cannot Garry q Single
State-Ths Force Bill Is One
Of the ISIS ues.

Slt-1 AACAG---f - %~NA -
Is a guest al the Morton. lie II on has
way home from Petoskey, where he
mas been ever since the democratic con
ventlon. Il have been fishing and
resting" he sad. "and feel much I'M
proved IN health. IL IS getting cooler
now and | feel safe in going home
again.
During my stay north | baye nearly
lost all record of Texas politics. i
haven't seen q Texas newspaper for a
month.
We had an unprecedented contest
over the governorshIp. There was
bitter fight between the Hogg and Clark
factions previous to the convention and
the contest did not cease when Hogg
was nominated. The Clark delegates
bolted and nominated another ticket,
which is headed BY Clark. There are
four candidates for governor II Texas
now. Hogg and Clark are the two
democratic candidates; the republ-
cans nominated young Houston, the
son OF Sam Houston, and the farmers
alliance has ticket IN the field.
Clark's candidacy will not imperil
HOgg's chances for reelection and he
will be elected by large plurality.
Texas will give Cleveland an I'M
mense majority-perhaps 100000, as
usual. The farmers alliance party
will not cut much of figure IN the
election. A great deal has been said
in regard 10 what the party would do.
but there is little To justify the prom
lses that have been made.
Can't Garry "A state.
Ii has been claimed that the alliance
would carry at least three of the south
ern states, and possibly more, but moth
ing could be further from the truth
than such talk as this. As a political
factor the alliance has comparatively
little power IN the south, and the
strength 1t has IL constantly ebblng
away. Ii is st best only transltory
party, such as the old greenback party
was, and its influence will not be felt
longer than that of the greenback
party. There Is little cause for Its
existence. In my opinion the primary
reason for its organization was 10 break
the strength OF the democratic party
IN the solid SOUTH Tue alliance party
has failed TO accomplish this and II will
not be more successful in Its work IN
the western states. One plank IN the
alliance party's platform will show that
it Is not party of the south. That
plank advocates paying the union SOL
diers of the late war the difference be-
tween the currency value OF their
wages then and now. This would
necessltate the expenditure of great
many millions of dollars aud Is the
sheerest nonsense. The south believes
that the soldiers of the late war should
receive reasonable pensions, but 1t does
not believe III wasting the public funds.
The south still Solid.
In my opinion the south is as strongly
democratic as ever. think Cleveland
| will carry every southern state. |
think the force bill will have great
deal to do with keeping the south IN
| the ranks of democracy. The force
| bill is vital issue with the south, but
| is not the only issue, as Charles A.
| Dana would have the public believe.
the tariff is Just as much of an issue.
We do not believe in absolute free
| trade, but in a tariff that is as nearly
free trade as possible, but from which,
| nevertheless, we can derive enough
1
of the government. And speaking of
Dana's claim that the force bill is the
only issue in the campaign-I for one
am heartily sick of New York DOM
iDation in national politics, and
more particularly the democratic
| party. There are certain number of
leaders in New York who have become
imbued with the idea that there is only
| a. n a Qnh that Is Nav
York. They think New York must
control national politics, and If ii can.
not control they threaten to bolt.
| There are other states in the union
whose interests are just as important
as those of New York. | opposed Mr..
| Cleveland in the convention because he
is New York man. | wanted 10 see
the democratic party break away from
the empire state, but Mr.. Cleveland
was nominated.