The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1892-07-07
Subordinate Unions, Attention!

meeting IN July IS close at nanO ana
7 hope every sab-union will be well
represented by the foremost Alliance
men in the parish. This is the most
important meeting of the year, as you
are to elect delegates to represent US
at the State Union in August, and
also to elect officers for the ensuing
year, and as it is the most leisure time
of the year with farmers and laboring
men, I see no reason why we should
net have full attendance, and also
that delegates and members should
not get in such a hurry that they
must leave before the body has time
to transact all business of importance
that should claim our attention at
this time.
There is much that wecan do in an
organized capacity which none of us
can accomplish alone, andi seems to
me that we should look after our
everyday home interests in practi-
cal business way, and strive for the
betterment of our condition at home
and outside of politics, as well as to
inform ourselves on current political
matters and be prepared to vote in
telligently on election day.
In my opinion, there is getting to
be too great q tendency among Ali
ance men to make politics a special
study at the expense of our more i'm
mediate home interests, and because
some would-be leaders are running
off into politics to the exclusion of
the former, it is having the effect to
discourage the rank and file of Ali
aace men from that determined and
united effort which all should con-
tinue to make for the true ''good of
the Order"
There is great deal to do at home,
and let us go to work in practical
!. way to do it, and now, since our State
: election is ever, there is less to alb
sorb our attention from such work,
and we should redouble our efforts,
and show to skeptics and croakers
that the Order is not a political party.
It is contrary to the spirit of the
Alliance to resolve itself into politi-
cal party, and if persisted ia, will
most surely result in its destruction
and disintegration.
Here in this free land of Democra-
cy and of peace, THERE'S no place for
political party organized in secresy
and with secret passwords and signs,
and the Alliance being a minority of
the voters in the State will antago-
nize all outsiders and bring on inev.
liable defeat whenever we attempt to
figure as a separate political party
and undertake to bind men to support
this new party. Every American has
perfect right to vote for whom he
pleases, regardless of any and all Sc
cret orders, and any attempt at CO.
ersion of individuals by any Order, or
going into third party in Louisiana
can only result disastrously to the
best interests of the toiling masses.
We have just had an object lesson
in the late Ssate campaign, where a
few disappointed ofice-seekers came
near causing the defeat of the peo-
ple's cause by setting up opposition
to old established party lines and do
ing all in their power to create new
political party in the State.
In Louisiana there are naturally
but two parties, and we are COMPEL
ed to recognize this condition if we
have the States best interest at heart.
These are the Democratic and the Re-
publican parties, and in Louisiana
Democrat" means white, and ere
publican" generally means black, and
we must not endanger the supremacy
Of intelligence over ignorance by
dividing up the white or Democratic
party by q false hue and cry over
irrelevant issues.
The men who have undertaken to
organize a Peoples party" in politics
in the Alliance have, in my humble
opinion, dealt a severe blow at the
Alliance and Alliance principles. If
the Democratic, or white, party is be-
ing largely controlled by corrupt men,
then we should purge it of these COR
rupt men and influences by reforms
within the party. What is the use of
multiplying parties? There always
designing men to undertake to con-
troll political party for their own
selfish purposes, no matter what is
the name or makeup of the party. 1t
is the part of the intelligent voter to
watch these and keep them out of
place and power, no matter even if
they try to pose as Alliance, or as
Democrats, or anything else. "What's
in name!"
The Alliance, as an Order, has no
right nor power to dictate to voters,
and it was SO decided by President
Polk. It is contrary to the principles
of the Order. 1t is contrary to the
instincts of American freemen. In
National politics perhaps neither of
the old parties has put forward
ticket which is entirely unobjection-