The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1892-08-17
The Alliance and the Peoples
Party.

The fact that some of the
prominent officers of the ALI
ance in this State are for the
nominees of the Peoples Party,
would indicate that they have
abandoned the Alliance with
| its non-partisan features and
taken to partisan politics with
out reserve. Their mission si
as absolutely partisan as if they
were for the Republican or the
Democratic ticket, for the SO
called Peoples party is as pure
ly political as any other. The
theory that it is an uprising of
the people is the usual myth
which accompanies the birth
of all short lived political or
ganizations. The Know Moth
ing party was an uprising Of
the people, the Greenback party
was an uprising of the people,
and SO on through the long list
of now extinct political organi-
zations.
There are few things more
deceptive than the prospectus
of a new party. It always has
an attractive list of the bur-
dens it proposes to relieve the
people Of, the injuries that have
been imposed on the people in
the past, and the utterly USE
less, incapable and corrupt
character of the already exist
ing parties. Every new party
that we have seen startin TWEEN
ty five years has had these
characteristics in its prospectus.
fn-the matter Of promises and
prophesies it is profuse, and
those who can recollect how
many of them have been born
and buried in this prolific coun
try have good reason to know
how few of the promises ever
come to anything, or indeed,
were intended to serve any more
serious purpose than clap trap
for catching votes. But a new
party in America is safe in
promising anything. As it nev.
er gets into power, it can never
be held to accountability in the
matter of redeeming its pledges.
"A congressman here and there,
a Senator or two, and it has
reached its high water
mark Then come fusions and
combinations with the old par
ties for the advancement of in
dividuals, and that is soon fol-
lowed by falling back into the
ranks of the old parties again.
That is the history Of new po-
litical parties IN this country,
as those who will take the
trouble to read may know.
The great and real objection
TO new parties is that they
waste energy, talent, and work
that might be expended with
success in a good cause. The
present attitude of those who
have abandoned the Alliance to
waste their energies in a Peo-
pies party is a good Illustration
of this. The farmers of this
country are now the chief suf-
ferers from a system Of taxation
that ought to be reformed. The
man that says or thinks they
are not unjustly and cruelty
handicapped in their struggle
for prosperity and comfort, SIM
ply shows his ignorance. Other
men besides the farmer suffer,
but he suffers most because he
constitutes the bulk Of the pop
ulation and does the bulk
of the work Of the country.
He is selling his crop Of 1892 in
the Mckinley home market for
rs cents and in any market in
the world he can find sale for il,
and yet he is compelled by law
to buy everything he uses in
one market and is shut in from
buying where il is cheapest.
This, whatever, other name
you may choose for it, is slavery
and that condition accounts for
every i'll humanity can he af-
fected by. With this condition
OF affairs changed, the farmer
would be as well to do as any
other citizen Of the country.
There has been one party and
but one party--the Democracy
fighting TO make this change
in the farmers situation. IL
has been steadily fighting for
it, and two years ago it swept
the country with an unparalel-
ed victory on this very issue.
This year on the same issue il
is fighting for the control Of the
government. In this fightwhat
are Alliance men asked TO do
by those who have left it for
the Peoples partyg They are
asked though all are farmers,
though they represent almost
the entire farming interest Of
the country-they are asked TO
stop this tide Of victory that is
sweeping on TO take taxation
from their backs; TO take their
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