Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-09-01
BRAINS ARE no GO
With the farmers Alliance in
Kansas.
IT HAAKERS FOR WHISPERS
TIE Parry Has Stuffed the RuEalst
With Far Promises, But Hasn't
Redeemed Oae Of Them Yet.

eyes, / believe there Is such an or
gaBzauon as the Farmers Alliance n
kansas, said c. "a. Winter OF Topeka,
Al the Morton yesterday, "but II won I
be On earth many years longer. It's
mushroom growth Is not the kind that
endures. It's too a.uch on the love
that is too hot snd strong" principle.
Il soon burns 10 waste The Alliance
began business IN Kansas by making
more promises than a Tsmmany ward
heller ever dreamed OF making. lt
WAS going 10 abolish every vice, sin and
misery, and make the earth one vast
sphere OF love and charity where every
man looks out for his nelghbOr's inter
est IN preference 10 his own. and where
per ceat is worse than blasphemy and
heTesy. That's what Il was going 70
do, but has IL accomplished lis mis-
sion? IL Il has, the result is not visible
to the naked eve. A wayfaring man
would hardly find anything in Kansas
Al present to indicate that the millen-
Ium was al hand, or that peace on
earth or good Will toward men were
ANllk 0AiN bA2AAAtoo tAAA
they did during the days OF sa-called
republican msrule and mlsrepresenta-
ton. No party on earth, not even in
toe palny days OF the French revolu-
ton, ever made more invlung proml-
ses as 10 what IL would do.
Great on Promises.
AS party Of promises the Farmers
Alliance IS unique: but il never has
reached the point of redeeming any
of them. OF course 1t has not yet OBJ
tanned the power that it has asked for;
but the little power II has obtained has
been mIsused. SO far as Kansas is con-
cerned the only thing tine party has
done In the state has been 10 defeat s.
man famous for his brains and elect IN
his stead man famed for his whlskers.
And that's Just about the size of the
alliance party. tNobody with three
sane ideas would have conceived the
idea of substituting Pfetfer for John j.
Ingalls,; but the Kansas cranks haven't
three sane ideas.
The alliance party probably has as
good right 70 exist as any other party;
but il has no business to exist
by deceit and Misrepresentation, and
that's all that keeps it alive. 1t was
started by faction of dlsgruntled
democrats and republicans who saw IN
the failure of crops and the subsequent
hard times an opportunity to work up
on the feelings of the uDsOphistlcated
ruralIst and at the same time gather IN
a good share of the spoils that might
happen TO be lying around loose III their
vicinity. 1t is like a great many other
things of its kind, more inviting IN the
contemplation than inshe realization.
It's Common Thing.
But the average western farmer has
to stand about 80 much of that sort of
thing every year. If he doesn't bite on
one thing IFS another, and | suppose
he Will continue to be fiImhammed
from year to year so long as men are
deceived by the oily tongues of unscru-
pulOus demagogues. He toyed with
the lightning rod agent until mis- sub
stance was squandered In law suits and
paying notes. Then the gold brick
swlndler held HIM up, and his hard
earned savings went like mamma before
the morning sun. He has paid royal
ties on patent drive wells, and mas I'M
consciously accepted agencies for new
tangled wind mills and gives his note in
&dvance. He has been fieeced by book
agents and purchased shoe pegs for
seed wheat. He's just the kind Of a
man that would imagine free trade and
free silver could produce thirty bushel
yield of wheat from thirteen acre
field without the use of fertilizers.
Oh, yes, We have the farmers ALI
ance with us, but thank heaven IT'S not
going to be like the poor, always with
u.s."
Dir. McBride's "Reminiscences.
any vito and | came here from De-
trOIt today over the ID. CT. II. & NJ.
road" said Archibald Mcbride of Pitts
burg at the Morton last night. "There
isn't anything remarkable about that:
but thirty years ago we came through
here on our way 10 Grand Haven over
the same road. We were then on our
wedding trip; but did not dream of
coming back here in thirty years to
| buy furniture. When we came over
the road the first time It was through a
verltable wilderness. One could stand
| on the platform Of the rear coach and
see nothing but trees for milos and
miles at a stretch. 1T was an unbroken
success on of forests, cedar swamps and
marshes. When we came back this
time we find a populous and wealthy
| country. and a city of 90 900 inhabi-
tsnts at what was then ut best only a
| little backwoods village. | could
scarcely bring myself to believe that
such wonderful Improvements had
| been made"