The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1892-11-10
CAN THIS BE TRUE?
THE ALLIANCE SAID TO BE DYING
OUT IN THIS STATE.

The News and Courier's Columbia Cores
| pondent Authority for tho Statement =
What Has the Leaders OF the Alliance to
Say toIt?
COLUMBIA, S. G., October 3d. For
several weeks all innocent little para
graph has oeen going the rounds of tho
press. 1t reads thus:
"SLate Secretary Reid, of the ALI.
ance, says that at an early day efforts
will be made to revive enthusiasm in the
organization he represents. The men,
bership is now something under 10000
in the State, and slightly decreased from
what it has been. Mr.. Reid hopes to
increase it mat terially at an early day."
TO those who have paid any atten.
ton 10 the career Of the Alliance there
Is great deal of food for thought IN this
simple statement. If the fears of the
leaders arc realized III two yenrs the
organization will be mere shadow of it
former self. 1t looks very much as if
the Alliance as body is in very bad
way in the Palmetto State. Two years
ago bya conservative estimate there
were between $1,000 and 10000 mem.
bcrs OF the Alliance in the State. To-
cay, without any special reason for the
decline, there are only between 5000
and $4,000 members Of that once power
full body.
1t ought TO be possible sor the Alli-
ancc TO have 5000 members iu South
Carolina, yet with the most persistent
working the bona lide membership Las
hardly reached half of that lumber.
| I,n nucy Al
the Alliance membership bas been on n
steady but sure decline, and the organ
lZcrs realize that something q, lst be
done at on c they eX !)cct to revive any
interest in the Order.
But will the Alliance, even with per-
slst,nt work, increase its membership?
III the signs OF the times are worth any
thing, il will not. Why is there this
total indifference to the Allinnce organi-
Zatlon? TO begin with, the members
VINO have Tor the last. year been pay ing
their dues have teen unab BILE to see where
they have derived any personal pecuni-
airy benefit. The only unity of action
they have discerned has been in politi-
cal directions, which are not worth the
dues, the trouble and the expense of
keeping up the me nbcrship.
The Alliance leaders, however, ex-
plain this very marked dlmlnuLlon of
membership by the fact that il is use.
less TO keep Oh paying dues when they
are already indoctrnated with Alliance
principles. Tie men who have been
members of the rody are in symlathy
with the Ordcr, :.nd Whenever the oc-
casion arises will rise and support the
Ali lnce principles with their votes and
| Ilntliipnrn INhnv .1,i hot ,l A
principles ar recognized by the farmers
o. the State as being the most advanta-
geous to them and will give their sup.
| port whenever occasion demands,
While it is very we to make gen.
The Alliance as an organization from the |
admissions Of the most ardent of its fol. |
lowers and as demonstrated by the dele.
gates to the recent Convention, it ls per.
haps we'll to give some'Concrete facts.
In OranScburS County, for instance,
The total membership never exceeded |
l,G00, women included. Today the
enrolment is not half that number. An
Alliance man, who Las been leader m
OranScburg County since the inception
OF the movement, says that his Sub-Al.
lance. which is located near Rowesyille.
|
that to-day it had only II members on
the roll and that 1t has not had meet.
my Ill three months, notwithstanding
the rcrealcd efforts of the officers to
make some kind Of showing,
III another Alliance in the same coup.
ty the president and secretary reslynej
because they saw the body was fast dis.
Intcgratirg and did not want to "be in"
at the breakiny-up.
| From Beaufort County comes the crv
that II the State Alliance does not very
soon DO something for them il will be
Thing OF the past. These, however. are
only random illustrations which migbt
DC multiplied an mlinitum. Whether
The dlsorganlzation and abandon nent of
lhe order means The same !or Alliance
politics i'll another question.
| The fact that the directors of the Cat
Ton Plant got that load of of their
shoulders before the general crash would |
perhaps indicate that they realized that |
inc membership, and with it the sub.
scription llsL, was sure to iall Off. The |
y tllancc people are very "sorc" over J.
William Stokes for selling out his inter.
est III the Cotton Plant. 1t is said that
DR.. Stokes ana w. 4. Wolfe held the
controlling interests in the pape Gen.
orally speaking the paper Is now con-
sidered to be in the hands of the Third
l'artyltes, and that DR.. Stokes sold
out. An AlIanccman told me IT,, at his
Alliance every subscription to the Cot.
ton Plant would be stopped as soon as
their present payments were exhausted.
they do not expect to support a Third
Party paper.--Ncws and Courier.
Cold-B!Ooded Murder
DALLAS, Tex Ort Ok Will.