The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1892-08-19

s1+ EVERETT w. FISH
It took man who has, single-handed,
fought the syndicates of the northwest
and their organized three hundred mill
lions of wealth, on the wheat robberies,
to put campaign on its feet like the
present effort in Minnesota. To start
with there was not one cent of money.
Out of over fourteen hundred alliances
meetings. This was due to the utter
failure of the lecture bureau in 1891,
and sad factional warfare for and
against the fusion or anti-platform ele-
ment-like the U. s. Hall wing
in Missouri It was essentially
warfare for the land-loan
and sub-treasury as against demo
cratic fusion. The state meeting of
January, 1892, came up almost unit
for the middle of the road" DIR. Fish
was made state lecturer. He then
called for funds-s2, 0OO-agreeing to
schedule two thousand meetings in
seven months. The executive commit
tee regretfully stated that there was
no money in sight. ''Then," said the
state lecturer, 81 will raise the $4,000
for you And he did-at least the
fund is nearly half paid in and he has
raised several hundred dollars on cur
rent expense account besides, at this
writing, early in June. He Immediate
~ brought out a scheme which aston
ished the old parties, and the alliances
themselves hardly knew what to think
of the gigantic undertaking. In former
- -
mated $4,000 a year to carry on a
farmers institute" or travelling
school of improved agriculture. It was
looked upon as a job put up to draw
the farmers attention from politics.
: But as the Institutes were profitable
and interesting, they received no oppo-
sition. DR.. Fish conceived the idea of
organizing an institute" solely for
politics. The only thing lacking was
the almost $4,000 required. The out
look for collections Of from 500 to $3.50
per week was not brilliant-outside the
regular ordinary expenses But as it is
not characteristic of this general after
putting his hand to the pillow to look
backward, he plowed ahead Four
lecturers were appointed, and two sing
ers selected. Afterwards one of the
regular" singers having dropped out,
two of the lecturers developed into
singers and trio did the musical. The
state lecturer, DIR. Fish, advanced the
funds for 275, 900 bills and posters, and
800 for cartoons, flags and banners, all
of which expense the rallying alliances
soon covered.
- -, .%o1
18th day of last April, in one of the hos
tile section of the state, sending out oc-
casionally a man to get halls, and with
three weeks of steady rain and impassa-
BILE roads. There was a daily expense at
first of about $50 without salaries Ruin
would seem imminent. But the work
went forward and the institutes" sue
ceeded. In the first seven weeks it
missed but six sessions, and there were
but six sessions to each institute Bet
ter still, although at first the expenses
were greater than the receipts. the
finances soon recovered and met all de-
mands. 1t is now paying its way.
The plan of the institute" is as fol-
lows:
Morning of the first day the halls
were decorated before $50. Then comes
the following programme, filed in with
music:
First day-Morning- of City
and Country Labor-Three short ad-
dresses.
Afternoon-Lauda and Its Monopoly
Three short addresses, taking different
phases of the question. Silver analysis
Vel, le
discussion.
Evening address to towns
people by state lecturer.
Second day-Morning- Railway Uses
and Abuses-Three short addresses.
Development of Plutocracy-Twos short
addresses.
Recommendations Banks-Three
short addresses, led by assistant state
lecturer Fist Money and Land Loans
By state lecturer. Sub-Treasury-Short
addresses by the full force.
Evening-Why New Party-Assist-
ant state lecturer. The Grain Markets
State lecturer.
The institutes hold Mondays, Tues
days, Thursdays and Fridays. Wednes-
days and Saturdays are used for travel
and for 'outrider meetings"
These ''outrider'' meetings are held
in school houses or halls by the sepa-
rating of the force on unoccupied days.
Sometimes seven or eight outrider
meetings per week are held.
The day meetings are not so very
largely attended, varying from City to
800, and the evening meetings are
usually crowded Both are vota-makers
and are the cause Of intense discussion
in the towns for days after. Public de-
bates have occurred in which the doctor
has demonstrated q wonderful kuoWle