The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1892-12-15
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DIR. MaCun6 and the Alliance.

In an open letter which DR.. Macune
has recently published in the National
Economist he gives the third party
leaders a rubbing down. lie says,
what we have repeatedly claimed, that to
permit any political party to dominate
the Farmers Alliance will destroy the
usefulness Of the organization. Ac.
cordiDg to DR.. Macune 1.-The Orgauiya-
tion in the outset notified every one
that it would not interfere with his or
her political or religious opinions to
become member, but that the object
of the order was to teach its members
the true principles ofpolitical economy
from a strictly non-partiSan stand.
point, believing that this school would
in time, obliterate sectional lines and
partisan prejudice that had 80 long
been successfully dinned into the peo-
pies ears by designing demagogues
and through which the people were
made the instrument of their own de-
struction." He thinks that the Farm
ers Alliance, as an organization, has
reached very critical period in its his
tory, brought about by ambitious
schemers and professional politicians.
lie exposes the attempt of certain third
party leaders at the Memphis conyen-
tion to dominate the Alliance and car
ry it bodily into their organization, aud
says:
"When we assembled at Memphis
and found that the National Executive
Committee Of a political party had a
suite OF fOrr of the best rooms in the
house, which had been selected as head.
| quarters, the four rooms on one side
the hall leading from the parlor to the
dining room, and when they went to
| In hf, !, Il
same methods, | knew that the time
for decisive battle had come. When
Taubeneck, chairman; Turner, eecre-
tary; Rankin, treasurer; together with
Willetts, McIallin, Washburn and a
few others, went into room and made
up a slate Of officers which must be
elected by the Supreme Council, as was
stated on the floor that they had done,
and which they did not then dare deny
in the presence of witnesses who had
been present and were willing and
ready to testify. When they did this
they took position as The worst enc.
mics Of the order"
The whole tenor of DR.. Macunc's ar
ticle shows that he has ullshcathcd his
sword against third party agitat0rs,
and it will be his mission to rescue the
! Alliance from them, and again place it
upon the nOn-partiaan footing that
| once made the organization so Strong
and imprcgnablr. He fires the follow
| ing parting shot at such politicians:
81 here IS Il class OF men who pose as
refOrmcrS who seem TO think that the
formation OF Il now political party is Of
llrst Importance, ana for that purpose
they are willing to accept any princi.
pies that may have any local pOpulari-
ty. The difference is Fundamental; the
one would build up the Alliance as a
great reserve force for good, a sinking
fund as it were, to which resort can be
had for united strength to meet evil in
all its form, and that social ply ysical,
financial business or political methOdS
may be rtSorteu to as Il means Of Secur-
ing the end sought. but they can never
bt The object OF the organization. The
object must ever be TO meet evil and
unjust conditions, no matter when or
how presented, and secure justice and
| right; these Alliance men IN deed and
IN truth, and If their cOunscls prevail
they will build up the order to a grand
and glorious future, because it never
can fail on that line, and it never will
succeed while there is evil to be met or
wrong to be righted. The other class
are those who see no good in anything
put new political party, and believe
that the Alliance has performed its
highest mission if In its death it gives
birth to the party and allows the young
offspring to feed and fattcn on the life
blood OF its parent to the last drop.
These are two entirely different con
ceptiOns Of the Alliance, and so differ
ent are they that they never will har-
monize or agree"
Or. Macune, in the above, takes the
right position, and had he taken it in
me National Economist, instead Of
preaching third party doctrine before
and during the late campaign, the ALI
ance would be in better tx today and
there would be no necessity for the
open letter that he now writes. We
have no fear that the Alliance will be
permanently injured, now that the
leaders recognize the danger Of the
third party movement within its ranks,
n ~, ots~o Il In